My dog, Noel, is one of the best things that's ever happened to me in my life.  She's been my constant and faithful companion for almost 13 years now and I couldn't value our time together more.  I've been lucky so far in that Noel is the picture of health.  She's never had any injuries and is rarely sick.

Besides the annual trip to the vet for her immunizations and dental cleanings, she rarely shows up at her office at all.  In my opinion, proper nutrition for a dog is essential and should be followed from the moment your pup is weaned from its mother.  After all, the food you feed to your pet is an investment in the health and happiness of your entire family.

If you want to give your four-legged friend a great "leash" on life, be sure to follow these cornerstones of proper puppy nutrition:

Puppies generally begin eating puppy food around 3 to 4 weeks of age.  Until that time, they're receiving their nutrition solely from mommy.  Introduce your puppy to solid food gradually, allowing their tiny tummies to get used to the change.

Your puppy is developing rapidly and because of this, they require twice the energy of an adult dog.  Make sure that the puppy food you're providing contains an ample amount of protein (at least 25%) for all of those growing muscles.

Small breed dogs, weighing less than 20 pounds, become full grown in under a year and typically do not need to be fed on a portion-control diet.  If you have other animals though, it might be best to portion-control this pup too.  Most medium and large breed dogs (weighing 20 pounds or more) are advised to be fed on the portion-control system.

Don't overfeed your pooch if you happen to have a big breed dog on your hands.  The size of a dog is in their genes, not their diets, and for optimum skeletal growth, you'll want to keep their weight at an optimum level too.

Of course, treats are fine for your pup every now and again, but be careful not to feed the following to your dog:

• Chocolate
• Dairy
• Onions
• Bones
• Grapes / Raisins
• Fats from meats
• Macadamia nuts

IAMS, a leader and innovator in pet nutrition, has a wonderful array of helpful tips and videos designed to point any new pet owner in the right direction concerning their puppy's health.  If you want access to the best information available for your new pooch, be sure to stop by their site and have a look around.

They are also teaming up with Scholastic, a family favorite of mine, to offer pet owners a FREE copy of the books, "Dog Breath" or "Goldie".  Simply purchase any IAMS product and mail in the proof of purchase along with your name, daytime phone, email address, complete mailing address, child's age and book choice to the following address:

IAMS Puppy Love Book Offer 

557 Broadway

P.O. Box 711 

New York, NY 10012

There's also some super cute printable resources available which will help teach your child all about the responsibilities of caring for their new friend.  With IAMS, you can rest assured that your healthy puppy will receive the best nutrition available for whatever stage of life they happen to be in.  Then you can have 13 wonderful years with your doggie like I've had with mine!