Instead of water, puppy milk replacer in liquid form works just fine. If you mix water or puppy formula with dry food, the meal will take on a soft, smooth, thick and gruel-like feel -- a lot easier for puppies to manage. As soon as you notice the puppies adapting well to the soft gruel, slowly introduce canned food and dry food that isn't mixed in with anything else. Once puppies are near the end of weaning, they should be fully ready to eat foods that aren't soft.