FOXY DOXYS
Quality Dachshunds
FEEDING PUPPY
Your puppy needs to be fed 3 times a day. Your puppy may not eat well for the first 1 or 2 days. For an 8 week old puppy, mix about 3 tablespoons of dry food that has been slightly softened with water (not mushy), with about 1 or 2 teaspoons of canned food, heat about 10 seconds in the microwave then mix well. ( If you use a very tiny size kibble specifically made for small breed puppies then you do not need to soften it with water. Just add the canned food to it). Check to make sure it's not too hot. In addition to the 3 daily feedings of this mix, leave a small bowl of dry food available through-out the day. Provide fresh water all day. As your puppy grows you will need to increase the quantity of food.At 6 months of age your puppy's feedings should be reduced to 2 times a day. Also you no longer need to soften the food with water. Simply mix the dry food with 1 or 2 teaspoons of canned food, add a splash of hot water, mix well and feed immediately.
At 9 to 12 months of age he should be put on a "maintenance formula" of adult dog food. As an adult he only needs to be fed 2 times daily with no food being left down through-out the day anymore. For mini's 1/3 level cup in the morning and 1/3 cup in the evening is all he needs. Tweenies/small standards need about 1/2 cup twice daily. You may need to slightly alter these amount to fit the needs of your dog. Continue to mix a small amount of canned food with a little hot water mixed in.
I recommend SMALL dog biscuits for treats, such as ALPO VARIETY SNAPS. OLD MOTHER HUBBARD makes nice small ones also. 1 biscuit daily is sufficient. We give ours at bedtime. Dachshunds are prone to becoming overweight. Do not let this happen to yours or you will most likely incur health and back problems later in your dogs life, very possibly shortening his life span. If you find at some point he has become overweight, I have found that reducing the quantity of food (down to 1/4 cup 2 times daily for mini's, 1/3 cup 2 times daily for tweenies) works better than feeding a "diet" formula. Keep in mind that handing your small dog a small treat 2 or 3 times a day can constitute an actual meal for him! Do not worry about weight issues while your Dachshund is a puppy. Puppies need to eat well and often. Adult-hood is when it can become a problem.
We use mostly Eukanuba (dry) and Triumph canned to mix in for our adults.
Our puppies get Eukanuba Small Breed Puppy, Innova Evo , or Royal Canin Puppy dry food, and Nutro Max Canned Puppy to mix in.
Top quality foods I recommend:
Natural Balance, Royal Canin, Evo, Canidae, Taste of The Wild just to mention a few. There are many more quality foods available these days. A lower cost okay food is Diamond Lamb & Rice for adults, NOT the puppy formula. The other Diamond formulas I do not care for. These foods can be found at pet supply stores and some pet shops.
There is no brand that I recommend that can be found in a grocery store.
But if that is where you insist on getting your food, then at least get the Purina One brand, NOT the Purina Dog Chow.
So, just what's in that dog food you're using? Exactly what are those ingredients, anyways? Go to http://www.dogfoodproject.com/ and find out what's in YOUR dog food! Check out all the topics under "Commercial Dry Foods" for some absolutely excellent information. Find your food under "products".
