Feeding and potty training

Hi there...
3 days and our baby "girl" will come home..
What shall I feed her?
All I read is Wet vs Dry food...
She is 8.5 weeks and what to feed her the best I can.
1) What would you recommend (brand please) and for how long before changing stuff?
2) Do the pups eat same food for days?


other question... during the night I have been told she will probably cry (poor thing... first night without her mum). Reading the forum I understood that I must leave her crying in the crate because she will get used to it.
Also to make her drink 30min before putting her in the crate, so she can wee etc (to be re placed for her in the morning with fresh water).

My question is...
I always wake up very early Mon to Fri (5am)... If I give her the habit to wee at that time, she will want to do so also on Sat and Sun...
3) shall I just ignore her immediately after I wake up (my wife will get up at 8am) or should I give her immediately water and then let her pee?
It is just to get organized....

4) would you leave some newspapers on one half of the crate (in case at night time she needs to wee)....

5) how long max do you reckon a 9wk puppy can be left alone at home (in the crate)? I estimate she won't stay alone longer than 1hour... too much for a puppy so young?

6) I already put in the freezer some carrots... I read that when they are teething and get nervous it can help.... have I done right or is going to be too hard for her puppy gums?

7) what treat would you recommend for my little girls? (Brand please).

Many thanks for the patience with so many quesitons.....
You can answer partially, someone else will fill what is left to know!

CIao

I feed my boy a raw diet, so I can't really comment on commercial food. However, I would say that if you are going to feed commercial, then get the best you can afford and avoid anything with a lot of colours/additives in. Also, don't bother with tin food - it's 70% water!
This might help...
https://staffy-bull-terrier.niceboard.com/t598-dry-food-recommendations

However, you should start by feeding whatever she is used to eating & gradually change her over to whatever you decide you want to feed her over a period of about a week. That will avoid upsetting her stomach.

At 8 weeks old she should be getting 4 meals a day, and your breeder should supply you with a list of what she's eating & when.

An hour in her crate isn't a problem, just make sure she has a strong chew toy (a kong or similar) to keep her entertained.

A frozen carrot is fine for teething, but she won't be needing that for another 4 - 6 weeks.

When we first got Dempsey I would get up every day at about 4am to let him have a pee, then I would play with him to tire him a little, settle him down in his crate & go to bed again!

Ok thanks a lot...
I am also a strong believer of Raw food... I just thought that since a puppy has strong needs of a super balanced diet, I would be better off feeding him at the beginning with this pre made stuff.
however, working myself as Sport Performance Coach, I am very adverse about anything "processed" and advocate clean home cooked meals! So I guess I should stick with the plan also for my little dog. After all dogs in the wild do not eat ready meals....
What would you feed a puppy with if we were going to feed him raw?
I got your point on waking up middle of the night.... Normally how long does it go on?
Thanks

Hiya and welcome

If you plan to feed raw, Caryll is definitely the best member to advise you so I'll you in her very capable hands on that one!

If you do decide to go with commercial food, dry is your best bet. Wet food contains a lot of water and you need to feed a lot of wet food in order to get the nutrients your pup will need, dry food is better as you don't need to feed quite so much of it. Dry food also helps clean your dogs teeth, and obviusly it doesn't spoil so quickly. You pup will need about four meals a day like Caryll said, for the first 4 months, down to three meals a day from 4-6 months, and two meals a day from 6 months onwards.

As for night times, for the first few days to a weeek or so, she probably will whine at night. She'll be in a new place, alone for the first time and missing her mum and litter mates. If she has been fed and watered, and has don her business, just let her whine. It will be difficult for you, but you will make things extremely difficult for yourself if you go rushing to her crate when she cries because she will continue to do it whenever she wants attention.

I put newspaper in one half of the crate for the first couple of months, then took it out. I let mine out for a last wee at about midnight, then put him back in the crate until mu husband got up at 5.30am. He let him out for a wee, then put him back in until I got up at 7am.

If your pup has been fed and done her business, she can probably handle a couple of hours in the crate if she has a toy to occupy her. A kong, as Caryll said, is very good for this.

I will add that for some (me included) the house training stage can be very hard work. I thought my boy was never going to understand that he was not allowed to do his business inside my house. At about 6 months old, it seemed to click.

It's hard work raising a puppy, but so worth it in the end.

Good luck, and we're here anytime for a chat or advice.

Oh, and don't forget to post pics!!

Agree with Caryll. Also dogs are creatures of habit so if you get up at 5AM during the week she might not understand it is the weekend. Be sure to cover the crate with a blanket and don't force her inside.

MarcoLondon wrote:What would you feed a puppy with if we were going to feed him raw?

As I said before, I'd start by feeding him whatever the breeder is feeding & then gradually change. Start by introducing some raw mince, and gradually change at least one meal to raw. Once you've done that, try introducing a chicken wing or even a drumstick (supervised, of course!).

Have a look at these sites - they're very informative...
http://www.krisannriorawfeeding.com/rawweaninglitterdiary.htm
http://rawfed.com/myths/preymodel.html
http://www.rawmeatybones.com/petowners/whatisrmb.php

The first one, especially is useful as it takes you through raw feeding from 4 weeks old!