If a puppy is with its mother then it should wean itself off suckling and onto water itself somewhere between four and six weeks old, but this depends on the puppy.
While a puppy is still suckling it really doesn’t need water as it will get all the water and other nourishment it needs from its mother. If the puppies are somewhere extremely hot which that particular breed is not used to, then a little water to supplement the milk may be a good idea, but in general the mother’s milk will compensate for the extra water needed.
At around three to four weeks it is a good idea to start leaving a very shallow saucer of water with the puppies every day. It is important to make sure that the saucer is very shallow as a puppy can easily fall asleep in only an inch or two of water and drown as at this age puppies have very little control over when and where they sleep.
The mother will usually begin weaning her puppies off her milk when they are ready and little by little they will become more and more interested in drinking water and less and less interested in suckling. It is also a good idea to start introducing hard puppy food at around five weeks as the puppies take less and less nutrients from their mothers. The best way to do this is to mix a little bit of hard food in with the soft food and slowly increase the amount as they begin to take the hard food.
If you have any problems feeding a puppy always take them to a veterinarian
While a puppy is still suckling it really doesn’t need water as it will get all the water and other nourishment it needs from its mother. If the puppies are somewhere extremely hot which that particular breed is not used to, then a little water to supplement the milk may be a good idea, but in general the mother’s milk will compensate for the extra water needed.
At around three to four weeks it is a good idea to start leaving a very shallow saucer of water with the puppies every day. It is important to make sure that the saucer is very shallow as a puppy can easily fall asleep in only an inch or two of water and drown as at this age puppies have very little control over when and where they sleep.
The mother will usually begin weaning her puppies off her milk when they are ready and little by little they will become more and more interested in drinking water and less and less interested in suckling. It is also a good idea to start introducing hard puppy food at around five weeks as the puppies take less and less nutrients from their mothers. The best way to do this is to mix a little bit of hard food in with the soft food and slowly increase the amount as they begin to take the hard food.
If you have any problems feeding a puppy always take them to a veterinarian