It takes about 45 days for a puppy to grow from birth to weaning. During this period, special attention should be paid to the hygiene and temperature of the environment in which the puppies grow, and the mother dog should be frequently checked to see if she has crushed the puppies or is not breastfeeding. Newborn puppies cannot produce antibodies in their bodies. Breast milk is the main source of comprehensive nutrition for puppies, so it is necessary to ensure that puppies eat enough breast milk.

1. The best period for weaning

Like human babies, it is important to understand the correct method of weaning puppies. This is because you've started feeding them real food, not just survival mom's milk. Weaning a puppy is an important step in puppy development and care. Many people often wonder how to wean a puppy, especially if they have the time to care for a first-time litter.

Nursing often begins immediately after puppies are born. Some nurses tend to give birth 2 to 3 hours after birth. This first care is very important for all puppies as they get the antibodies they need in their mother's colostrum.

These antibodies help keep your dog's body free from many diseases. You will see that the puppies will be hungry and have to nurse every two hours during their first weeks of life. Gradually, they tended to nurse every three hours by the end of the second week, and then every four hours after the third week. The mother will lick the puppy around the anogenital area after nursing. This process helps stimulate the puppy to poop and urinate.

Generally, dogs can be weaned at 3-5 weeks. However, if the mother dog's milk is sufficient and the puppies are breastfeeding well, there is no need to rush to remove the puppies from the mother's milk. After 5 weeks, the amount of milk can be slowly reduced. The frequency of feeding it with breast milk will allow it to be completely weaned from breast milk at about 6 weeks.

Puppies that are weaned prematurely often have a negative impact on their health. Their digestive systems are not fully developed to process solid food. That is why the right time to wean puppies from their mother is three weeks. Weaning a puppy 4 weeks or even weeks earlier requires a lot of planning. This is because they are not getting the amounts of nutrients they require from their mother's milk. This makes them susceptible to infections like parvovirus. Let's have a look at how to wean a puppy right.

2. Weaning method

【1. According to the frequency of breastfeeding】

Gradually weaning your pet dog means gradually reducing the number of lactations per day.

A few days before weaning, the puppies and the mother dog are raised separately for a period of time, and then the mother dog is put into the puppy group to let it nurse. After the milk is finished, they are separated. Use this method to gradually reduce the number of feedings, and gradually increase the puppy's feed. Separate mother and child during the day, and then return to the same place at night.from start to finish until breastfeeding is completely stopped.

There are many ways to wean puppies, such as one-time weaning and no longer feeding the puppies if you decide to stop breastfeeding; there are also batch weaning methods and gradual weaning methods.

(1) Weaning at maturity.

Weaning as soon as it expires or is about to expire will appear sudden. The advantage of this method is that the weaning time is short and the nesting time is early. The disadvantage is that due to sudden weaning and sudden changes in food and environment, it is easy to cause indigestion in the puppies, affect the growth and development of the puppies, and cause mental stress in the puppies. Female dogs with sufficient milk supply may also cause mastitis, so be careful. .

(2) Weaning in batches.

Determine weaning in batches based on the physical strength, adaptability and purpose of the puppies. The well-developed ones can be weaned first, and the weak ones can be weaned later. The lactation time can be appropriately extended to promote growth and development. The disadvantage is that the weaning time is extended, which brings trouble to management.

Determine weaning in batches based on the physical strength, adaptability and purpose of the puppies. The well-developed ones can be weaned first, and the weak ones can be weaned later. The lactation time can be appropriately extended to promote growth and development. The disadvantage is that the weaning time is extended, which brings trouble to management.

(3) Gradually wean.

This method is to gradually train the puppies to separate from the mother dog, gradually reduce the number of lactations, and keep them at appropriate intervals before weaning. After a certain period of time, they are kept together to let the puppies nurse. After feeding, they are separated again, and then they are kept together day by day. Reduce the frequency of feeding until complete weaning. This method can prevent the puppies from suffering the stimulation of sudden weaning and is a safe and reliable method.

After weaning, the puppies transition from being completely dependent on the milk to living completely independently on their own, which is an important turning point in their lives. At this time, the puppies are still in a period of rapid growth and development, and their digestive functions and resistance have not yet been fully developed. If they are not properly fed and managed, not only will their growth and development be stunted, but they will also be prone to illness or death. Therefore, the feeding and management during this period must not be relaxed, and careful care must be given to ensure the normal growth of the puppies, reduce and eliminate the invasion of diseases, and breed strong and strong puppies.

【2. According to the adaptation of dog food】

During the weaning period of Labrador, the dog should slowly adapt to dog food.

Because its gastrointestinal function is really poor, if it cannot adapt in advance and suddenly changes dog food, it will easily cause problems.

3. Dietary precautions after weaning

​Food Feeding

The period from weaning to 6 months of age is the main stage of physical growth and development of dogs, and it is also a critical period for cultivating high-quality dogs.. Therefore, the food fed must ensure that it meets the nutritional needs of its growth and development. Under normal circumstances, the first 3 months after a puppy is born are mainly about weight gain and the re-growth of various body parts, 4-6 months are mainly about the growth of body length, and after 7 months, the main thing is the increase in height. Therefore, puppies have different nutritional needs at different stages of development. Below we will explain how to raise newly weaned dogs according to their developmental stages.

(1), the first month after weaning

The first month after weaning is the most difficult month to raise and manage puppies. Puppies at this time often suffer from loss of appetite and restlessness due to sudden changes in eating habits. If this situation continues, the puppy will easily get sick. Therefore, during this period, you should feed some foods that taste good and are easy to digest, preferably containing protein.

The food you prepare for your puppy during this period is very simple: add an appropriate amount of chopped fish, meat or cooked and chopped vegetables to soy milk, milk, porridge and other liquid foods. This is their delicious meal. .

In addition, you can also cook and chop organs such as pig and cow lungs and mix them into cooked foods such as vegetables and cornmeal. This kind of feeding is economical and nutritious, and it is also very popular with puppies.

Regarding the frequency of feeding during this period, it is appropriate to eat small amounts and frequent meals. Feed 4-5 times a day, only 80% full each time to avoid overeating the dog. For dogs with poor appetite, you can feed them first, first, then first, with small meals and frequent meals. Feeding food in order can increase the attractiveness of food to the dog and stimulate the dog's appetite; eating small meals often can make the dog always have a sense of emptiness of not being full, making it want to eat something, so that the dog can Dogs won’t be picky eaters.

(2) Puppies aged 4-6 months

Puppies in this period gain weight quickly, eat more, and require more daily feed. At this time, they need to be fed at least 3 times a day.

(3) Puppies after 6 months of age

During this period, the dog’s diet structure and habits have gradually got on the right track, and feeding it twice a day is sufficient.

Special attention:

(1) In the months from 2-3 months after weaning to less than 3 months, the food composition of the pet puppy will determine its lifelong eating habits. If you plan to continue to feed special dog food in the future, you must adapt it to the taste of special dog food during this period of time.

(2) Once you know the correct age to wean a puppy, you need to understand how to wean a puppy. When puppies are weaned at 4 or 3 weeks, you should start keeping them away from their mother. Keep them away from the mother for about 1 hour before feeding them. This will make them hungry and they will try to eat semi-solid food wherever you are close to them. Started semi-solidbody food as it will be easier to swallow and then digest. The dish is placed in a shallow dish and you will find most of them devouring it hungrily. If one or a few people are still worried about eating disgustingly, then try to encourage them to eat likeable. Place a tongue position on the food or near the tip of the nose. Soon, they will catch up with their siblings too.