5 Rules for a Puppy
Five things that matter most in your puppy's first year — food, fleas, vaccines, training, and dental care.
1) Food
- Puppy food until 10 months for small breeds, 1 year for large breeds.
- We recommend Royal Canin® or Hill's Science Diet®.
- Change food gradually over seven days to avoid an upset stomach.
2) Fleas
- We have fleas year round.
- Use only prescribed flea medication.
- Treat the pet and the property — adult fleas are only 5% of the problem.
3) Vaccines
- Avoid public walking areas until one week after the 4 month vaccines.
- This applies no matter how many vaccines they have already had.
- The 3 month and 4 month visits are the most important.
4) Training
- Start noise aversion training before 5 months.
- Play online recordings of thunder and fireworks at a low volume, so your puppy learns those sounds are nothing to fear.
5) Dental Care
- Practise with a silicone finger brush at 4 months.
- Move to a real toothbrush at 10 months, using an enzymatic paste.
- Dental treats do nothing if they are finished in under five minutes.
Questions about your puppy?
We are happy to talk through feeding, vaccines, or when it is safe to start walks.
Feeding Schedule
How often and what mix to feed, by age.
| Age | Meals per day | Canned / dry | How much |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2 months | 4 × a day | 50 : 50 | Ask us — see note below |
| 3 months | 3 × a day | 75 dry : 25 canned | Ask us — see note below |
| 4 months | 2 × a day | All dry | Based on the bag |
Changing food? Take a week over it
Mix the new food in gradually across seven days — roughly 25% new for days 1–2, half and half for days 3–4, 75% new for days 5–6, and fully switched by day 7. If your puppy needs longer, keep them on a mix until they settle.
Dental Care Essentials
Enzymatic toothpaste
Never use human toothpaste — ask us which is right for your puppy.
Silicone finger brush
Start here at around 4 months, while your puppy gets used to the routine.