Puppies can be separated from their litter at 8 weeks old, but it’s very important to begin socializing immediately to other puppies and people. I recommend enrolling in a puppy class or playgroup that allows the puppies to interact off leash for a good portion of the class, this is how puppies learn proper doggie etiquette and important things like bite inhibition, by play biting and practicing their body language with each other. It’s also very important that puppies get to interact with all different breeds and sizes of puppy, puppies that do not look like their littermates, to prevent them from having shyness issues with other dogs in the future. That’s just my little tidbit of training advice, I can’t resist, being a trainer myself.
And on to the food: When changing a dog’s food, it’s recommended to slowly replace the old food with the new over the course of 4 weeks, in 1/4 portion increments.
The first week, you will replace 1/4 of your puppy’s normal ration with the new food, and use the old food for the other 3/4 of the ration.
The second week, you should be replacing 1/2 of the normal ration with new food, and 1/2 with old food.
The third week, you can probably guess, would be 3/4 new food and 1/4 old.
The fourth week, the puppy should be on just the new food. Monitor your puppy’s stool and bathroom schedule. If it has diarrhea and is going more frequently, you will want to reduce the new food amount until the stool becomes normal again. Canned pumpkin (NOT the spiced pie filling) is known to help settle an upset tummy, and it wouldn’t be a bad idea to mix in a dollop with the food while you are transitioning to help prevent digestive problems. Don’t hesitate to go back to the previous step if your puppy seems to be having tummy issues after increasing the amount of new food, and remain on that step until the stool is normal again.
Good luck with your new pup!
