Puppy diet and behaviour
From the moment your puppy first comes home to when they’re fully grown, your four-legged friend relies on you for the right nutrition, socialisation, and behavioural guidance. Knowing how to feed your pup and the key ways to encourage the behaviours you want from them can greatly impact their future health and happiness. By working together, we can give our pets the best start so they can go on to live long and healthy lives!
Feeding your puppy
To give them the best start in life, we need to help our pups stay at a healthy weight from the very moment we take them home. If you feed your pup the right amount of high-quality puppy food (combined with the correct amount of exercise) from the very beginning, they are likely to be a perfect weight and grow into a happy, fit adult dog.
Puppies need a balanced diet, specifically tailored to support their growth and development - neither adult dog food nor human food contains the correct balance of nutrients. Different breeds also have different nutritional needs as they grow, so the food we give to them needs to support each stage of their development. Whether you opt for wet or dry food, your puppy should only be eating food that is specifically designed for their age and breed size (so be sure to check the label!).
When selecting the right food for your puppy, look for a company that is part of the Pet Food Manufacturers Association (PFMA). Food manufacturers who are members of this organisation meet extra quality standards than the legal minimum.
After fifty years of science and observation, Royal Canin has the expertise to develop food that supports the nutritional needs of puppies. You can visit our PDSA Pet Store to buy puppy food.
Keeping your puppy on their best behaviour
The habits we help our puppies learn in their first few months can lay the foundations for a happy and healthy future. If your puppy's needs aren’t met, they may start to look for other things to keep them occupied, and they can become destructive. While chewing and digging are natural behaviours for puppies, they can also be a sign that your puppy is looking to fend off boredom or relieve anxiety.
Teaching your pup what things are appropriate to chew and keeping them mentally and physically occupied will help prevent them from showing unwanted behaviours. Exercise and playtime are great for keeping your puppy active and entertained. Reward-based training with tasty treats is the best way for your puppy to learn about how you would like them to behave. Use small treats to keep the calories down or use a few of their daily dry kibble allowance as rewards! Remember, you should always give your puppy lots of praise when they behave as you want them to, ignore any mistakes they make and never punish them.
