Akita Puppy Diet and Feeding Tips

You will have found out about your puppy's diet at the time of purchase and you should be equipped to give him the food he is used to. Most good breeders will send you away with a diet sheet (and it should be exactly the one they have been feeding, and not one copied from a book and not actually used), plus a quantity of the main food of the puppy's diet so that continuity can be maintained over the first few days. This is important, because a change of geographical area will mean a change in "bugs" around and continuity of food will minimise the risk of upset. You should ensure your puppy is fed regularly; little and often is the order of the day. Four small meals are better than one or two large ones so that weight distribution is kept at an average.

Your puppy will drink a lot of water and this should always be available. Remember to show the puppy where the bowl is and keep it in the same place. Any change in diet should be undertaken gradually and increases in food intake monitored very carefully. The puppy should look nicely covered; neither too thin and ribby, nor too fat and blown. Each time you increase the food, check that the puppy still looks the same, and you will know you have got it right. Diet is a matter of personal choice, but the puppy does need plenty of protein, calcium and minerals. Overdoing it is, however, just as bad as not doing it at all. So be sensible and check with your vet if you have any worries. Ask other owners and always keep in touch with the breeder.

As your Akita Puppy grows, it will naturally cut down on the milky meals until they can be left out altogether. The timing is not important; watch the puppy and be guided by what it is telling you. We feed growing youngsters exactly as we feed our puppies; we just increase the quantities. After all, the formula was fine for babies, and so it should suit growing youngsters. Your puppy may continue with two meals a day until it is twelve month old. (In fact, we feed all our dogs twice daily.) This is a matter of choice; but remember, sensible feeding is the key to your dog enjoying a long and healthy life.