Hi All,

I've been reading posts for a while but not actually joined till now. I have got a 4 month old Cavalier King Charles. We got our puppy at 3 months old, he was on Eukanuba puppy which we have continued to feed him. He is doing well in terms of his weight but i am after a bit of advice in terms of how to feed him.
His breeder told me to leave his food down all the time and just keep topping up the bowl, i empty it all out every morning and clean the bowl out but surely it can't be right that he has access to food at all times?
Also at what age can i change his food?

Thanks

Some people are happy to free-feed, but the only dogs I've known fed like that were hugely obese, and yet seemed to get no pleasure from their food. I personally prefer to give dogs set mealtimes - they really look forward to their food and eat it with enormous enjoyment, and you can also easily monitor how much they eat. I'd have a four-month pup on three meals a day, and you can change brand whenever you like, just do the change-over gradually over about 10 days. :)

Thanks, i will check the packet for advice on how much to feed for his weight and put the bowl down 3 times a day. Out of interest how long would you leave the bowl down for? The food that is not eaten would you re-use or bin?

Sorry for all the questions!!

Thanks

I wouldn't leave the bowl down for any longer than 15 minutes. Some people say bin the uneaten food, but even wet food is perfectly all right if put in the fridge for the next meal.

When using the guidelines on a packet remember each dog is different.  Use that as a starting point and then by use of eyes and hands if puppy is getting too fat give less, if puppy is too skinny, feed more :)

Thanks for the advice

> how long would you leave the bowl down for? The food that is not eaten would you re-use or bin

If he doesnt eat,for example,breakfast then i would pick it up cover(airtight) it so it doesnt get stale and therfore less tasty and offer it for the next meal,if he refuses it again,then i would bin it.

I agree with not free feeding,it takes all the enjoyment and excitement out of mealtimes for them.

The packets tend to overestimate quite considerably how much you need to fed.  In practise it is usually at least a third too much.

Many Cavaliers are hugely overweight so I would not free feed.

To check weight you should always have a slight waist, and easily feel the last ribs, and also lightly feel the backbone without counting every vertebrae.