How to Care for a 4 Week Old Puppy?

Have you got a new puppy? Having a puppy is a great experience! The first few days of your puppy in their new home play an important role in building a strong relationship with their favorite person. In this case, if the puppy is just four weeks old, there is a need for more caution in order to take care of the puppy. But don’t worry, we’ll help find out what you need to know. So how do you care for a 4 week old puppy?

Raising a puppy is much like raising a human child. It requires your time, effort, money, and love. But raising the pup from its puppy stage to adult age is going to be rewarding. You’ll surely enjoy their mischievous looks before they chew your shoe or run into your bathroom and shred the toilet paper there.

Taking care of a 4-week old puppy is not only enjoying how cute they are. It’s also a great responsibility. You will have to take care of its feeding habits, sleeping habits, and the puppy’s waste while you help them on the journey to becoming a strong and healthy dog. In the case of any serious problem with your puppy, you will need to pay special attention. Also, a regular veterinary examination of the pup is required in order to prevent the pup from any serious consequences.

What do I do in Order to Take Care of a 4 Week Old Puppy?

In order to take care of the newborn puppy, we recommend not interfering with the mother in taking care of its pup. It is necessary that the mother should spend most of her time taking care of her child. To that end, the owner should play a very minimal role. Just make sure that the puppy is warm and healthy, and check if the mother is capable enough to nurse the pup and is producing sufficient milk.

After 4 weeks of age, you can help take care of the pup. Also, in the case of an orphaned puppy, you will have to care for the pup. But the question is how to care for a 4-week old puppy? If you don’t know, no worries. Here in this article, we will help you with a complete guide on how to care for a 4 week old puppy. So let’s get started.

How to Care for a 4 Week Old Puppy?

In order to care for a 4 week old puppy, you should know how to feed the puppy, how often they should be fed, what should be their weight, how to assist them in the bathroom, how much sleep does the puppy needs, their medical needs, and many more. In this guide, we’ll present details for all of these requirements for your puppy.

How to Feed a 4 Week Old Puppy?

At four weeks of age, the mother dog often starts weaning their pups. This is the time when you need to care for the 4 week puppy in order to fulfill their nourishment needs. It is the perfect time when you should introduce the solid food to the puppy for the first time.

In order to feed the cute little puppy, simply place the food in the bowl and let the puppy eat. Help the puppy stay upright so the puppy doesn’t have food entering its windpipe.

What to Feed a 4 Week Old Puppy?

Of course for your 4 week old puppy, you will need to buy only quality food specially designed for the pups. Low quality puppy foods are rich in fillers which might fill the tummy of your pup but will fail to meet the nutrient requirement of your pooch.

Before buying the food, make sure the food is rich in omega 3 fatty acids which is essential for the brain and eye development of your canine buddy. Puppy foods are available for large and small dog breeds. Buy the food according to the breed of your pup. Here at Tailandfur, we have a full guide on high-fiber dog foods here.

While introducing the solid food for the first time to your pooch, moisten it to make it soft and easy to consume. Also, you can go for semi-solid puppy food until they get their teeth developed fully and jaw strengthens to chew kibbles easily. 

How much and how often should I feed the 4 week old puppy?

In general, a 4 week puppy should receive 4 meals a day. You should offer them a small quantity of food four times a day.

You should check the label on the puppy food packet in order to check how much food in quantity should be offered to the puppy. Almost all brands will offer this. Similarly, the food packaging will have instructions for how often to feed the lovely little dog.

How much water does my puppy need?

Before four weeks of age, the puppy doesn’t require water as they get their water need from a milk or liquid diet. After four weeks of age, you should start offering water in little quantity using bottles or directly from the tap. The position of the pup should be standing in order to prevent water from entering the windpipe, which could result in choking. 

How to help a puppy potty?

Starting out, the pup may need stimulation either from the mother dog or from the owner using a cotton ball in the anal or genital area to poop. By 4 weeks of age, they learn to pee and poop without any stimulation. This is the time when you should start potty training. 

How to train your 4 week old pup?

At this age, you should start giving them obedience training and socialization in order to raise them into good boys. You can train them using positive reinforcement by providing treats on every good behavior. 

Sleeping habits of a 4 week old puppy?

4 weeks of age is a growing age. At this time, they require more rest for proper growth. They spend most of their time sleeping. You should allow your puppy to sleep for 16 to 20 hours a day.   

When you should take your puppy to the vet?

After 4 weeks of age, we recommend you visit a vet for de-wormination. Also, at 6 weeks of age, you should start their vaccination against distemper virus, adeno virus, parvo virus, para influenza, leptospirosis, bordetella, canine influence, canine hepatitis, and other prevalent viruses in your area. 

The bottom line

So this was a complete guide on how to care for a 4 week puppy. In the case of any medical or other complication, visit your vet. Also, you should consult your vet for feeding habits, sleeping habits, and other daily needs of your pooch.

This article is a guest post by PetAdvices. On their website, you can find a number of pet related guides, such as how to treat kennel nose.