This is how I wean my pups and it works beautifully. Get a good quality dry dog food (I use Canidae, Chicken Soup or Solid Gold Wee Bits), grind the dry food in a blender until it is well ground (like corn meal)(I grind up several cups and keep unused part in a airtight container). Just set a small bowl of this dry food in the pen with the puppies along with a small bowl of water. In a very short time the pups should start eating the food. I leave it down all the time but just put out fresh food everyday. When the pups are 5 weeks old I take a small amount of canned Pedigree Lamb and Rice and add it to some of the ground dry food, mix well. I put a small plate of this out in the morning and again in the evening. I still leave the dry food down also because some just prefer the dry food. As the puppies get old you will not need to grind the food a much. Now the mom may eat some of this food but that is o.k.; she will be teaching the babies how to eat out of a bowl. Using this method I have never had to supplement with milk formula. Most moms will still want to nurse their babies some but as the puppies eat more solid food they will not be nursing as much and the moms will slowly dry up. You do need to watch for constipation when the puppies are doing the transition to solid food. You can add a little Karo syrup to their water if necessary. |