Staffordshire Bull Terrier: An Owner’s Guide. Alison Smith

       Take advice from your breeder on feeding your Stafford puppy in the first few weeks.

       Feeding

      Your breeder will provide you with a diet sheet, so try and follow this as closely as possible as it will mirror the puppy’s early regime and avoid possible stomach upsets caused by a sudden change in his diet. If you wish to change your young Stafford’s diet for some reason, do so gradually over a couple of weeks, slowly introducing more of the new food and less of the old. It is unwise at this age to change his diet radically.

      Until your puppy is about 20 weeks old, I would recommend four small meals a day: breakfast, mid-morning, mid-afternoon and a final one at around 7pm. A good handful of food is a rough guide for each meal. Meals that are too large can cause your puppy to become overweight and may stretch his stomach.

      Ideal meals at this stage are scrambled eggs with a little grated cheese, small bite mixers and a small amount of gravy or fish (fresh or canned in oil or brine, not tomato-based sauces).

      Some breeders recommend feeding at different times to give the dog a good feeding ‘instinct’, whereas others advise sticking to a strict routine. I have known dogs thrive on both plans and Staffords are rarely fussy eaters, so do what works best for you and your dog.