hi all
  im looking for any new food/treat ideas,our puppy is 13 weeks old and would like to give her a healthy tasty alternative from time to time.
im not looking to bombard her with i different meal every time,just something that she can enjoy instead of the usual wetfood pouches.
obviously i want her to have the nutriants she needs but also some variaty from time to time.
  is it ok for her to have some of our food from time to time...i.e roast chicken,veg potatoes....pasta etc.
  more importantly im interested in the type of foods you should'nt feed a pup.
thanks for any comments/suggestions

....also is crushed garlic ok in there meal,if so how much and how often?

I give my dog carrots and she gets through loads of them.  as a young pup they were great for when she was teething and as an even younger pup she used to grate them rather than eat them but now she munches whole carrots as treats with very few calories.

when teething, freeze a carrot and give to your puppy, it will feel grate on their sore gums!

Hi joe, there are as many opinions on what to feed dogs as there are people so I'll tell you what mine do fine with :) Have you spoken with her breeder. If they're a good breeder they will be able to recommend what feeding regime will help your puppy thrive and what foods to avoid.

Foods to avoid are grapes, raisins, sultanas, chocolate and onions. I'm sure there are more but these are the common ones.

My dogs are used to eating a wide variety of food so I can feed them just about anything from the table. Any meat is fine (watch liver as too much can result in dire rear). Don't ever feed cooked bones. Cooking makes bones brittle and can cause problems for your dog. Potatoes and pasta fine, if you are making rice specifically for her overcook it. If it's a bit of leftover don't worry but don't be surprised to see some of it come through not quite fully digested. Some veg is fine but once again if you overdo it your pup can end up with diarrea. Milk products don't agree with my two so I avoid giving them anything with cow's milk. Cheese, cottage cheese and plain yoghurt are fine. Yeo Valley 'doghurt' is a favourite around here - they thinks it's the best pud ever.

Now come the big caveats: you don't mention breed but some breeds have specific nutrional needs, e.g. if she was a Dalmatian I'd be very careful about the purine level in the foods you give. So, if you mention breed you may get more specific advice. Once again a good reason to speak to her breeder.

Some people feel very strongly about mixing extras with complete foods with growing puppies and how they affect nutrional balance. Growing pups, especially large and giant breeds, have certain requirements. IMO a small bit here and there doesn't matter.

If she's not used to eating anything other than her food be cautious in the beginning. Add only very small amounts until you know she's OK with that food substance. Give her digestive system time to build up all the enzymes she needs to digest a wider variety of foods.

hi lori.
yes forgot to mention,she is a staffie.
have got some food advice from the breeder,has suggested things like scrambled egg(she totally loves that!!)and tinned sardines in oil which she loves also.
we did have a chicken roast dinner yesturday and made her a portion with chicken,veg and potatoes,she woofed it down bless her.
as i said i dont want to bombard her with different foods all the time but i want her to have some variaty in her diet but also i do want to be careful and make sure she get all the right nutriants she needs.
thanks for your reply lori.....no doubt i'll be back for more advice soon.

Just a quickie as going to training classes but I give my puppy aussie Goats milk about half a pint a day warm but would not give cow milk always rear puppies on goats milk and goats yogurt.

> when teething, freeze a carrot and give to your puppy, it will feel grate on their sore gums!

You beat me to it. Worked brilliant!