Breeding Your Dog (Part 8 )

After about five days, I begin to add small amounts of boiled. pureed chicken to the mixture. The chicken is first cut up into cubes then boiled in "plain" water. Nothing should be added. Once it is fully cooked, I use a food processor to puree the meat using small amounts of the water or broth it was cooked in, then let it sit for about an hour to allow any air in the mixture to dissipate. You want this mixture to be a little thicker than the gruel you have been feeding them.

Note: Never feed raw meat to puppies. In the wild, the food a wild litter gets from the adults has already been chewed and processed in the stomach, then regurgitated. Also, though the dog in your living room is related to those in the wild, they are far removed from the animals who created their breed. Humans once ate raw meat too, but I'm sure you wouldn't grab a raw chicken leg to nibble on.

At this point, I'm sure you're wondering how you will know when to start and how much to start with. Unfortunately, there is no set rule to the procedure, so here is how I work out my feeding schedule.

From day one, I keep a close eye on the matron's body condition. If she seems to need more food to maintain her weight, I add about another half to her meals and/or another meal until she seems satisfied. Once the litter is walking around and all eyes are open, I begin offering the cereal mix three times a day for the first three days. (Morning, dinnertime and bedtime). By then everyone should be interested in the new food. Depending on how well the puppies accept the new food will determine how many meals I add. If all goes well, I jump to five meals a day by the fifth day. ( 7am, 11am, 3pm, 7pm, and 11pm).

At about the fourth week the litter should be ready for meat to be added. If the entire litter is eating the meat and gruel mixture after five days, I begin the switch to puppy chow. I like to use dry puppy chow softened in warm water. Allow the dry food to soak up the water, making a hash, and then offer it to the litter.

You will find that after the litter gets a taste of puppy

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