New puppy! update- food question

[theretohere]

We just found ourselves in possession of a new puppy. She's 7 weeks old (NOT my choice to have her away from her litter and momma at this point- she was already separated). She's 1/2 husky and 1/2 basset hound.
I have a crate and she's sleeping in it right now. Any tips?
UPDATE:
OK, We're feeding her Iams Smart Puppy right now. My store choices are very limited- can I have some suggestions for a better food?
How about suggestions for cheap places to look to get her raw meat? Once deer season opens my husband plans to harvest one just for her, but that's not quite yet. TIA!

[sonicfrost]

Tips about what? Is this your first dog?

[theretohere]

Originally Posted by sonicfrost

Tips about what? Is this your first dog?

No, although this is is our first time with a dog in the "city" (about 1000 people and in the middle of no where) vs. in the country.

[graceomalley]

Start training as soon as possible! Make the pup sit before getting any food. I'm a fan of gesture feeding from a young age.

[greenmagick]

Check out books by Patricia Mcconnell, Suzanne Clothier, Jean Donaldson etc

Ian DUnbar has his books Before and After you Get Your Puppy available as free pdfs....they have a ton of info in them

[Sailor]

I second Suzanne Clothier - I love her book, love her. I also second training as early as possible.

I don't personally feed any pet foods found in grocery stores. They're all not good, and all the same, really. Pet Stores offer more choices in terms of better foods. I've fed Timberwolf and Organix ... but those are fairly expensive.

I feed a raw diet now. Both my dp and I eat meat, so we just give the dog whatever meat we're having for dinner, except raw. In terms of expense - find a butcher and become friendly with him/her. My butcher sets certain items aside for me, for free. Things like chicken necks, chicken feet, organs, aren't very popular where I am, so I get them free. This supplements the meat I feed my dog.

[Oubliette8]

There are a wide variety of great puppy foods on the market, but Iams is not one of them. That said, if you can't get any better, it does have to eat something. There are so many great foods on the market that its hard to list just a few, not knowing what your selection is. I like the site http://www.dogfoodanalysis.com/dog_food_reviews/ as a rough guide. I don't believe everything on the site, but they list nearly every food on the market. As a rule of thumb, I consider any food that is rated 3 stars or higher as a food I would consider a high quality food.

Off hand, some common brands that are high quality-

Chicken Soup
Canidae
Diamond Naturals
Nutrisource
Exclusive
Innova
California Natural
Wellness
Merrick
Eagle Pack Holistics
Nature's Variety
Solid Gold
Orijen
Timberwolf


None of them can be found in a grocery store. Some can be found in feed stores or Tractor Supply, for most you'll need to go to a pet specialty store, generally an independent shop, not one of the big box chains (although a few of those brands can be found at Petco) In my area, Pet Supplies Plus carries an excellent selection of high end foods, as do several of the local feed and garden shops. Raw feeding is also a viable option, but you need to do some research before starting to make sure that you are feeding a nutritionally complete diet for your pup.

[gingerstar]

You've already had good advice - I'll just add a couple things; My Smart Puppy is an excellent training resource, especially if you don't have a puppy kindergarten nearby.
We feed Fromm dog food and are very happy with it. If you don't have a pet food store, check your area for a feed store - ours carries some excellent brands, and orders Fromm in for us.

Puppies have a brief socialization period, until about 14 weeks or so, during which time they should be introduced to everything - kids, cats, horses, noises, smells, people of different colors, sizes, facial hair, everything! Talk with your vet about keeping your puppy safe during this time (like not exposing her to illness she is not protected against) but keep in mind that more dogs suffer from lack of exposure to things during this period than suffer illness.
Have fun with her!