Puppy or Adult? - YorkieTalk.com Forums

ehall5 · 04-07-2006, 03:57 AM

Bentley is my first yorkie and dog for that matter. I was just curious at what age do they stop being puppies and are considered adults. I am asking because of the treats and food I buy are currently for puppies, but he is turning a year old on Saturday. Should I stop buying puppy food/treats and start buying adult?

Thanks!

Elene

sims822257 · 04-07-2006, 04:54 AM

Oh I am so glad you asked this because I was just going to post a thread on this today. I have been struggling to find my little 4 1/2 month old puppy food he will eat so lately he has been just getting regular adult dog food. I finally found a puppy food he seems to like so I will try to keep him on that for now but I am also curious about this puppy age as well.

hunniebunnie · 04-07-2006, 04:59 AM

i believe the cut off is 1 year. once they turn 1 year, they're considered an adult.
there are foods that's suitable for all life stages tho if you're concerned about that. but in general, you'll want to start switching from puppy food to adult food at one year because the calories and protein levels of puppy food is much higher than adult food. feeding your adult dog puppy food can lead to obesity. so i'd say finish off whatever puppy food you have now and start buying adult stuff.

Baileys_Momma · 04-07-2006, 05:29 AM

I remember reading somewhere that at 10-months they become an Adult and you can switch to adult food and treats. Hope this helps

ehall5 · 04-07-2006, 07:09 AM

Well, I am concerned with his weight. He does not eat or drink until I get home from work. He does not eat very much of his puppy food (he does like it but only picks at it). It takes him 2-3 days to eat 1 cup of his puppy food. I supplement with treats (8-10 a day) and gie him a couple bites of whatever I am eating. But he just looks sooo skinny to me. My vet said he was fine, but compared to other yorkies I have seen he looks thin. Any ideas?

Bizzymammabee · 04-07-2006, 07:14 AM

My vet said around ten months is a good time to start the switch over to adult food being as they are at the end of that puppy cycle where they need a much larger amount of fats.

I think your little one might also be not too keen on the food because he gets supplemented by treats and gets stuff from you. He much rather eat the people food. The treats can be very filling as well.

Hope it helps some.

Babbie · 04-07-2006, 08:47 AM

It depends on the food, some adult foods can be better than puppy foods..depends on igredients!! But it is commonly recomended to switch to adult food from 10-12 months for small breeds

yorkieK9trainer · 04-07-2006, 09:30 AM

My nutritionalist says that (I can give you her number if you'd like to call her and discuss your situation) small breeds under 10 lbs-roughly- mature physically at different ages. Nutrition can have as great an impact on a small dog as it can a large breed dog. She advises that you stop feeding a good quality commercial dry dog food to small breeds at around 13 months of age. These small guys have different dietary needs than most large breed dogs or even medium for that matter. Small breeds have a higher metabolism typically, a higher activity level and smaller organs to process all this. SO, while you would be encouraged by a nutritionalist to take a large breed puppy off of a good quality commercial dry dog food at 5-6 months, it's encouraged to take a small dog off at about 13 months. Not every dog is the same, use your best judgement and remember "everything in moderation" and if you ever hit a sticking point (like now), contact a professional w/ experience under his/her belt!

Hope that helped an ounce or two!
~yorkieK9trainer
(oh and w/ regards to treats, while you're feeding puppy food, it's best to give adult dog treats! Or you can go the healthy route and give carrots and frozen peas and things of that nature! jm2c)

JeffJ · 04-07-2006, 12:37 PM

Our vet recommended switching from puppy to adult food at about 1 year old. One of our dogs is a bit rotund, and he was definitely starting to grow fatter as he neared the 12 month mark. The other is really skinny, and has always been really skinny. They both weigh around 7 lbs and are 19 months old, and they each eat 1/3 to 1/2 cup of food per day, and that's the majority of their diet - they don't get a lot of calories from treats. So if your puppy, soon to be adult, is around that weight, I wouldn't worry about him taking 2 or 3 days to finish a cup of food. Hope that helps!

sandraj · 04-07-2006, 01:48 PM

I have heard of the 1 year change over guideline too,so I would finish the bag of food you have and look for an adult one he likes. I would stop giving him so many treats-sounds like they are filling him up without maybe being helpful nutritionally. Give him some Nutristat each day-it increased my pup's apetite. You could give small pieces of cooked chicken, liver and cheese at training treats/rewards. My pup also gets a raw chicken neck in the evening. She is thin too- I understand your anxiety. They can be hard to feed!

04-07-2006, 03:57 AM	#1
ehall5 Yorkie Talker Join Date: Jul 2005 Location: Edmond, Oklahoma Posts: 24	Puppy or Adult? Bentley is my first yorkie and dog for that matter. I was just curious at what age do they stop being puppies and are considered adults. I am asking because of the treats and food I buy are currently for puppies, but he is turning a year old on Saturday. Should I stop buying puppy food/treats and start buying adult? Thanks! Elene

04-07-2006, 04:54 AM	#2
sims822257 Donating YT 1000 Club Member Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: Florida Posts: 3,436	Oh I am so glad you asked this because I was just going to post a thread on this today. I have been struggling to find my little 4 1/2 month old puppy food he will eat so lately he has been just getting regular adult dog food. I finally found a puppy food he seems to like so I will try to keep him on that for now but I am also curious about this puppy age as well. __________________ Caren, mommy to Murphy and Mia Murphy WUVS his girlfriend Trixie

04-07-2006, 05:29 AM	#4
Baileys_Momma And Morgan Too! Donating Member Join Date: May 2005 Location: Puyallup, WA Posts: 1,180	I remember reading somewhere that at 10-months they become an Adult and you can switch to adult food and treats. Hope this helps __________________ Courtney Bailey Morgan KICKING CANCER'S BUTT, ONE CHEMO TREATMENT AT A TIME!!! Member of the SSLS (Secret Sisterhood Ladybug Society)

04-07-2006, 07:14 AM	#6
Bizzymammabee Luvs Lulu Donating Member Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Queens, NY Posts: 6,931 Blog Entries: 1	My vet said around ten months is a good time to start the switch over to adult food being as they are at the end of that puppy cycle where they need a much larger amount of fats. I think your little one might also be not too keen on the food because he gets supplemented by treats and gets stuff from you. He much rather eat the people food. The treats can be very filling as well. Hope it helps some. __________________ Lulu will always be in my heart

04-07-2006, 08:47 AM	#7
Babbie Got Mojo? Donating Member Join Date: Oct 2004 Location: Miami Posts: 1,117	It depends on the food, some adult foods can be better than puppy foods..depends on igredients!! But it is commonly recomended to switch to adult food from 10-12 months for small breeds __________________ Thati & Mojo

04-07-2006, 04:59 AM	#3
hunniebunnie Follower of Yorkietology Join Date: Dec 2005 Location: Cali-fo-nee-ya Posts: 1,325	i believe the cut off is 1 year. once they turn 1 year, they're considered an adult. there are foods that's suitable for all life stages tho if you're concerned about that. but in general, you'll want to start switching from puppy food to adult food at one year because the calories and protein levels of puppy food is much higher than adult food. feeding your adult dog puppy food can lead to obesity. so i'd say finish off whatever puppy food you have now and start buying adult stuff.

04-07-2006, 07:09 AM	#5
ehall5 Yorkie Talker Join Date: Jul 2005 Location: Edmond, Oklahoma Posts: 24	Well, I am concerned with his weight. He does not eat or drink until I get home from work. He does not eat very much of his puppy food (he does like it but only picks at it). It takes him 2-3 days to eat 1 cup of his puppy food. I supplement with treats (8-10 a day) and gie him a couple bites of whatever I am eating. But he just looks sooo skinny to me. My vet said he was fine, but compared to other yorkies I have seen he looks thin. Any ideas?

04-07-2006, 09:30 AM	#8
yorkieK9trainer YT 1000 Club Member Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: North eastern Illinois Suburbs Posts: 1,669	Dog food vs. Puppy food and the like My nutritionalist says that (I can give you her number if you'd like to call her and discuss your situation) small breeds under 10 lbs-roughly- mature physically at different ages. Nutrition can have as great an impact on a small dog as it can a large breed dog. She advises that you stop feeding a good quality commercial dry dog food to small breeds at around 13 months of age. These small guys have different dietary needs than most large breed dogs or even medium for that matter. Small breeds have a higher metabolism typically, a higher activity level and smaller organs to process all this. SO, while you would be encouraged by a nutritionalist to take a large breed puppy off of a good quality commercial dry dog food at 5-6 months, it's encouraged to take a small dog off at about 13 months. Not every dog is the same, use your best judgement and remember "everything in moderation" and if you ever hit a sticking point (like now), contact a professional w/ experience under his/her belt! Hope that helped an ounce or two! ~yorkieK9trainer (oh and w/ regards to treats, while you're feeding puppy food, it's best to give adult dog treats! Or you can go the healthy route and give carrots and frozen peas and things of that nature! jm2c) __________________ "Big things come in small packages" http://www.myspace.com/yorkiek9trainer

04-07-2006, 12:37 PM	#9
JeffJ Senior Yorkie Talker Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: Wichita, KS Posts: 91	Our vet recommended switching from puppy to adult food at about 1 year old. One of our dogs is a bit rotund, and he was definitely starting to grow fatter as he neared the 12 month mark. The other is really skinny, and has always been really skinny. They both weigh around 7 lbs and are 19 months old, and they each eat 1/3 to 1/2 cup of food per day, and that's the majority of their diet - they don't get a lot of calories from treats. So if your puppy, soon to be adult, is around that weight, I wouldn't worry about him taking 2 or 3 days to finish a cup of food. Hope that helps! __________________ Fang and Errol (and Jeff and Michelle, too) Fang's Dogster page Errol's Dogster page

04-07-2006, 01:48 PM	#10
sandraj YT Addict Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: New Zealand Posts: 370	I have heard of the 1 year change over guideline too,so I would finish the bag of food you have and look for an adult one he likes. I would stop giving him so many treats-sounds like they are filling him up without maybe being helpful nutritionally. Give him some Nutristat each day-it increased my pup's apetite. You could give small pieces of cooked chicken, liver and cheese at training treats/rewards. My pup also gets a raw chicken neck in the evening. She is thin too- I understand your anxiety. They can be hard to feed! __________________ Sandra J and Holly