By three to four weeks, puppies should be chewing away on raw meat and bones.
By Gun dog training
Tuesday, 04 August 2009
I am about to breed my first litter of puppies and find that I am getting a lot of conflicting advice about weaning. What procedure do you follow when weaning puppies?
Gun dog training expert
JACKIE DRAKEFORD KCAI (B) (WLSA)
I always let the puppies dictate the pace, as they are self-weaning, and will do so in their own time.
Puppies from bitches fed with BARF (Biologically Appropriate Raw Food, or Bones And Raw Food) tend to wean early, at about two-and-a-half weeks, when I offer raw mince in broth, which they take as soon as they are ready.
I often add plain yoghurt, but never milk, as the best milk for puppies is in the bitch.
After they have had their solid food, I let the bitch top them up with milk.
If one puppy is a bit slow, I don’t worry, as it will wean when it is ready.
By three to four weeks, my puppies are chewing away on raw meat and bones as well as their mince slop, and by five weeks most bitches choose to suckle for a very short time only.
A few like to go on for longer, and I allow this, as long as the puppies have had their meat first.
If puppies are fed a varied diet they are far less likely to become fussy feeders later on.
Last year my freezer broke down and I switched to ...
A SPORTING TEAM: Enjoy all of the best shooting commentary with driven shooting's finest journal.
Don't miss this week's issue (on sale Wednesday 1st February). FREE PRIZE DRAW - it is week 3 of our great "Gun a Week" competition, see P53 for further details and how to enter! Plus, who is top dog? Paul Rawlings reports on the 2012 Cocker Spaniel Championship. Get down to your newsagents and buy your copy today!
High Court orders a full judicial review of Natural England’s pr... Read more
Lincolnshire Police dismisses claims that disabled man who later shot ... Read more
Comments