Feeding a Golden Retriever PuppyA puppy's qualitative and quantitative demand and need for food is different to that of a grown dog and/or an aging dog. You also have take into consideration if your dog gets sick and needs a special diet. Puppy or young dog: At the beginning, it is reasonable to follow the breeder's suggested diet. Giving eight-month-old puppies four meals a day has given good results; and at three months they would receive three meals. These quantities, of course, are only as a reference. Young dogs, seven months and up, still receive two meals a day. The young dog shouldn't be too fat. If you can see the ribs under his skin, he's skinny; if you have to search with your fingers, he's too fat. If you can feel his ribs, his weight is in order. Young dogs tend to gain weight in a week, and the next week they return to normal. However, it is necessary for you to observe your dog's weight: big-breed puppies and young dogs tend to grow very fast and this accelerating growth can bring along skeleton diseases. Therefore, be careful with the minerals and vitamins you use to complement his food, because if he receives too much, it can be bad for him. In young dogs, it is normal that they alternate between gluttonous phases and the phases in which they lack appetite, especially when they're teething. If you're young dog feels well and in spite of eating less he is active and in shape, don't pamper him with candies just to get him to eat. Once he has figured out that all he needs to do to get a more delicious food is reject his normal food, all he will do is ask for poached liver and turkey wings. | 
