If you decide to have a puppy, you need to think carefully and discuss this with your family. The dog is a huge responsibility. You can’t take this matter lightly. Too many pets end up in shelters due to the fact that after some time their owners decided that they were not ready to raise a too impulsive or, conversely, phlegmatic puppy. Studying the characteristics of the breed should be given a lot of time so that later such moments do not come as a surprise. In the article, we will analyze important questions for each loving owner: how to educate and how to feed the Jack Russell Terrier.
Breed history
Terriers are hunters. They have been bred for centuries in England for the production of burrowing animals, mainly on foxes. And preference was given to puppies with a white color, so as not to confuse the dog crawling out of the hole with the game. Therefore, there was a need for breeding work. Back in the 19th century, a priest named Jack Russell started breeding wire-haired terriers. He crossed several varieties among themselves, until he got a small dog with excellent hunting characteristics.
Of course, the story of the breed was not over there. Subsequently, the breeders divided these dogs into short-legged and long-legged. And the undersized variety was named after the creator. Intended small and very nimble dogs for catching rats. In this they simply had no equal. And today, thinking about how to feed the Jack Russell Terrier, you need to remember their origin. If your pet is intended for hunting and spends a lot of time in active movement, then the proportion of meat in its diet should be at least 70 - 80%. For pets, you can reduce consumption by up to 60%.
Since birth
Watching how charming puppies grow is a lot of fun. Already at the age of two weeks, they begin to crawl out of the nest and play with each other. And then sweetly fall asleep near the mother, having eaten milk. At about 2 to 3 weeks, the puppies already lack him, and the question arises of what to feed the growing Jack Russell Terrier.
There are several opinions about what nutrition should be for this breed. Most breeders adhere to a mixed method, but in order to accustom to it, you must first introduce one-component mashed potatoes. Here are the options.
- Milk mixed with yolk.
- Liquid semolina porridge.
- Baby puree, preferably with beef. Chicken often causes an allergic reaction.
- Specialized dry food, especially for puppies of this breed.
- Raw chopped meat mixed with yolk.
Do not forget that such nutrition provokes the appearance of worms. Therefore, deworming should be carried out in a timely manner. Kids of this age should have six meals a day. When they grow up, it will change in purity and quality of the products included.
Menu from first feeding up to 4 months
At this age, nutrition should be varied and complete, because the growth and development of your pet depends on this. Be sure to give:
- milk porridge;
- fruits and vegetables;
- meat chopped with a knife, mixed with porridge;
- cottage cheese;
- omelette.
Let's figure out how to properly feed Jack Russell Terrier. All components up to 3 months of age must be pre-ground in mashed potatoes. As for dry food, it needs to be crushed and soaked in milk. Sometimes the owners make a mistake, believing that their growing pet is already able to properly absorb meat and other products in large pieces. Neither milk teeth nor the gastrointestinal tract are suitable for this yet.
Experts agree when they talk about how to feed the Jack Russell Terrier at 2 months. It should be all the same mashed mashed potatoes, which are served exclusively in a warm form. And in no case do not let the baby carry food from the table, it is absolutely not suitable for him.
There is still debate about which food to choose, natural or dry, which is considered more balanced. Depending on this, you will have to select individually how much to feed the Jack Russell Terrier puppy. Some types of meat can cause an allergic reaction in these dogs, but even if you choose ready-made feeds, you are not immune from the fact that it simply will not suit your pet and you will have to look for a replacement. This is even if we are talking about premium quality feed.
Sample puppy menu
Every day you need to give raw meat with porridge, vegetables and any dairy products. This is the basis of the growth and development of your pet. How much to feed the Jack Russell Terrier depends on his age. Kids should receive food at least 6 times a day, older dogs, from three months old, are transferred to five meals a day. By 6 months, 4 times a day is enough, and closer to a year, a teenager can already switch to an adult diet several times a day.
Twice a week (up to 3 months 1 time) give a boiled egg yolk, boiled fish and offal. Sometimes the owners try to feed the puppies completely offal. This is fundamentally wrong. Fat trimmings, lungs and the spleen are not at all the products that a growing body needs. For growth and development, he needs high-quality meat, minced with a knife or meat grinder.
Feeding an adult dog
After a year and a half, we can already say that the growth is almost over. Now, in order for the dog to remain in good physical shape, you need to walk and practice a lot with it. How many times to feed the Jack Russell Terrier? Again depends on lifestyle. Veterinarians recommend calculating the daily dose as follows: the norm of products should be 3-5% of the weight of the pet.
But this calculation is correct if the dog lives in the house, and its only load is a walk twice a day. Then she does not need a large amount of food to replenish energy. If the dog is used for hunting and runs many kilometers a day, then it needs to be fed more.
We change the proportions
Talking about how much food to give the puppy of the Jack Russell Terrier, veterinarians tend to five to six times a day. This is due to the physiological characteristics of the growing organism. An adult dog, like a person, calmly manages two meals. With high activity, you can add another snack.
An adult animal needs less meat than a puppy. Enough 60% of meat products and 40% of vegetable. Of dairy products, we leave only milk, and vegetable salads can be seasoned with low-fat sour cream.
Drying Content
Despite the simplicity, the obvious usefulness of natural products, many owners continue to ask vets what food to feed the Jack Russell Terrier. This refers to a finished product that you can buy in a store. This greatly saves time and relieves worries about whether your pet gets all the nutrients.
Specialists-breeders and veterinarians warn that it is often impossible to change the feed, so you need to spend time and choose exactly what is best for your pet. Change is permissible only in case of an allergic reaction or indigestion when eating a certain type of food.
What you need to know
If you decide to buy ready-made compounds, then remember that they must be of high quality. It is unacceptable to purchase feed by weight in grocery stores. There you will be offered only the cheapest brand, which is a pressed bone meal with dyes and flavorings.
Go to a specialty store and choose something more suitable for your pet. For the first time, you can buy a small pack and carefully give it to your dog, carefully observing the reaction. In this case, the volume should depend on the age of the pet. It should be carefully monitored according to the tables that are drawn on the packages.
Harmful products
This is another important point in this thread. We talked about how to feed the Jack Russell Terrier. Now let's say a few words about what he absolutely can not. This applies to any products from our table. Rich soups, spicy jelly, fat cheese, pickled meat - all this is not too useful for a person and completely unacceptable for a dog.
Chocolate, pastries, and sweets can be considered harmful products. This is garlic and onions, all spices, vinegar, smoked meats, sausages. By the way, bones should also be included here. Puppies and adult dogs can be gnawed by large mosles with cartilage and ligaments. But you need to ensure that they do not have sharp chips. But chicken bones and all other small specimens are completely prohibited.
This rule does not apply to sweets from the store that you use as a reward for training. It can be cheese, unsweetened cookies. But do not forget that they are introduced in small portions. They can not replace the main diet. An adult dog should eat at least 2 times a day. Moreover, meals need to be made full and varied.
Instead of a conclusion
Whichever food option you choose, you need to remember that the bowl should always have fresh water. A puppy and an adult animal can drink a dozen times a day, and your task is to provide free access to a bowl of water. Feeding the jack russell terrier is not worth it. This is a hunter, and if he sits at home without movement, then the diet should be moderate. Otherwise, he will quickly gain excess weight, which will provoke various diseases. If such problems arise, it is advisable to consult your veterinarian about how to feed the Jack Russell Terrier.