Border Collie Puppy Feeding Do's and Dont's
In the wild, dog’s killed their food, and lived on a diet of fresh meat, organs and stomach contents. Today this is obviously not practical so you have a few options for feeding your Border Collie puppy.
The first thing is to always follow the feeding regime recommended by your breeder when you first bring your new Border Collie puppy home. It is important to keep feeding puppy the same way or you will upset puppy’s tummy. As puppy gets older start introducing new foods into its diet gradually so their system gets used to it....
Puppy Feeding Needs
How you feed your Border Collie puppy will affect the rest of its life.
During at least the first year of its life, a puppy develops very quickly, their:
- joints and bones grow rapidly
- muscles grow and develop
- immune system develops to protect their body
When you consider that a human takes 14 years to achieve the same level of development, a Border Collie fully develops in one or two years.
Your puppy needs the following to support its development:
- Protein. Protein is important during the growth stage for the coat, organs, tissues, skin and muscle development.
- Phosphorus and Calcium. Puppy needs calcium and phosphorus for healthy bone and teeth development.
- Omega Fatty Acids. Omega fatty acids, like pure fish oil, keep your puppy’s coat and skin healthy and boost their immune system.
What you should Feed your Border Collie?
There are many food options on the market including:
- dry food
- canned food
- kitchen scraps
- raw meats
- 100% natural, nutritional and preservative free pet food rolls
- mineral/vitamin supplements
The way you feed your Border Collie is up to you but you obviously want to feed the best possible food to your best friend as cost-effectively as possible.
We provide our Border Collies with a combination of raw, dry food and packaged rolls, depending on what our budget can afford.
Depending on your budget you can buy the best quality food on the supermarket or another option to consider is a reasonable quality dry food with supplements added onto their food once or twice a week.
Simple Feeding Do’s and Dont's
Here are some simple tips for healthy feeding:
- Do follow any feeding guidelines to ensure your Border Collie does not become overweight which can cause serious health problems.
- Do introduce new foods gradually, over a two week period, into the old foods. Gradually increase the new and decrease the old foods. This makes it easier for your puppy’s digestive system to cope.
- Do feed your puppy at the same time every day. Young Border Collie puppies should be fed three times a day and reduce it to twice a day as they get older. Adult Border Collies are fed once a day.
- Do make sure there is always fresh, clean water available.
- Do make sure you factor in any additional food such as treats and table scraps into their daily nutritional requirements. Reduce the amount of your pup’s meals in accordance with the amount of treats and table scraps your pup gets during the day.
- Do speak to your vet if you need advice about how to feed your Border Collie puppy.
- Do always feed your puppy after you eat. You are the pack leader and pack leaders always eat first.
- Do not feed your puppy too many table scraps or while you are at the table. This can add too many calories, make your puppy demanding at your mealtimes and make it a fussy eater.
Remember, you are your Border Collie’s universe and they rely on you for everything.
Feeding your puppy a well-balanced, nutritional diet will avoid a lot of health problems and costly visits to your vet.
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