How often should a 3 month old puppy eat

3-Month-Old Puppy: Vet Approved Guide of What to Expect

Welcoming a new puppy into your home can be an overwhelming experience. At 3 months old, your fluffy bundle of joy is at a crucial stage in their development, and as a new owner, you may not know how to care for them to ensure that they become a well-rounded adult dog. But dont worryweve got you covered with this guide.

Read on as we explore what you should expect at this age, so you can navigate this phase of puppyhood in the best possible way!

Behavior

A 3-month-old puppys behavior is characterized by nipping and chewing, sudden bursts of energy followed by almost comatose naps, plenty of curiosity and exploration, and of course, mischief!

At this stage, you can also expect them to start teething, which explains their obsession with chewing everything that comes their way. Biting is how puppies may communicate and express their desire to play, but it is essential to discourage this behavior. Otherwise, you may face more severe problems once they reach adult size.

Start socializing and training your puppy as early as possible, but keep in mind that their attention span is short at this age. So, keep training sessions brief, and focus on basic commands for now, like sit, give paw, and lie down.

Puppy Food Basics

During this stage, choosing a high-quality, nutritionally balanced puppy food is critical to support their rapid growth and development. Look for options with essential nutrients like protein, fat, calcium, digestible carbohydrates, and omega-3 fatty acids like docosahexaenoic acid for bone health and brain development.

Feeding Schedule

Typically, by 3 months of age, your puppy will need three to four meals per day. During this time, your puppy could start to lose their chubby belly. Keep puppy-sized portions while their bodies grow. Dont hesitate to talk with your vet to determine the best feeding plan based on the breed and size of your tiny four-legged companion.

Breed-Specific Growth

Different breeds grow at different rates, so understanding your puppys breed characteristics will help you monitor their weight and growth rate. Large breeds may generally experience a more prolonged growth period, with a few continuing to grow for up to 2 years, while smaller breeds will grow more slowly and generally stop between 6-12 months of age.

Weight Monitoring

Regularly monitor your puppys weight to ensure that they are growing at a healthy pace. Consult your vet if you have concerns about your puppys growth or if you are unsure about their ideal weight range.

Training

Its best to start training your puppy as early as possible. This way, you can begin to socialize them, prevent any behavior issues before they occur, and teach them basic commands.

Using treats is an excellent way to train your puppy and reinforce positive behaviors. Be sure to choose treats that are appropriate for their size and age, and keep in mind their overall calorie intake. Overfeeding can lead to weight issues, so strike a balance between treats and regular meals.

Crate Training

Crate training is a positive way to create a safe and secure space for your puppy. It aids in housebreaking and provides your puppy with a sense of security. Introduce the crate gradually, using positive reinforcement to associate it with comfort and relaxation.

You can make your puppys crate extra cozy without breaking the bank. Theres no need to buy a fancy dog bed, as all the chewing is likely to ruin it, anyway. Instead, place down a few soft, cheap blankets for a cozy spot. Toss in a few puppy-friendly toys, and youre all set! If possible, keep the crate in your bedroom so your pup feels close to their new family.

Exercise

As you might expect, a 3-month-old puppy is bursting with playful energy. The best way to get them to use up their energy without harming the development of their bones is to aim for one or two short walks of about 5 minutes for each month of their age (so, currently, about 15 minutes). Dont overdo it, and avoid jogging with your little one for now, as the impact of running or too much exercise could lead to injury and improper development.

Socialization

Properly socializing your puppy during this critical phase of their development will have a positive impact on their long-term behavior. Therefore, do not neglect this essential step in their transformation into a confident, happy, and balanced adult dog. Introduce your puppy to new people, animals, objects, places, and other unfamiliar things, but always do it gradually so as not to frighten them. Joining puppy classes is another fun way to strengthen their social skillsand yours too! Just be sure to only associate with dogs that arent showing signs of illness and that have been vaccinated.

Sleep Requirements

Puppies need plenty of sleep to support their growth and development. At 3 months old, your puppy may sleep up to 20 hours per day! Ensure that they have a comfortable and quiet place to rest, and establish a consistent bedtime routine to promote healthy sleep habits.

Here are tips that can help make your puppy sleep more soundly:

• Respect your puppys sleep by avoiding disturbances when theyre resting. While cuddling is tempting, refrain from letting them rely on you to fall asleep. Keep an eye on them, as theyll likely need to go outside once they wake up.
• Teach your puppy where to sleep by guiding them to a designated spot like a crate or dog bed. Encourage napping in a quiet area, helping them learn that its their dedicated sleep space.
• Establish a routine that balances play and rest, ensuring that your puppy gets enough sleep.
• Be aware of signs of tiredness to prevent overstimulation, and guide them to their sleeping area to wind down.

Grooming

Grooming your 3-month-old puppy involves gentle brushing to prevent tangling, using a puppy-friendly shampoo for a bath about once a month, and occasionally trimming their tiny nails. You can also introduce them to cleaning their ears with a damp cotton pad and brushing their teeth. If your puppy has long hair, you can take them to a professional dog groomer for a whole new experience.

Once your puppy is 3 months old, its time to start using shampoo and conditioner. Make sure to choose products that are designed for dogs and that are pH balanced.If youre in a hurry or your pup seems too reluctant to get in the water, consider using dog wipes.

Healthcare

During this stage, your puppys vaccine schedule is ongoing. While its great to let them explore, ensure safe interactions with familiar vaccinated pets to reduce disease risks. Make sure youre taking your pup in for regular veterinary visits, which likely wont be a problem if youre on a proper vaccination schedule. Your vet will be able to make recommendations on diets, treats, and other essentials and make sure they are growing and developing as they should.

Vaccines and Boosters

Your puppy will visit the vet frequently for vaccines, as puppies require multiple boosters. The distemper combination series usually starts between 6 and 8 weeks and ends around 12-16 weeks with rabies available after 12 weeks of age. Talk to your vet about non-core vaccines (such as Lyme disease, leptospirosis, and canine influenza) based on your puppys lifestyle and local disease prevalence.

Final Thoughts

Adopting a new puppy is a unique experience that is not without its challenges. Like most babies, 3-month-old puppies can be particularly intense during this phase of their development, alternating between exuberant energy, restful naps, frequent feeding, nipping, and chewing on everything. But when you know what to expect, navigating and appreciating this short period of your new fluffy treasures life becomes more manageable. Make sure to cherish every precious moment with your little one, as they grow up way too fast!

Featured Image Credit: anetapics, Shutterstock

How Much To Feed A Puppy By Weight And Puppy Feeding Chart

There are many elements to keeping your dog healthy. These include giving your dog enough exercise, playtime, and, of course, food. But do you know how much to feed a puppy? Are you wondering, How much food should I feed my puppy?

Lets discuss what a puppys diet should consist of, how much a puppy should eat, and how often a puppy should be fed. We hope our puppy feeding guide will help you provide the proper diet for your pup.

Puppy Feeding Chart: How Much To Feed A Puppy By Weight

Curious to know, How much should I feed my puppy? How much food to feed a puppy depends on age and weight. Most dog and puppy food packages have a feeding chart on the label, similar to our chart below. Be sure to check your puppys specific food bag for the label so you know how much to feed him. While this chart is a good baseline, we recommend double-checking with your vet, as all dogs dietary needs are unique.

How Much Food Should I Feed My Puppy?

These amounts are for every 24 hours.

How Often To Feed A Puppy

So now that you know how much to feed your puppy, you might be wondering, How many times a day should a puppy eat? Setting a routine for your puppys feeding schedule is critical so he can learn when to expect his food.

• 4-12 Weeks: Young puppies need three or more feedings per day to adequately meet their nutritional needs. So, according to the feeding guide that comes with their food or the chart above, divide that by three or more and give the food to them throughout the day.
• 3-12 Months: As your puppygets older, you can reduce the number of feedings to twice daily. Their energy level should be reduced; thus, they dont need as much food throughout the day.
• 12+ Months: Most adult dogs eat two meals per day. Youll want to divide their food requirement by two.

Puppy Feeding Schedule

A typical feeding schedule for puppies is 7 am, noon, and 5 pm. If you decide to do more than three feedings, you can adjust your schedule for puppy eating times as needed. Make sure to keep that last feeding around the 5 oclock mark. That way, your pup has ample time to digest the food and eliminate it one last time before bedtime.

Keep To The Feeding Schedule To Avoid Overeating

We know that it can be tempting to leave food out all day for your puppy to munch on, especially if you have a busy schedule. However, free-choice feeding encourages overeating, which can cause your pup to gain too much weight. Portion control is key to making sure your puppy eats the proper amount for his size and age. Learning how much to feed a puppy and choosing the best food and nutrition helps avoid overeating, which leads to obesity and ensures proper development.

Dog Feeding Schedule By Age

Heres a quick timeline of a puppys nutrition in the first few months of his life. You will find more details just below our how much to feed a puppy chart.

• 0-3 Weeks: Puppies should be with their mother and nurse as they please. The mothers milk has the nutrients necessary to provide proper nutrition and protect puppies from diseases. During this time, you dont need to worry about how much to feed puppies because their mother providesthem with nutrition.
• 3-4 Weeks: Puppies will begin developing teeth and will begin weaning off their mothers milk.The puppy caregiver can blend a 50:50 portion of canned wet puppy food with a milk replacer in a flat saucer, gradually reducing the amount of milk replacer until youre only giving them puppy food. One should not be concerned if the puppies dont like the new food right away. It may take a few days to adjust to the new formula. Rubbing fingers in the mixture and then gently on the puppys nose and mouth can make the transition smoother.
• 4-6 Weeks: By this time, puppies should be fully transitioned to puppy food.
• 6 Weeks-6 Months: Puppy food based on their size and breed.
• 6-12 Months: Gradually begin to switch your puppy to adult food. Small breeds can switch between 7-9 months, and larger breeds can switch around the 12-month mark. It doesnt hurt to keep him on puppy food longer than needed to make sure hes getting all the nutrients he needs as a developing dog but since puppy food has higher calories, be sure to watch for unnecessary weight gain. A balanced diet that also maintains a healthy body weight is important for an adult dog.

What Can Puppies Eat?

A dogs food needs differ as they age, and you uncover different dietary needs. Here is a guide to our top recommended items for several different canines.

Can Puppies Eat Adult Dog Food?

Puppies and adult dogs have different nutrient needs. To help puppies grow into adult dogs, they require more protein, micronutrients, and carbs. Protein provides them with amino acids and energy. Puppies need more fat as they use a significant amount of energy, and fats help them absorb fat-soluble vitamins. Puppy formulas always have more fat than adult foods.

Calcium is vital to developing healthy bones and teeth. Puppies need more calcium than adults. However, larger breeds need than smaller breeds due to their rapid rate of growth. It is healthier to feed your puppy food that is formulated for their specific breed size to ensure they get the right amounts of essential nutrients like calcium.

DHA, an omega-3 fatty acid, is vital to puppy growth and is very important to brain and vision development. t is found in their mothers milk but is added to puppy food in the form of fish protein or fish oils.

Puppies also require a high amount of calories to help them grow, so its essential to purchase a high-quality food brand for your puppy. You want them to have a balanced diet to ensure healthy growth and development, and adult dog food will not meet their needs.

A puppys mouth is smaller than an adult dogs mouth, which helps explain why their food is not as big as adult kibble. Feeding puppies adult dog food can be dangerous because the kibble is larger, and the texture is harder to chew. Giving a puppy adult dog food can cause damage to their teeth, jaws, and overall health.

The same can be said for puppy treats. Treats made for adult dogs are often larger and harder to chew. Puppy treats ingredients also tend to be more suitable for them than those made for adult dogs. If you can, stick to treats that specifically say they are safe for puppies.

If youre looking for high-quality food for your little friend, perhaps you could try The Farmers Dog, one of our top picks for fresh dog food. Its a healthy solution for dogs of all ages. Learn more in our The Farmers Dog review.

How Long Do Puppies Eat Puppy Food?

For many breeds, puppies will need to eat a puppy-specific recipe until they reach a year or 12 months old. Smaller breeds may make the transition between 7 and 9 months old. Larger breeds, like the Great Dane, stay on puppy formulas for longer, some even until 18 months old.

How long your pup needs to stay on puppy food will depend on breed, health, and size. It is always better to stay on puppy food a little too long than to switch too early. Switching too soon can deprive them of vital nutrients needed to reach full development and can lead to health issues later in life. Discuss this change with your vet before making the switch.

Dont overlook the importance of planning and allowing for a transitional process when changing dog food. Imagine eating the same meals every day. Then, suddenly, you switch to something completely different. Youll probably experience a tummy ache orother gastrointestinal problems.

The same thing goes for your puppy. Remember that its a process that should take a minimum of six days and sometimes longer (up to several weeks).Do not try out too many different new foods at a time, as this can lead to digestive upset and stomach pain. It can also lead to body weight issues if your pup isnt eating enough. You want to keep your dog on a consistent feeding schedule and feed the appropriate amount for their age.

Puppyhood Is The Best Time To Consider Pet Insurance

As a puppy, your dog has probably not shown any significant health concerns at a young age. Since pet insurance companies dont cover pre-existing conditions, the younger your dog is when you sign up, the better coverage you will likely receive throughout his lifetime.

Pet insurance can help support you financially during the unpredictable puppy years when dogs are more likely to chew on things they shouldnt and run into dangerous situations. Check out our pet insurance guide to learn more and to determine whether pet insurance is worth it for your puppy. You can also use our free tool below to get instant pet insurance quotes.

Your Best Puppy And Dog Food Options (And Other Tips)

Remember, having a dog who has his dietary needs met will be happier and healthier as a result. Not eating enough can lead to malnutrition, and overeating makes your pup obese (read our tips to help your dog lose weight). You do not want your puppy to become a picky eater, or develop a sensitive stomach, so stick to puppy formulas. If you have any concerns about how much to feed a puppy, are worried your puppy is not eating enough, or need help ensuring they are on the right diet, reach out to your vet. This is a perfect topic to bring up at a puppy checkup.

Are you looking for more dog food articles? Weve got plenty of resources on various dog diets and nutrition, including our recommended foods for any age, diet type, and health concern, the best dog food delivery services for puppies and adult dogs, and homemade dog food recipes.