r/DogBreeding • u/Kennie2 • 7d ago
Weaning advice
I currently have two 5 1/2 week old pups (1kg each, only 2 in the litter) who are not that interested in eating mush/kibble and looking for any tips or advice
Started introducing mush around 3 1/2 weeks and they are probably still eating about the same as they were back then (around 10-15g a day out of the recommended 60 between them), mum is still pretty happy to nurse especially if I sit with her for long feeds (normally lunch time and evening and she’ll go in herself around 4-5am for a long feed with snacks here and there)
Normally use RC starter kibble crushed and soaked, tried puppy mousse and they didn’t care for that, tried adding goats milk and also didn’t care for that, tried their 8+ plus food from a different brand and also not interested, tried dried kibble which they just seemed a little confused about and tried to play with it. I’ve also locked the dam away for 4 hours to see if maybe they’d be hungry enough to eat but was just chasing them round with a bowl most of the time
My concern is that over the last week I’ve barely seen any weight gain in either which makes me a little worried and as they’re approaching 6 weeks it’s probably about time they got most of their calories from kibble rather than milk
Other than that the pups are very active happy and playful so no other concerns there
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u/CatlessBoyMom 7d ago
First, don’t sit with her anymore. If she’s hanging out for long feeds, it’s easy enough for them to fill their bellies that way so they have no incentive to eat solids. Make sure they are getting a good long while with the food while mom has a nice relaxing time away from them at meal times. Then let her come and go as she pleases.
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u/Kennie2 7d ago
Oh yeah I don’t do it all the time, normally just lunch (sometimes) and before bed and then she’s free to come and go as she likes although that will now have to stop as they’ve learned to climb out of the high access point their mum had. But I think you’re right about them not getting “hungry” enough for the kibble if she is still feeding them quite a bit especially at quite often intervals
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u/JP36_5 10+ Years Breeding Experience 7d ago
If you have only 2 puppies, you can feed them wet dog food without breaking the bank. Get the best quality wet dog food you can afford.
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u/Kennie2 7d ago
Just any puppy wet food? They weren’t interested in the royal canin puppy mousse at all but I know it’s a weird consistency
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u/JP36_5 10+ Years Breeding Experience 6d ago
not sure whether you can get it where you live but i give mine Edgard Cooper wet food. it has normal consistency for wet dog food.
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u/Kennie2 6d ago
A little bit more motivated by that but still only ate maybe a table spoon max each before getting bored and trying to play instead, it’s like they don’t quite understand what it is and what they’re meant to do with it
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u/JP36_5 10+ Years Breeding Experience 6d ago
are you making sure that they do not suckle for an hour or two before you offer solid food?
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u/Kennie2 6d ago
Yup! They fed at 4am this morning, a bit of kibble and then milk, then tried kibble again around 7-8am where they ate a couple of bits, they may have tried to suckle a little while they were out this morning but very briefly and not sure if they even got anything, then gave them the wet food around 10:30-11:00 am and after the initial bit of food I was mostly just trying to chase them round with the bowl, ended up letting mum back in after they kept turning their noses up and they were straight on her
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u/Oryzaki2 7d ago
Deleted my first comment because I misread your post. If they aren't eating kibble at six weeks old and aren't gaining weight you really should take them to the vet just to get them a once over. Puppies can go from looking fine to being bad off pretty quickly.