Spaniel is a small but proud dog. At least that's what he seems to be. A representative of the breed is walking along the street: the wool is shiny, the eyes are shiny, he himself looks like a hard-knitted block with legs.
Stop, what does “churbak” mean? A fat spaniel is not good. So, the feed does not fit him. For spaniels, food should not be too high in calories.
And how to feed a puppy so that it does not turn into a plump something? This is what we learn from the article.
A little bit about the breed
Before moving on to feeding the puppy, let's find out a description of the spaniel breed. What is a dog like?
There are three different breeds. These are the American Cocker Spaniel, the English Cocker Spaniel and the Russian Hunting Spaniel. They differ only in appearance. Physiology is the same for everyone.
Spaniels were originally bred as hunting dogs. Over time, turned into wonderful pets. But still there are hunting lovers in the company of these charming dogs.
Mostly spaniels prey on forest birds and small animals. These are unusually adroit and agile creatures. Fast, brisk - they all have time: to run away for prey, and to return to the owner, and bark someone. And all this in a matter of minutes.
At home, these dogs are completely different. Quiet, inconspicuous, real sofa cushions. Spaniels can be called aristocratic dogs. They have so much self-esteem and self-control. Affectionate, but at the same time unobtrusive. Spaniels love long walks, it is a pleasure for them to run ahead of the owner, putting their ears in the wind. It looks very funny.
They get along well with every member of the family, be it a child or an elderly person. Never refuses to play, frolic. Cocker spaniel puppies are playful and active, but you must not allow them to jump, for example, onto a chair. This is fraught with injury to the pet.
How to feed a dog?
This question worries all the owners, regardless of the breed of their pet. What to feed a pet with? Dry food, natural food or mix food? What to do with a spaniel? How to feed a spaniel puppy? Let's talk about the advantages and disadvantages of dry food and natural food.
Types of dry feed
Cocker Spaniel puppies need a good diet. Often, these dogs are fed the cheapest dry food and consider it a normal diet. And not only representatives of this breed. Many dogs are forced to eat economy class feed. They are of no use, rather harm.
Economy-class feeds are among the cheapest and most affordable. This is where their advantages end. The composition includes corn, meat and bone meal, preservatives, flavor enhancers and dyes.
So, how to feed a cocker spaniel puppy? Certainly not an economy class feed. There is no meat at all, and corn is not the best diet for a dog.
Premium food is slightly better than economy: meat comes across. True, it is not enough, much more corn and rice. But there are no flavor enhancers and dyes.
Super premium food. It can be given to a puppy. For 50% of meat, vegetables, fruits, vitamins and minerals. When choosing a food, focus on who it is designed for. In a specific case, you need food for puppies of small breeds.
And finally, holistic. The best dog food. 75% consist of meat or fish, the remaining 25% are various herbs, vegetables, fruits, berries and minerals. Such food can significantly hit the purse of puppy owners. But it is balanced, contains everything necessary for the healthy growth of the pet.
Benefits
How to feed a spaniel puppy? Good food, as one of the options. The benefits of super-premium feeds and holivics in their balance. Do not have to puzzle over the pet's diet.
disadvantages
They can be found in feed classes economy and premium. Poor composition, lack of vitamins, minerals and nutrients necessary for the animal. In addition, flavor enhancers in feed are addictive in dogs. But this applies only to feed of a low level.
Natural food
Can a spaniel puppy have meat? Not only possible, but necessary. Boiled, sliced. Combined with porridge or vegetables is a sweet deal.
What kind of diet should a puppy have? Meat, fish, dairy products, cereals, vegetables, fruits. It is not entirely clear from all of the above, in what quantities and proportions to give all this. We hasten to shed light on the situation:
- Beef or veal meat. Boiled without salt and spices.
- Chicken or turkey. Boiled, boneless. Give chicken in small quantities, it can provoke an allergy in the baby.
- Rabbit meat is ideal. It is non-greasy and perfectly absorbed.
- Boil vegetables or stew without salt and spices.
- Cereals: rice, buckwheat, oat, barley. In a boiled form, but do not get involved in them.
- Fruits: apples, kiwi, pears are not very sweet. For a small piece. Apples serve as a natural toothpaste for dogs.
- Can a spaniel puppy have milk? In small quantities and up to a certain age. Babies are given milk for up to 2.5 months. Then, slowly transferred to kefir. Cottage cheese, low-fat cheese, kefir, fermented baked milk are mandatory products in the puppy's diet.
The benefits of natural food
How to feed a puppy spaniel, we found out. Or food, or natural food. What are the benefits of "human" food?
- The owner sees that he is giving his pet. Natural food is better.
- It’s cheaper than super-premium food or holostics.
- A puppy needs 60 grams of meat per day. With age, the proportion increases to 300 grams.
- If you strictly follow all the rules of feeding a dog, then the spaniel is hardly getting fat.
- Food tastes better than food. Probably, because the latter did not have to be tried.
Minuses
Can there be any flaws in natural food? She is of high quality, well cooked, the owner selects the best products for the pet.
They can, no matter how it sounds. And it's not about the quality of the products, but about a poorly balanced diet. No matter how hard you try, you won’t achieve the perfect balance. This is the advantage of expensive premium feed and holostik over the best and highest quality natural products.
Mixed food
How to feed a spaniel puppy? Dry food inflicts too much blow on the wallet, and natural nutrition is poorly balanced. And what to do? Try to combine the "natural" and "drying"?
In no case. It is impossible to combine these two types of diet. The fact is that the stomach secretes some enzymes to process normal food. And dry food requires completely different ones. And these enzymes are not compatible with each other.
Therefore, there will be no sense from such feeding.
How many times a day to feed a puppy?
Another troubling question that interests all beginners. How many times to feed a pet? Remember:
- Puppies are fed up to three months 6 times a day, every three hours.
- From three to four months, they are transferred to 5 meals a day. The interval between feedings is 3.5 hours.
- From four months to six, the baby should eat 4 times a day.
- From six months of age to nine months, he is put on 3 meals a day.
- And finally, at nine months, they feed twice.
Other breeders recommend feeding an adult dog once a day. But most are of the opinion that the spaniel is fed twice a day: morning and evening.
A little bit about goodies
If we figured out how to feed a spaniel puppy, then the problem of goodies requires a separate discussion.
What can a puppy offer if he sits aft? And as we already said, it is impossible to combine natural food and dry food. How to reward the kid for the execution of commands?
There are several versions about this. One of them says that one feeding can be attributed to training. This means that we take a portion of food with us to the lesson and feed it there.
Another option: put in a bag of food a few pieces of sausage, cheese or beef scar. Shake well. The food is saturated with the smell of goodies, and will be considered a treat.
And the third option is the easiest. Cut a small piece of tripe, cheese or boiled meat. Here you have a treat. We give it in small quantities, it will not bring any harm to the dog. Most owners do just that.
Briefly about leaving
Description of the spaniel breed is given above. And how to care for her representative? Caring for a spaniel puppy is not as time consuming as it seems. With the diet and diet, everything is already clear. As for walking, you can walk with the baby after the second vaccination. It is done in 8-9 weeks, as a rule. Before that, he goes to the toilet at home, on a diaper.
Walk with the baby after each feeding. With age they accustom themselves to the fact that walks are shortened. And the dog is now taken out twice a day. Before feeding.
Clipping is done once every three to four weeks. This procedure should be carried out by a veterinarian. If the owner does not have experience, it is better not to take risks. If you touch the vessel, it will hurt the animal. And the dog may gain a negative connection, she will be afraid of nail cutting.
Spaniel's teeth are cleaned once a month with a special toothpaste for dogs.
When a puppy eats, ears often fall into a bowl. To prevent this from happening, owners of spaniels recommend tidying up the ears on the head by tying them with a ribbon or a soft rubber band.
Outdoor games are a must for a spaniel. It has already been mentioned that these are very active dogs. An adult dog needs three hours a day to walk. Kids need only 1-1.5 hours. Buy a puller or a ball on a rope and play with your pet.
To avoid overfeeding, it is necessary to carefully monitor the pet. If the puppy has eaten his portion and continues to lick the bowl - he lacks food. If he comes to the bowl reluctantly, eats leisurely - reduce the portion. It seems that the baby is skinny? Feel the ribs? Feeling, but not visible? No puppy is skinny, that’s it. If the ribs are not palpable, then someone eats too much. And if sticking out, then the portion of food needs to be increased.
Summarize
The main purpose of the article is to tell the reader how to feed a spaniel at 2 months, three and older. How to care for him. What kind of diet is required for the dog, and is it possible to combine natural feeding with feeding dry food.
Briefly about the main thing:
- If the choice fell on dry food, then let it be super-premium class food or holistic.
- All recommendations for natural feeding are given in the article above. The main products for the puppy are meat, vegetables, cereals, dairy products, fruits.
- As a treat, you can use "flavored" dry food (its recipe is higher). And you can - natural meat, cheese or offal.
- A very small puppy requires 60 grams of meat per day. With age, the portion increases to 250-300 grams.
Conclusion
Now we know how to feed a spaniel puppy and how to care for it. A properly composed diet is the basis of a pet's health and longevity.