Weaning is the transition from the bitch’s milk to solid food. Done gradually it is straightforward; done abruptly it causes digestive upset in the puppies and discomfort in the mother.
This is written for anyone raising a litter, fostering one, or hand-rearing orphaned puppies.
The timeline
Weeks 0–3: milk only.
Puppies feed exclusively from the bitch. Their eyes open around 10 to 14 days and hearing develops from around two to three weeks. They cannot regulate their own temperature properly and need a warm environment.
Week 3–4: introduce gruel.
Puppies start to show interest in what the mother eats. Begin offering a gruel:
- Blend high-quality puppy food with warm water or puppy milk replacer to a thin porridge consistency
- Offer it in a shallow flat dish — a baking tray works well for a large litter
- Expect mess. Puppies walk in it, lie in it, and wear it. This is normal
- Two or three times a day at first
Do not use cow’s milk. It is nutritionally wrong for puppies and causes diarrhoea. If a milk component is needed, use a proper puppy milk replacer.
Week 4–5: thicken it.
Reduce the liquid gradually so the gruel becomes thicker. Increase to four meals a day. Puppies should be eating meaningful amounts now.
Week 5–6: mostly solid.
Reduce liquid further until they are eating softened puppy food. The bitch will naturally be spending less time with them and feeding less often — many bitches start standing up to end feeds, or moving away, which is normal and appropriate.
Week 6–7: fully weaned.
Four meals a day of puppy food, softened or dry depending on the puppy. Fresh water freely available from around four weeks in a shallow dish.
Week 8: ready to leave.
Puppies should be eating entirely independently. Eight weeks is the minimum, and it is a legal minimum in many countries — puppies separated earlier show more behavioural problems later, because weeks six to eight with littermates and mother teach bite inhibition and social skills.
What the bitch needs
During lactation, energy requirements can be three to four times maintenance — more for a large litter. She should be fed a puppy or lactation diet, free-choice or in several large meals, with unlimited water.
During weaning, reduce her food progressively to help milk production decline:
- As the puppies start eating, reduce her intake gradually
- Increase her time away from the litter, in steps
- Monitor her mammary glands for heat, hardness, redness or pain — mastitis is a genuine risk and needs prompt veterinary treatment
- Do not restrict her water
She should return to her pre-pregnancy diet and condition over a few weeks.
Hand-rearing orphaned puppies
Much harder, and worth saying clearly: this is an intensive undertaking and mortality is higher than with a mother.
- Puppy milk replacer only, made up exactly as directed. Never cow’s milk
- Every two hours around the clock for the first week or two, reducing in frequency as they grow
- Correct temperature — milk at body temperature, environment around 30°C in the first week, reducing gradually
- Feed with the puppy on their front, never on their back, which causes aspiration
- Stimulate toileting after each feed by gently wiping the genital area with damp cotton wool — puppies cannot toilet independently for the first two to three weeks
- Weigh daily. Steady gain is the single best indicator that things are going well. A puppy not gaining needs a vet
- Veterinary support from the start
Common problems
Diarrhoea during weaning. Usually from changing too quickly or overfeeding. Slow down, smaller more frequent meals. Persistent diarrhoea in puppies dehydrates them fast and needs a vet.
A puppy not eating. Check they can reach the food, that it is warm enough to smell, and that they are not being pushed out by littermates. A puppy consistently not eating needs examining.
Fading puppy syndrome. A puppy who is weak, cold, crying, not gaining and separating from the litter. This is an emergency.
Overfeeding, which causes diarrhoea and bloating.
Aspiration, from feeding too fast or in the wrong position.
Choosing the food
A complete puppy food meeting AAFCO or FEDIAF growth profiles, from a manufacturer that employs a qualified nutritionist and runs feeding trials.
For litters expected to mature over about 25kg, use a large-breed puppy formula with controlled calcium. Excess calcium during growth causes developmental orthopaedic disease, and never add a calcium supplement.
Some links on this page are affiliate links. If you buy through them we may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you — it helps keep this site free. We only recommend products we would use with our own dogs.
IRIS USA Airtight Pet Food Storage Container
Raising a litter means getting through a lot of food. Keep the bag inside the container rather than tipping it in — the packaging has a fat barrier, and stale food is less palatable to puppies who are already unsure about solids.
Alongside weaning
Worming. Puppies are frequently born with roundworm. Typically every two weeks from two weeks old until twelve weeks — follow your vet’s protocol.
Socialisation starts now. The sensitive period runs from around three to fourteen weeks, and the breeder’s job during weeks three to eight is the foundation of it: household noises, different surfaces, gentle handling by different people, being picked up, having paws and ears touched, and brief separations from littermates.
A litter raised in a kitchen with the washing machine, the hoover and visitors is measurably better prepared than one raised in an outbuilding.
First vaccination usually at six to eight weeks.
Microchipping before leaving, which is a legal requirement in many countries.
What the new owner should expect
A puppy leaving at eight weeks should be eating four meals a day of a named puppy food. Ask the breeder which food, and keep them on it for at least the first week.
Changing home, family, routine and food in the same week is the reliable recipe for diarrhoea — and for a new owner’s first fortnight being considerably harder than it needed to be.
