I feed the babies dry Purina Puppy Chow Healthy Morsels, Soft & Crunchy Bites (that has the 4 colors of food in it and also the little bone shaped pieces in the mixture). We also mix Nutri Source puppy food (small and medium breed, chicken and rice formula) in with the Purina, as it has all of the vitamins and minerals the babies need for good, balanced nutrition. Nutri Source has broken down all the vitamins and minerals so a puppy can absorb it into their system.

Most vets recommend that you feed puppies 3 times a day as they don't eat enough to last from morning to night. When they are eating well for you, you can omit the canned food.

We will tape a zip lock bag of the dry Purina Puppy Food onto the pet carrier crate with your puppy, so that you will have it when your puppy arrives. I mix a teaspoon of canned Pedigree Puppy Food, Lamb and Rice flavor, in with the dry food each time I feed them.

Your puppy will go after the canned food first, of course, so we mix it in really well with the dry puppy food! You might try feeding a half cup of the dry food mixed with the little bit of canned food and see if the puppy cleans it up; if not, you'll have to gauge how much dry food the puppy eats by what he leaves in his bowl after eating.

We leave the dry puppy food out for them all the time, as puppies will go back to it several times during the day. We give the puppies Milk Bone Puppy Treats as they are good for keeping their teeth clean as well as helping them when they are teething. They also work great to reward the puppy when he goes outside and does his business, along with lots of verbal praise.

I highly recommend the little paperback book "How to House Break a Dog in Seven Days" for $7.95. Click the book's title to order through my site on Amazon.com. I'm sure you could also pick one up at a Barnes & Noble Book Store. This little book covers EVERYTHING about puppies, from house breaking/potty training to feeding, disciplining and training.

Darlene Whitman
Mountain Grove, Missouri