It's a delight but also a challenge having a new puppy in your home. You need to care for the puppy properly straight away.

Set up a routine and feeding times three times daily. Always have fresh water available. Don’t feed your puppy table scraps or leftovers – this creates bad habits and also fills them up with food that is not providing them with the proper nutrients they need to grow. In addition, some scraps, including onions and garlic, are toxic to dogs.

It is best to stick to the food your puppy has had at the breeder for the first week and slowly start mixing in the new food you want to feed over the second week.

Some puppies, especially small breeds, may not like premium dry foods:

• Do not leave food down – putting fresh food down at a meal time gives more incentive to eat.
• Try soaking the biscuits in warm water (they should be the consistency of canned food).
• Try mixing a little puppy milk, canned puppy food or gravy in with the biscuits.
• Talk to your vet for other suggestions.

How much and how often?
Small puppies should be fed three times daily. By 12 to 16 weeks of age this can be cut to twice daily. Many owners keep feeding twice daily, while some change to once daily in older puppies (six months on).

The food packet should have recommendations for the size of your puppy. However, every puppy is different. If you are feeding the recommended amount but your puppy is hungry and thin they need more food! Your vet can help you to assess the ideal weight for your puppy.