I have 2 14 week old bichons. Can anyone advise me on the correct number of meals they should be having and when to reduce the number? I currently split their meals of Iams puppy over 4 lots in the day although they don't seem too keen on lunch or supper now. The breeder is a good friend now but she has her own pattern for feeding which I'm not sure would work for me. She feeds tinned Hills puppy food and things like tuna,chicken etc to make it more appealing and leaves out a bowl of dried Hills all day for the dogs to eat from. She says that they are picky eaters and that they are not good at getting on with a meal and finishing it. This is not possible for me as I have a greedy lab who will clean up anything that is left lying around. Anyhow I have always believed that "complete" dried foods should not be supplemented. Can anyone shed any light please?

I don't have a toy breed, but mine go down to three meals a day at about 3 months old.
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Thanks Jeangenie. You seem to have the handle on all my problems tonight:D. I don't remember having this many questions with my 4 kids!

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PS. Forgot to say, I wouldn't leave food down for them all the time. Even if you wouldn't end up with an obese lab, it's only likely to make them picky eaters.
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If this is your pattern does that mean you move to two meals at around 6 months?

Gee, you take each pup as an individual, I find that they become less interested in the lunch time meal and that is when I drop it. At around 4 month I start to increase the morning and evening meal to encourage the dropping of the 3rd. The thing to think about is, can you get the amount of food the pup needs into the pup you have and how many meals it will take with out the pup overeating. Don't know or can't remember what your breed(s) are but whatever, remember that there are no positive instruction you can give to bringing up a puppy and JG has not said that there is, she and we can only give guide lines, the owner has to make the final decision.

Yes, at about that time (no hard-and-fast rule) I make the morning and evening meals bigger and lunch smaller, and give just a Bonio or something at lunch. I find by about that age my dogs are able to eat enough at two meals to still grow properly - it all depends on the individual though. This is only a rough guide - you'll soon see how interested your pups are in the middle meal. Be guided by them.
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Thanks. I wondered about this as they are really not that fussed for lunch any more. JH they are Bichon Frise pups. I have a lab but we followed the guidelines for dropping meals rigidly with her as she never stopped being interested in any meals - nothing has changed.:D

That’s Labs for you, most seem to think every meal is their last. As I said decide how much food the pup needs each day and then divided it up into the size of portion you feel the pup can manage without over doing it. I never drop my dogs to only once a day but that is up to the owner.

I still feed my lab twice a day as its supposed to discourage stealing...Hasn't worked;). I feed them the amount that is recommended for their weight on the packet of their complete food and split it into the number of meals. They rarely eat their full amount although there is usually only a little left.

Most food manufactures over do the amount by a lot, think I give about half the recommended amount. The thing is to make sure that a puppy is growing as it should and that an adult is not putting on weight.