Effects of restricted dietary flavor experience before weaning on postweaning food preference in puppies

Four experiments investigated the effects of restricting the dietary flavor experience of preweaned puppies on their postweaning preference for the assigned flavor. Each study employed two matched litters of beagles, exposing each litter to a distinctly flavored commercially available dog food before weaning and assessing postweaning preference in two-bowl choice tests. The results implicate litter-specific variables and food-specific variables as factors influencing the preference of weanling puppies. Palatability and novelty of the food seemed to influence food selection in many cases, regardless of the dietary flavor initially experienced. One litter, however, strongly preferred the diet on which it had been reared until weaning.