One of the most critical factors in a puppy's development is nutrition. The quality of nutrition determines so much! Even the best puppy can be harmed by improper feeding. Let’s figure out how to feed your new family member properly.

A newborn toy poodle puppy is fed exclusively on its mother’s milk. Approximately every two hours, the puppy drinks about 4-5 ml of milk per 100 grams of body weight, with short breaks for sleep. During the first week of life, healthy puppies nearly double their weight.

By the third week, puppies gradually begin transitioning to supplemental foods, such as yogurt, puppy pâté, turkey mince, or Dr. Moro’s carrot soup to promote good digestion. At first, supplemental feeding is given once a day, but by the fifth week, puppies typically stop nursing and switch entirely to independent feeding.

At one and a half months of age, puppies are fed small portions 5-6 times a day. By two months, when puppies are ready to join their new families, the feeding frequency is reduced to 3-4 times a day.

There are different approaches to feeding dogs. Over time, as an owner, you will find the option that works best for both you and your dog.

Feeding with dry food.
Currently, the market offers a wide variety of dry dog foods. Broadly, these can be divided into three categories: economy, premium, and high premium.

1. Economy class foods are sold in any supermarket and are inexpensive. Consequently, their composition is far from ideal. They contain many dyes and flavorings, as their primary goal is to appeal to buyers.

2. Economy-class foods are not necessarily harmful, but they offer little benefit. Most of the food simply passes through the dog’s digestive system and is expelled as bulky stool.

3. Premium and high premium dog foods are sold in specialized pet stores. Some of the well-known brands producing premium food include Royal Canin, Hills, Black Hawk, Taste of the Wild, ProPlan, and Eukanuba. High premium foods are often represented by freeze-dried options such as Ziwi Peak, Providore, and Eureka. These foods are generally well-digested and result in smaller, less frequent stools. However, it’s important to note that many of these foods may contain excessive fat and protein, which are not suitable for toy poodles. You should also pay attention to your dog's individual reactions.

4. It’s worth mentioning holistic grain free dog foods. These types of food often use legumes and sweet potatoes. There is growing concern about a link between these ingredients and cardiovascular issues in dogs. For this reason, we do not recommend using holistic dog foods.

Canned dog food
The same considerations apply to canned food as to dry food. However, many canned products contain a high sugar content, which is not healthy for long-term use, especially for toy poodles, as the breed is prone to dental tartar buildup. Therefore, canned food should only be used in two scenarios: as prescribed by your veterinarian as part of a medical diet or as a short-term or one-time option in unusual circumstances, such as during travel.

Dog rolls and prepared natural food
These can be a good choice, but I don’t recommend switching your dog entirely to rolls, as many dogs gain weight when fed this way. However, they make an excellent treat for training! A premium option worth mentioning is SPD rolls. They are notable for using single-protein formulations, which can help identify potential protein allergies if they occur.

Species-appropriate raw diets
Species-appropriate feeding involves giving dogs raw meat, organ meats, and bones—an attempt to replicate the diet of wild dogs. This approach offers many health benefits for dogs. On a raw diet, dogs often have cleaner teeth, are energetic, and look great. They build muscle effectively and enjoy being active. However, compared to dogs fed dry food, they may appear leaner.

Let’s explore the options for natural feeding:

 

1. Prepared raw diets (e.g., BARF) These are generally a good choice. However, you’ll need sufficient freezer space and good organization to defrost portions on time. Only buy from trusted suppliers where storage quality is reliable and power outages are not a concern.

2. Homemade raw feeding. This is the most complex feeding method, requiring a thoughtful approach and careful calculation of the proportions of muscle meat, organs, and bones. You’ll also need to add vitamins, which can be challenging.

 

It’s worth noting that feeding raw meat carries the risk of bacterial or parasite infections if the meat quality is poor. In Australia, certain diseases like Aujeszky's disease and some others that can be transmitted through animal meat are not present. However, bacteria and parasites are not uncommon. Additionally, there’s a risk that meat labeled as suitable for human consumption may contain toxins harmless to humans but potentially lethal to dogs due to certain feed plant toxins.

In our kennel, we practice mixed feeding: dry food, meat (horse, turkey, beef, lean lamb), bones (lamb necks or shanks), sardines, yogurt. At one point, we fed exclusively dry food, and while the dogs looked fine, they lacked vibrant energy. Once we added meat, eggs (chicken and quail), yogurt, and sardines to their diet, the dogs’ appearance and behavior changed noticeably.

We are fully aware of the risks associated with feeding raw meat products. If these risks are unacceptable to you, avoid feeding raw meat, but still consider giving bones, as they are the best prevention for dental issues.

Here are the feeding options for growing puppies we use in our kennel (choose one dish at a time):

1. Greek yogurt without sugar or additives, preferably lactose-free. We use Jalna or Littos because they’re not sour.

2. Yogurt with egg. Quail eggs can be given raw because the acidity of quail eggshells prevents salmonella from surviving and reproducing. Chicken eggs are better boiled until hard, peeled, and grated finely.

3. Boiled chicken with rice. This is an excellent meal if your dog has digestive issues. Many dogs simply love this dish. Use a snood to keep the dog’s ears clean, as ears that end up in the food bowl are hard to clean.

4. Boiled carrot, pumpkin, rice, or buckwheat topped with sardines. Use sardines in oil for vegetables, and sardines in water or natural juices for rice. One or two sardines per portion are more than enough.

5. Turkey, beef, or horse meat. These can be given finely chopped raw or boiled.

6. Organ meats (heart, kidneys, liver, chicken gizzards) are best given boiled and introduced gradually in small portions (one or two small pieces). They often cause diarrhea.

​

Bones are a vital part of a dog’s diet. Dogs are predators, no matter how hard it is to believe looking at a cute and playful poodle. Their digestive system is designed for hunting and eating raw meat. Over time, dogs have adapted to living with humans and can quite well survive on commercial food. However, the first thing to suffer is their teeth. A dog’s teeth are designed to capture food, tear it into small pieces, and chew bones and hides. Dry food doesn’t give dogs the opportunity to use their jaws as intended, which can lead to various problems. The most common issue is the buildup of plaque, which over time hardens into tartar. Tartar then becomes a breeding ground for bacteria, and gradually the teeth begin to decay, gums become inflamed, teeth start to hurt, and even become loose. To prevent this or at least delay it until old age, dogs need the opportunity to chew on bones. Never give tubular bones, as even a toy poodle can easily break apart bird bones, swallow them, and cause a whole host of problems. Never give cooked bones – cooked bones are a dead product for a carnivorous animal. They have no nutritional value, are not digestible, and can cause intestinal blockages. Only raw bones are suitable for dogs; we prefer giving lamb necks. These bones are soft enough for the dog not to break its teeth, but they are tough enough to clean plaque and exercise the jaw muscles. Chicken and turkey necks are also good alternatives. It’s important to remember that a meaty bone is a full meal. We recommend giving dogs bones or chew treats only under supervision. 30-40 minutes of chewing a day is enough to clean their teeth. One bone can be used several days in a row, but it counts as a meal only on the first day while there is meat on it.