Your influence
The final size reached by your dog will depend on a combination of factors, including his genes, whether or not he is neutered, and his general health and diet. Dogs of very large breeds may take two years or more to reach their adult size. A sick or chronically underfed puppy may never reach the size that nature intended; a chronically overfed puppy may exceed it.
Providing a puppy with the right amount of food, and making sure he grows and develops at a healthy rate need not be complicated. You don’t need to keep weighing your puppy any more than you would keep weighing your children. Just keep an eye on his appearance, and make sure he does not get too thin or too fat. Unlike our children, we are not preparing our dogs for life in the world without us, and it is important that our dogs do not become too independent. So remember to use your small puppy’s dependent phase to build a habit of following you around whenever you are outdoors together. This will stand you in good stead when it comes to future training exercises.
Knowing how to keep your puppy’s growth on track may be straightforward enough, but deciding what exactly to feed him may be another matter. There are some very different approaches to feeding puppies and adult dogs, and many new puppy owners find the choices available to them bewildering. In the next chapter, we are going to explore the often contentious topic of how and what to feed your puppy.
Providing a puppy with the right amount of food, and making sure he grows and develops at a healthy rate need not be complicated. You don’t need to keep weighing your puppy any more than you would keep weighing your children. Just keep an eye on his appearance, and make sure he does not get too thin or too fat. Unlike our children, we are not preparing our dogs for life in the world without us, and it is important that our dogs do not become too independent. So remember to use your small puppy’s dependent phase to build a habit of following you around whenever you are outdoors together. This will stand you in good stead when it comes to future training exercises.
Knowing how to keep your puppy’s growth on track may be straightforward enough, but deciding what exactly to feed him may be another matter. There are some very different approaches to feeding puppies and adult dogs, and many new puppy owners find the choices available to them bewildering. In the next chapter, we are going to explore the often contentious topic of how and what to feed your puppy.
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