Food & Feeding
Let's talk food!
Choosing the right food to feed your new puppy is an important factor in their overall health and development, which is why we have chosen to proudly feed and recommend TLC’s Whole Life Puppy Food to all of our Stoney Acre puppies.
With carefully selected, premium quality ingredients, TLC has everything your puppy needs to develop into a strong, healthy and energetic dog.
TLC pet food is made in Kitchener Ontario, and ships free a cross Norh America to your doorstep. Please click the image below to order your food.
*If you feed TLC for the first year of your puppies life, your health warranty will be extended (same conditions) an additional 6 months!* We set our families up with TLC through their breeder portal where we can attach your information to our specific litter/puppy. TLC then sends you an email to initiate set up. From there you set up your account and complete your first order! We recommend you start with ordering 1 case (which is 2x 15lbs of dog food), autoship can be set for 6 weeks roughly.
If you are just browsingn our site and want to give this food a try, you can simply click the image below and it will take you to the website!
Choosing the right food to feed your new puppy is an important factor in their overall health and development, which is why we have chosen to proudly feed and recommend TLC’s Whole Life Puppy Food to all of our Stoney Acre puppies.
With carefully selected, premium quality ingredients, TLC has everything your puppy needs to develop into a strong, healthy and energetic dog.
TLC pet food is made in Kitchener Ontario, and ships free a cross Norh America to your doorstep. Please click the image below to order your food.
*If you feed TLC for the first year of your puppies life, your health warranty will be extended (same conditions) an additional 6 months!* We set our families up with TLC through their breeder portal where we can attach your information to our specific litter/puppy. TLC then sends you an email to initiate set up. From there you set up your account and complete your first order! We recommend you start with ordering 1 case (which is 2x 15lbs of dog food), autoship can be set for 6 weeks roughly.
If you are just browsingn our site and want to give this food a try, you can simply click the image below and it will take you to the website!
Why Choose TLC Whole Life Pet Food?
● Limited ingredients for puppy’s sensitive stomach
● Protein rich lamb, chicken and salmon, plus TLC’s antioxidant-rich Herbal Pack
● 28% protein and 17% fat to support growth and development
● Balanced calcium and mineral ratios to maintain proper skeletal growth
OUR FEEDING ROUTINE
At at this point puppies are being free fed, and we suggest you continue this for the first week at least. When our puppies are here with us, in a litter setting, they have access to food and water 24/7. When puppies head home at 8 weeks, we want you to continue to free feed during day time hours so that you have success with night time crating Input=output, that doest work well when your are trying to get a sleeping routine in place, not to mention an 8 week old puppy is fine without food and water throughout the night time hours.
"Free Fed" in your home means food is accessible from 7am-7pm (from the time you get up until nor more than 1 hour before bed). The dish is kept full, and puppy graze's throughout the day when they want. At this point we are not measuring food, just keeping the dish topped up. Food is always accompanied with a dish of water. Up until 6 months + we are not worried about our puppies overeating. They do well to maintain a good weight. Also, puppies are doing lots growning and eating patters can shift. Sometimes they do not eat much, other times they eat more (very toddlerish in my experience).
Once 6 months plus, after a spay/neuter hormonal changes may start to affect your dogs weight gain. With TLC the puppy and adult food is very similiar, but the puppy food has a higher fat content to maintain proper growth in puppy. Switching to adult food becomes more maintaining a healthy body and weight versus supporting growth. Therefore, you have some freedom to choose when to switch from puppy food to adult food; our recommendation being anywhere between 8 months to 2 years. For the most part, here, our dogs stay on puppy food up until 2 years of age. We also feed our moms' puppy food alongide their growing litter, the extra calories support mom as she is nursing and caring for her pups.
Once you are home, and you have put in your first couple of weeks of free feeding to support a low-stress transition, and wish to move to schedule feeding, you certainly can! Things have to work in your home. We recommend 3-4 meal times per day until 6 months. Once 6 months of age, you can move to 2 meal times a day.
Please do not add anything to your puppy's food, i.e. water, canned food, different food, table food, broths, etc. SImple and consistent is better. You do not want to cause an upset stomach, diarrhea, or create a difficult eater.
Your puppy will be sent home with a care package, but you be required to order your food after reserving your puppy, this will be part of our phone conversation so you know what to expect in the ordering process and how to get started.
We obviously want our puppies to be raised in a healthy and wholesome manner, feeding a quality well-balanced food is an essential part of that. Our dogs maintain a good weight, have healthy coats, clear eyes, a healthy digestive system, and have well maintained energy levels to maintain an active life.
TREATS
Treats are great incentives when training. To start, it is best to keep puppy's diet simple to ensure there are no added sensitivies to a puppy's system while they transition into their new homes. We encourage you to use your kibble and hand feed in replacement of treats for the first couple weeks.
Following our recommendation of free feeding, hand feeding kibble as a start to the day is a great bonding experience for a puppy freshly away and ready to interact. After puppy has been out of for the morning potty break, before you set down the food dish for breakfast, take some kibble in your hand and feed one kibble at a time. Simply calling you puppy by name, them coming to you, asking them to sit and releasing a kibble is a great use of time! A great practice that can be done on repeat for the first several weeks. Prioritizing come/touch and sit are some great basic commands. There is still oportunity here if your puppy is ready for more to teach lay down, and stay simply by using kibble.
After a couple weeks home you can start to add treats to your day if your wish. One thing at a time. At that time you will know if you are causing your puppy sensitivity by changes in your puppy's stool.
Training treats can then be implemented (if desired) for training that requires a bit more attention. One trip through the treat isle at any pet store may leave you feeling scattered and overwhelmed. Not to worry! Pet Store employees at these stores normally have some good recommendations.
For us, we use 2 stages of treats. If I am really trying to capture attention I will use tiny pieces (1/4 the size fo a finger nail) of cooked meat (unseasoned cooked chicken or steak for example) as a high yeild treat to teach a really new concept. My maintenace treat on the other hand is often a freeze dried training treat, "Crumps' Naturals Mini Trainers freeze dried beef liver for dogs" (can be purchased at a variety of pet stores). This is the treat I carry in my pocket for when I want puppy to do a fairly normal behaviour but in a less attentive setting. For example, If we are outside with our pack of dogs and I call puppy to me, I want them to be rewarded for coming. See, coming to me in the kitchen when its just puppy and I awake in a quiet setting is an easy kibble reward. Outside however, where there is a lot of fun happening and distractions in place, I want to make the reward more desirable.
WHY FOLLOW FOOD, FEEDING ROUTINE, AND TREATING RECOMMENDATIONS
Diet changes is the number one cause of diarrhea in puppies. For puppies, Diarrhea is not how famlies envision their early days with puppies. Stress is something we mitigate as puppies transition into their new homes, and although we do our best to comfort puppies an idividual level of stress can vary from puppy to puppy. However, feedign is something we can absolutely control. By following our suggestions above you largely avoid the chance of diarrhea in puppies. Diarrhea can be dangerous in puppyhood as puppies are still developing their immune systems and this shock to their system can easily dehydrate a puppy causing further adverse affects.
At at this point puppies are being free fed, and we suggest you continue this for the first week at least. When our puppies are here with us, in a litter setting, they have access to food and water 24/7. When puppies head home at 8 weeks, we want you to continue to free feed during day time hours so that you have success with night time crating Input=output, that doest work well when your are trying to get a sleeping routine in place, not to mention an 8 week old puppy is fine without food and water throughout the night time hours.
"Free Fed" in your home means food is accessible from 7am-7pm (from the time you get up until nor more than 1 hour before bed). The dish is kept full, and puppy graze's throughout the day when they want. At this point we are not measuring food, just keeping the dish topped up. Food is always accompanied with a dish of water. Up until 6 months + we are not worried about our puppies overeating. They do well to maintain a good weight. Also, puppies are doing lots growning and eating patters can shift. Sometimes they do not eat much, other times they eat more (very toddlerish in my experience).
Once 6 months plus, after a spay/neuter hormonal changes may start to affect your dogs weight gain. With TLC the puppy and adult food is very similiar, but the puppy food has a higher fat content to maintain proper growth in puppy. Switching to adult food becomes more maintaining a healthy body and weight versus supporting growth. Therefore, you have some freedom to choose when to switch from puppy food to adult food; our recommendation being anywhere between 8 months to 2 years. For the most part, here, our dogs stay on puppy food up until 2 years of age. We also feed our moms' puppy food alongide their growing litter, the extra calories support mom as she is nursing and caring for her pups.
Once you are home, and you have put in your first couple of weeks of free feeding to support a low-stress transition, and wish to move to schedule feeding, you certainly can! Things have to work in your home. We recommend 3-4 meal times per day until 6 months. Once 6 months of age, you can move to 2 meal times a day.
Please do not add anything to your puppy's food, i.e. water, canned food, different food, table food, broths, etc. SImple and consistent is better. You do not want to cause an upset stomach, diarrhea, or create a difficult eater.
Your puppy will be sent home with a care package, but you be required to order your food after reserving your puppy, this will be part of our phone conversation so you know what to expect in the ordering process and how to get started.
We obviously want our puppies to be raised in a healthy and wholesome manner, feeding a quality well-balanced food is an essential part of that. Our dogs maintain a good weight, have healthy coats, clear eyes, a healthy digestive system, and have well maintained energy levels to maintain an active life.
TREATS
Treats are great incentives when training. To start, it is best to keep puppy's diet simple to ensure there are no added sensitivies to a puppy's system while they transition into their new homes. We encourage you to use your kibble and hand feed in replacement of treats for the first couple weeks.
Following our recommendation of free feeding, hand feeding kibble as a start to the day is a great bonding experience for a puppy freshly away and ready to interact. After puppy has been out of for the morning potty break, before you set down the food dish for breakfast, take some kibble in your hand and feed one kibble at a time. Simply calling you puppy by name, them coming to you, asking them to sit and releasing a kibble is a great use of time! A great practice that can be done on repeat for the first several weeks. Prioritizing come/touch and sit are some great basic commands. There is still oportunity here if your puppy is ready for more to teach lay down, and stay simply by using kibble.
After a couple weeks home you can start to add treats to your day if your wish. One thing at a time. At that time you will know if you are causing your puppy sensitivity by changes in your puppy's stool.
Training treats can then be implemented (if desired) for training that requires a bit more attention. One trip through the treat isle at any pet store may leave you feeling scattered and overwhelmed. Not to worry! Pet Store employees at these stores normally have some good recommendations.
For us, we use 2 stages of treats. If I am really trying to capture attention I will use tiny pieces (1/4 the size fo a finger nail) of cooked meat (unseasoned cooked chicken or steak for example) as a high yeild treat to teach a really new concept. My maintenace treat on the other hand is often a freeze dried training treat, "Crumps' Naturals Mini Trainers freeze dried beef liver for dogs" (can be purchased at a variety of pet stores). This is the treat I carry in my pocket for when I want puppy to do a fairly normal behaviour but in a less attentive setting. For example, If we are outside with our pack of dogs and I call puppy to me, I want them to be rewarded for coming. See, coming to me in the kitchen when its just puppy and I awake in a quiet setting is an easy kibble reward. Outside however, where there is a lot of fun happening and distractions in place, I want to make the reward more desirable.
WHY FOLLOW FOOD, FEEDING ROUTINE, AND TREATING RECOMMENDATIONS
Diet changes is the number one cause of diarrhea in puppies. For puppies, Diarrhea is not how famlies envision their early days with puppies. Stress is something we mitigate as puppies transition into their new homes, and although we do our best to comfort puppies an idividual level of stress can vary from puppy to puppy. However, feedign is something we can absolutely control. By following our suggestions above you largely avoid the chance of diarrhea in puppies. Diarrhea can be dangerous in puppyhood as puppies are still developing their immune systems and this shock to their system can easily dehydrate a puppy causing further adverse affects.