Puppy Food

Puppy needs puppy food... Just like humans, the puppy (toddler/child) stage is critical to growth and development. They need the extra nutrients found in puppy food.

Getting into the older dogs' food once in a while won't hurt him, but it's kind of like filling a 6 month old up on solids... They will grow and be full, but hey aren't getting the nutrition needed for their stage of development.

Depending on the size of the breed, you may look onto getting a stand for the older dogs' bowls. Get it high enough that the puppy can't eat it, but low enough for big guys to reach. (It's better for their digestion anyway.)

Puppy food is higher in fat and protein than adult dog food because puppies need the extra protein and calories for growth. Puppies can survive on adult dog food, but it isn't the best thing for them.
To keep the puppy out of the adult food and the adults out of the puppy food, separate them when you feed them. The puppy should be having his meals in his crate anyway. Put the adult food down when you crate the puppy to feed him. Pick up whatever isn't eaten in twenty minutes or so. Dogs should not have food available 24/7 anyway.

Puppies do not need to be on puppy formula, and depending on the breed, it is sometimes recommended that puppy food NOT be fed. In my own breed, it is well known that puppy food should not be given, and litters of puppies are weaned on adult maintenance kibble.

What is more important than the formula of food is the balanced nutrition & protein content. You don't mention what breed your puppy is, but if it is a large breed dog, high protein formulas can cause rapid growth, which can lead to joint problems later in life.

As AZ states below, adult dogs getting into the puppy food is more problematic, as the puppy formula can be very rich & easily cause weight gain in mature dogs when not monitored.

A few things regarding feeding - with 4 dogs in the house, it will be very difficult to monitor who is eating & how much. You may want to consider putting everyone on a feeding schedule. Adult dogs can easily do 2 meals a day. If you are home during the day, spreading it out over 3 meals is fine. By feeding set amounts & on a schedule, you will know when any of your dogs go off their food. Also, as they get older, a reduction in food may be needed to maintain a healthy weight.

Your puppy, being only 7 weeks, should really be getting 4 meals a day until 12 weeks. His system is too small to take in as much food as he will need to grow in only 3 meals. Be careful when adjusting his food - determine how much to feed him each day & split it into multiple parts (meals). Puppies should not look rolly-polly (unless they are just furry), nor should they look lean. During the first 6 months, a lot of adjustments may be needed in his food so that he doesn't get too heavy, or go through a growth spurt & lose too much weight. Also, many people are surprised to find that even after their puppy has reached adult size, they still consume more than the other adult dogs in the household, due to their metabolism.

Finally, 7 weeks is VERY young to have gotten a puppy. Between 5 & 8 weeks is a critical time for pups to stay in the litter & gain socialization & proper play instruction from their mother & littermates. Find a safe place for your puppy to get socialization. Running wild at a dog park is questionable, but many puppy obedience classes will offer socialization time.

Good luck with your little one!

T. - Breeder of Rhodesian Ridgebacks since 2000.

Puppy food is much higher in fat and calories than regular dog food. Be sure your adult dogs don't get too much, it can make them chunky!
If your dog is a small breed it is not as important as in a larger breed. Large breed dogs grow a LOT, very quickly, and really need those extra calories. Think about it this way- a chihuahua puppy is not all that much smaller than a Great Dane puppy when they are both born, but the Dane does a heck of a lot more growing in the first 6 months!

We had gotten a pup at 5 weeks because her mom was stolen. She would not eat the puppy food--4 different brands were rejected. So I talked to a woman at Petco. It was an adoption day and she was one of the people with it. Anyway, she said that we could give her regular dog food but to add some additional fat. You can get supplements or add baby formula to the dog food. They also have puppy formula in the store. She said it was more important that the food have good things and not a lot of fillers and that the pup eats. She did not try to put us on a particular brand. We ended up adding some puppy formula to the food for her. She grew fine.

Unfortunately, she figured out how to climb a fence and was a little too rambunctious for our small place. We found her a good home though so it turned out well. From what I have heard she has grown quite a bit since we gave her away. She is part rott and part australian shepherd.

I agree with Marie. It isn't about it hurting him if he has some of it... but it doesn't need to constitute his entire diet. He needs the calories and fats found in the puppy formulation, just like a human baby needs WHOLE milk not skim milk (when they start drinking milk...) or formula/breast milk and not just cereal at 3 months old.

I also would be careful with the treats. 7 weeks old is VERY VERY young... and there are some "treats" out there I wouldn't give an adult dog... they can be dangerous (choking hazard or additives).