Breeding German Shepherd Dogs and also other breeds.
by Dennis Fisher.

WEANING PUPS

This article is one of a great many articles written by Dennis Fisher about a very wide variety of subjects concerning different  dogs, such as obedience training, breeding, showing, health matters, training problems and other subjects.  All these articles appear on Dennis Fisher's websites.   Visit  http://www.allaboutgermanshepherddogs.com the site that has been set up specifically for German Shepherd Dog enthusiasts, or http://www.freedogadvice.com  if you interested in a breed   other than German Shepherd Dogs

If the bitch has been well fed during her pregnancy and has a good supply of milk, there is o need to start any feeding of the pups for the first two weeks of their lives. During the third week the pups can be taught to lap, although at this stage it must be regarded as more of  lesson  rather than absorbing a great deal of milk.

At this early stage it is a good idea to enrich normal milk to make it more similar to the bitch's milk which contains very much more protein than cow's milk.  A useful way to enrich cow's milk is to add one heaped tablespoon of  full cream powdered milk to one half a pint of cow's milk. Stir to ensure complete mixing and warm the mixture slightly.

The pup's can be taught to lap the milk either by using a teaspoon or placing the milk in saucer. Some pups will get the idea immediately, others may take a little longer, blowing quite a bit until the they get the idea.  But it doesn't take long for them to learn how to lap.

At four weeks it is a good idea to introduce them to raw beef, fines scraped.  Feed each pup in turn, so that they all get their share.  It is also a good idea to add an egg yok to the meat mixture - ie. one egg yolk to the

Drinking water should be available for the pups. At five week you can start introducing them to one of the excellent premium quality commercial puppy food preparations.