What to feed a Russian Spaniel for 1 month. Proper feeding of the Russian hunting spaniel. Choosing a place and dishes for the puppy

The selection of a puppy’s feeding diet largely depends on the breed characteristics, the planned use of the dog, and simply the owner’s preferences in choosing the type of food (natural products or ready-made industrial food). However, one requirement remains unchanged: if you want to have a healthy, strong, active dog, provide it with nutritious food from the first days of its stay in your home, ensuring that the body receives all the necessary components: proteins, fats, carbohydrates, fiber, minerals and vitamins.

Use of industrial dry food

The use of industrial food for feeding spaniel puppies has become very popular in recent years. For the owner, this solution makes life much easier: food manufacturers guarantee that they already contain all the ingredients necessary for the dog’s full life and development. The only thing that is required from the owner is to select food that best suits the needs of the pet in terms of age, size, activity, as well as some personal characteristics of the puppy (for example, allergies to certain types of foods, or a sensitive digestive system).

Of course, when choosing a specific type of industrial dry food for your pet, do not forget to consult with a veterinarian. The fact is that even the best manufacturers cannot take into account all variations of the breed and personal needs of the animal when developing a product line.

In fact, when using dry food, it is not recommended to supplement the diet with any mineral and vitamin supplements, since all of them are already included in the product. This is absolutely true, but only if the chosen food fully corresponds to the description of the breed.

For example, we select a product to feed a Russian hunting spaniel puppy. What should you pay attention to?

• on the size of the dog - Russian hunting spaniels belong to the group of medium-sized breeds;
• for activity - active.
• for coat – longhaired.

That is, we need food for puppies of active long-haired dogs of medium breeds... I haven’t come across anything like this on sale. And God forbid, allergic problems or sensitive digestion will be added to this...

So, from the variety of selection criteria, it is worth choosing the main ones and focusing on them. And other problems can be solved with the help of bait, mineral and vitamin supplements. And in this matter, the help of a veterinarian is absolutely necessary.

Natural nutrition

No matter how wonderful modern industrial food is, many owners struggle with feeding a puppy natural products to one degree or another. First of all, this concerns breeders who need to ensure that their babies are fed breast milk for the entire period of feeding.

So, what should you feed your spaniel puppy using natural products?

The basic set of products is quite standard for puppies of any breed:

1. Dairy: kefir, yogurt, calcined cottage cheese, milk with the addition of egg yolk.
2. Meat products: beef with cartilage and veins, for very small puppies in the form of a scraper, then cut into pieces; poultry meat, cleaned of bones (especially tubular ones!); lamb meat; sea ​​fish, also freed from bones.
3. Cereals in the form of porridges with milk or meat broth. It is recommended to use rice, buckwheat, rolled oats, or in crushed form.
4. Vegetables. Dogs of any breed should not be given potatoes. It is simply not absorbed by the dog's digestive system. Carrots can be given raw, grated, seasoned with vegetable oil or a small amount of sour cream. By the way, many puppies willingly gnaw on whole carrots. The remaining vegetables (except legumes) are given to the puppy boiled or stewed as part of porridge in meat broth.
5. Again, if you want your pet to get all the nutrients it needs, vitamins, minerals– Be sure to consult your veterinarian. A specialist will help you choose the optimal complex of minerals and vitamins necessary for the health of your pet.

Ugh!

In one of the books I came across a “decoding” of this very common word from the vocabulary of dog breeders: “Well, immediately stop doing what you are doing now, otherwise it will be bad!” So, what is listed below, it is forbidden Use for feeding English Cocker Spaniel, Russian Spaniel puppies or puppies and adult dogs of any other breed.

• Tubular bones and ribs. When chewed, they split into long, sharp fragments, which can seriously injure the gastrointestinal tract and even lead to the death of the dog.
• Potatoes, beans, corn. They are not processed by the digestive system and can cause digestive problems.
• Spices, especially those with a pungent taste. Don't forget that a dog's senses are much more sensitive than ours. So what is “pleasant spice” for us can cause a loss of smell for a dog.
• Chocolate, sweets and other goodies from the human table. Well, the dog doesn't need them! And they can cause metabolic disorders.

By the way, it is spaniels that are real champions in begging for goodies. A hunting stance, a miserable, hypnotizing look frozen on a tasty morsel, and a tail fan operating in the “thousand revolutions per second” mode - to refuse such a beggar, you need to very sternly say to yourself “FU!”

Organization of feeding

How often should you feed your spaniel puppy? At the age of one month - at least 6 times a day. Gradually, the number of feedings is reduced, and the intervals between them increase. By the age of one year, it is recommended to switch to two feedings a day: morning and evening.

You should not give your spaniel food in reserve. Many representatives of this breed do not know satiety, so unlimited access to food can lead to overeating and, as a result, the development of obesity. This is especially true for non-working, apartment dogs, whose energy expenditure is much lower.

And further. Wash your ears after eating! Or prepare the feeding area so that the beauty and pride of your pet does not dip into the feeder or water bowl. To do this, use deep, small-diameter bowls placed on a stand. The bowl should be approximately at chest level with the puppy. It is clear that this stand should grow with the dog.

Some owners found another way out. Before feeding the Cocker Spaniel, the puppy is “decorated” with clothespins, rubber bands or bows, securing the ears above the head. The owners like it. Dogs, in my opinion, are not very...

Of course, the baby should eat a balanced meal. However, feeding not only usefully, but also without problems for owners in modern employment is very important.

General feeding rules

Of course, constant access to water is required. It is best to have one bowl for your puppy. I ate, poured water, and set it down. Before feeding, the water was poured out and food was added. This way the water will always be fresh and the bowl clean.

It is better to buy a bowl with a stand. The volume of the bowl is approximately 700 g. Set the height of the upper edge of the bowl at the level of the baby’s withers and raise it as the dog grows. If food gets on your ears, secure them behind your head with a soft rubber band. There is no need to wash after feeding.

The number of feedings per day is 6 times up to 3 months, 5 times up to 5 months, 4 times up to 6 months, 3 times up to 10 months, then twice a day. From the age of one year you can switch to one meal a day. Convenient to feed in the evening. In the morning, the dog will take a walk, go to the toilet, and will not have to endure waiting for its owners all day.
If you feed a small puppy only two or three times a day, the stomach will stretch, the ribs in the stomach area will diverge, and we will get barrel-shaped ribs in an adult dog. And this is a drawback of the exterior. With the correct feeding regimen, the chest will be oval, deep, down to the elbows. The lungs will develop correctly, and when hunting, the dog will be able to run for a long time and actively without getting tired.
If you spend a lot of time at work, then your baby’s food can be distributed. Feed several times in the morning and several times in the evening. Or buy an automatic feeder. It will allow you to feed your baby hourly even in your absence.

Food options

There are two options. This is natural food and dry food.

Do not try to feed your spaniel a mixture of natural food and food. I’ll say right away that this is harmful even for an adult dog, and even more so for a puppy. For food and live food, the dog produces different flora in the intestines. Mixing disrupts this flora and metabolic processes. Most often it leads to otitis, cystitis, hair loss, and other demotic manifestations. And sometimes, outwardly, you may not notice any signs of a dog’s ill health. But excessive activity and mood swings are guaranteed for the baby. The puppy would be happy to calm down, but he can’t - the extra energy from the mixed diet is in full swing. You cannot give your puppy treats from the table. This is harmful both for digestion and for raising a growing four-legged friend. The best option is simply not to give anything from the table. If you have already trained it, then it is not difficult to wean it off this Russian hunting spaniel. In response to a pleading look, give the puppy a piece of orange or lemon peel, for example. Or a piece of bread spread with mustard. ROS is very smart and will understand that asking is useless if you get something nasty in return.

Dry food

Dry food is easy to use. They are completely ready to eat. Choose large food so that the puppy chews every granule. This cleans the teeth and promotes the proper replacement of baby teeth. Russian hunting spaniels are kept in apartment conditions, so do not choose food with a high protein content, i.e. food for puppies. Pay attention immediately to food for an adult dog. The brand doesn't really matter. It is important to correctly determine the daily amount of feed. On the package, find a table of weight and daily dose. Weigh the puppy. Calculate mathematically how much to give your puppy per day using the data in the table. Weigh your puppy periodically and increase the portion. If you give too much, the puppy will overeat and refuse the next meal. Also, excess food overloads the liver. Therefore, it is better to give less than a little more. To avoid weighing and measuring food before each feeding, take a measuring cup or just any transparent container from the pet store. Draw a line with a pen. The measure is ready. Don't worry if you feel like the amount of food you feed per day is too small. Dry food contains a minimum of moisture; natural food contains about 80%. So if you “squeeze” the liquid out of natural water, very little will remain.

What to do with treats when eating food? How to reward for following commands? Firstly, one of the feedings can be done with training. We take a portion of food and practice the commands. Pour what's left into a bowl. You can also take a few pieces of cheese, or meat, or beef tripe, and put them in a bag. Put food there too. Shake. Let the food be saturated with a tempting smell. These will be “goodies” for training with your dog.

To understand whether your spaniel needs vitamins, take a blood test to determine the chemical composition. Only after this can you determine, together with your veterinarian, the need for additional medications or food replacement.

Natural nutrition

For centuries, spaniels have been fed natural foods. And they raised wonderful dogs. There is also nothing complicated about natural feeding.
I can give you several ready-made recipes.

In a three-liter saucepan, cook the vegetables along with the porridge. Turn it off. Add raw beef cut into pieces. Mix. Ready. Cooking time 20 min.
Three carrots or apples. Mix with a pack of 5-9% cottage cheese. Ready. Cooking time 2 min.

Cook the chicken. Pour out the broth. Cooking porridge. Crumble chicken into porridge. Mix. Add any finely chopped vegetables to the cooled porridge. Cooking time 1 hour.
If you are very busy and are afraid of not having time to prepare food for the puppy, then you can freeze ready-made food in portions. Defrost before feeding. You shouldn't use this all the time, but it will come in handy just in case.

We give cottage cheese and milk (except milk) for breakfast. During the day - porridge with vegetables and with meat, fish, chicken, turkey, and very rarely with tripe.
Mono-nutrition is recommended for dogs in general and puppies in particular. Those. the more monotonous, the better. There is no need to waste time on frills. Cook quickly and easily.
The volume of a single serving is equal to the volume of the puppy's head without the muzzle. This is the volume of the dog's stomach.

How to determine the proportions of ingredients? If the puppy neither gets fat nor loses weight, then everything is correct. Too plump - reduce the amount of protein, increase the volume of vegetables and fruits. Too thin - increase the amount of protein and reduce the amount of vegetables and porridge. On average, 20 g of raw or 40 g of cooked meat (or chicken, or turkey, or fish) per 1 kg of puppy weight per day. The rest is vegetables and porridge.

Meat and pieces of dry bread can be used as treats for a natural-fed ROS puppy. And a special treat, of course, is beef tripe. Now it is quite difficult to buy it. Need raw, unpeeled. No need to wash. It doesn't smell very good, but it is useful for dogs in regulating intestinal flora. And the puppies just love it. Don't give too much, but sometimes it's good.
To clean and change your teeth, sip on oils once every two weeks. The best bone from the broth is a whole one, but not chopped. So that the baby does not get hurt on sharp edges and does not swallow splinters. White “sugar” beef cartilage will also work.

Don't get carried away with the bones. Raw ones won't do any good, but they will wear down your teeth quickly. Boiled ones are prohibited because they clog the stomach or swell in the intestines. And this is a problem with the toilet.
If you want to understand whether your puppy has enough natural nutrition, it’s simple. Place food in a bowl. On top is a calcium gluconate tablet. If he starts eating from it, sell it for a couple of weeks. This is for strong bones. Same thing with fish oil capsules. These are vitamins. And with dried sea cabbage. This is iodine.
Introduce any new food to your baby, starting with a teaspoon per day. This will relieve intestinal upset.
Conclusion

Having experience working with more than 100 dogs annually, I can conclude that approximately 50% of dogs eat natural and 50% dry food. Decide for yourself which type of food to choose. Do not change for up to a year so as not to cause stress to the growing body.

The cost of feed and the cost of natural food are approximately the same.
And further. If you want to pamper your puppy, pamper him with the CORRECT FOOD.

Feeding an American Cocker Spaniel usually does not cause any difficulties, as dogs of this breed have an excellent appetite.

This makes the owners very happy, but it also becomes dangerous for the dog, especially for the puppy. There is a danger of regularly overfeeding the spaniel, and the puppy may even “stretch” his stomach. It will not be easy for a city dog ​​to lose excess weight, so when feeding this breed it is very important to monitor the exact amount of food and feeding time.

Feeding an American Cocker Spaniel puppy

For a one-month-old puppy, 3-4 tablespoons of natural food is enough per feeding; for an adult dog, up to one and a half glasses. When feeding dry food, you must strictly follow the directions on the packaging. It is also important to never give anything from your table.

There is one more funny nuance. When the spaniel eats, his long ears get dirty in the bowl. To prevent this from happening, you can put an elastic band made of golf on your dog’s head while eating. You can also secure the ears at the back of the head with a clothespin by the fur of the ear.

Feeding with natural food: approximate diet

The dog should always have a bowl of water. However, it is important to remember that milk is not water, but food. In general, it is better not to give it to an adult dog. Can be replaced with yogurt or kefir. The main products for a spaniel should be:

• meat,
• fish,
• porridge (buckwheat, rice, rolled oats),
• fresh and stewed vegetables (carrots, onions, cabbage, turnips, pumpkin),
• cottage cheese.

It is better to give meat or fish in the evening. Vegetables, cereals, salads, cottage cheese should be given in the morning. It is better not to give semolina to spaniels due to its high calorie content. The most suitable meats are lean lamb, fatty beef and boneless chicken. An adult dog should be given meat 5 times a week, fish twice.

As for eggs, puppies are given a hard-boiled yolk, which is best diluted with milk. But just one egg per week is enough. A puppy up to two months is fed 6 times a day, up to 4 months - 4 times a day, by six months they switch to three feedings a day, and by a year you can switch to twice a day.

An adult dog is fed once (more often in summer) - twice a day (in winter). When feeding naturally, it is worth adding specialized vitamins for dogs to the diet.

Feeding dry food

Some manufacturers produce special foods for spaniels that are as balanced as possible for dogs of this particular breed.

They are not divided for specific breeds, so when choosing a diet for a spaniel, you should choose food designed for dogs of medium breeds and for dogs with long hair. If the dog is used for hunting, then it should be given

First, a little history. There are two types of Cocker Spaniels, the English Cocker Spaniel and the American Cocker Spaniel.

English was developed in Great Britain in the nineteenth century. Breeders tried to get the perfect hunting dog.

They are loyal and affectionate, energetic, and are not afraid to climb into the most inaccessible place during a chase. But they have an unbalanced psyche.

Ears need to be cleaned regularly. In addition, you need to care for your pet’s claws and teeth.

New owners often ask the question, “What to feed the puppy?”

The American Cocker Spaniel has an excellent appetite, which is why he quickly begins to overeat.

In such cases, the dog begins to rapidly gain weight, and extra pounds, just like other representatives of four-legged animals, are strictly contraindicated.

In this regard, it is important not to give in to his pitiful gaze and not to feed him anything from your table.

It is necessary to strictly monitor the amount of food and the frequency of feeding. For example, for a baby aged 2 months, the norm will be four large spoons of food at a time, and for an adult dog, two glasses.

How many times to feed

• Babies under the age of two months are fed 6 times;
• from the second month to the fourth, 4 times;
• from the fourth to the sixth month, three, four times;
• from the sixth month to one year, three times;

Dogs over one year old are fed once or twice.

The American Cocker's feeding hours are determined by the owner himself, focusing on his daily routine.

The choice of diet depends on how you plan to use the dog.

For health, a dog needs a nutritious and balanced diet from the very first month of life.

Which will ensure the body is supplied with all the components necessary for proper growth.

What to choose, dry or natural food? It is difficult to answer this question unambiguously. Both cases have their positive and negative sides.

Dry food

The use of dry food is very popular these days. They are balanced and do not require long cooking.

For any owner of an American Cocker Spaniel, they will significantly simplify caring for the animal. High-quality dry food contains all the components important for the full growth and development of a puppy.

All the owner needs to do is choose the most suitable food for his pet, corresponding to the age category and physical activity.

Remember that when choosing one or another store-bought dry food, you should consult a veterinarian.

Natural products

No matter how good and convenient dry food is, owners have to deal with feeding their baby natural food. This is especially true for breeders, since during the dairy period there is a need for complementary feeding.

Which natural products can you use?:

Dairy products: It is better to feed with kefir, curd mass, homemade yogurt. If you feed your American Cocker fresh, whole milk, you should add an egg yolk to it.

Meat: Tendons and cartilage; very tiny puppies should be fed these products in the form of shavings; at an older age, they should be fed in pieces; chicken or turkey, meat removed from bones; lamb; fish fillet.

Cereals: Cooked with milk or meat base. It is recommended to feed rice porridge, buckwheat, and rolled oats.

Vegetables: Representatives of any breed of dog should absolutely not be fed potatoes. Carrots are given raw, pureed. Some puppies prefer to chew on whole carrots. Other vegetables are added to the puppy's food exclusively boiled.

Potatoes, beans, corn. They are not digested in the stomach of dogs.

Spicy seasonings. The olfactory organs of dogs are much more developed than those of humans; strong odors and spicy foods can damage the sensitivity of smell.

Goodies from the table. Well, the dog doesn't need them! In addition, they can cause metabolic disorders.

Video

An experienced dog breeder will tell you how to properly feed your pet. What needs to be added to your pet’s food, and will also show what commands need to be practiced before eating.

Cocker spaniels are favorites of children and adults, captivating with their cheerful disposition and sweetest face. These are lovers of active games and delicious food. Moreover, they are absolutely indiscriminate in food: the cocker will eat everything edible and inedible that it finds. This breed is prone to obesity. Cocker spaniels quickly get fat, and an overfed pet is a lethargic, sick dog with an unwillingness to play and communicate with the owner. How to create the correct diet for a pet from puppyhood and what to feed a spaniel is discussed in this article.

First you need to understand the types of feeding for small cockers. The breed responds positively to all three standard feeding methods:

• ready-made dry mixtures;
• natural products;
• mixed type: dry food is supplemented with wet food, meat, cereals.

There are adherents of each type of food; it all depends on the choice of the owner. However, the fundamental factor when choosing the type of feeding should be the character of the animal and the purposes for which the owner got the pet. For example:

1. Sports dogs that are trained to participate in hunting, fishing, hiking, and sports should choose dry food. It must be of high quality. Such foods contain a lot of protein for muscle development, support of ligaments and the skeletal system, as well as carbohydrates, which provide energy. In addition, it is convenient to take dry food with you to feed your pet while training or fishing.
2. “Sofa” pets can be given natural products - meat, soups, cereals. However, a veterinarian’s consultation is necessary here: perhaps the individual needs of the pet’s body require a more competently selected menu.
3. It is recommended to give puppies natural foods. During growth, their digestive system must become stronger and learn to process hard fibers, and their teeth are renewed from careful chewing before switching to dry food.

As a rule, most dog breeders choose convenient feeding with dry food. They are trying to get away from the mixed type for several reasons: it is uneconomical and problems arise in creating a complete diet. In addition, the dog’s body may not accept mixed food - to digest dry and natural food, different enzymes and absorption periods are needed.

What to feed a Cocker Spaniel puppy?

The diet of a small cocker must certainly include:

From the age of two months, you should give your baby vitamins for puppies, as well as dried seaweed. They will become a source of natural iodine and other minerals necessary for proper development. And from 3 to 7 months the puppy begins to change teeth: during this period you need to give him 2-3 tablets of calcium gluconate daily. If he does not want to eat the tablets, you need to crush them and sprinkle them into food.

How many times a day should you feed your cocker spaniel?

Cockers are very voracious, so owners need to carefully monitor portion sizes and feeding frequency. A pet that has just arrived in the family (usually puppies are bought at one and a half months of age) should be given no more than 4-5 tablespoons of food per meal. As the dog grows, the volume of food increases to 1.5-2 glasses.

Cocker Spaniels are big snack eaters.

Taking into account age-related changes, the number of feedings per day looks like this:

• up to two months the pet eats 5-6 times daily;
• from two to four months, puppies are suitable for four meals a day;
• from four to six months – meals 3-4 times a day;
• from six months to a year - a gradual transition to two meals a day, but it is acceptable to feed three times a day;
• from one year onwards – switch to eating 1-2 times a day.

Some experts recommend single meals as the most appropriate for mature cocker spaniels. The owner chooses the meal time that is most convenient for himself, since the most important thing for the dog is to receive food every day at the same hours.

Important! If your pet’s weight begins to exceed the established norm, you need to give him one fasting day a week.

How and what to feed a small English cocker?

The owner needs to monitor the puppy’s behavior during and after meals in order to make feeding the most harmonious. The possible behavior of your pet can be checked against the table.

Table 1. Variants of cocker behavior and its reaction to food

It is best to purchase a low feeding stand for your puppy that can be adjusted and grows with your baby. The dog needs to reach for the bowl, not lean towards it. And with a plate on a stand, the long ears of cocker spaniels will not get into the food, but will hang over the edges. The ideal option would be a bowl that is narrow at the top with an extension downwards, mounted on an iron hoop with legs.

Properly selected tableware is an important part of food culture

The puppy needs to buy two smooth bowls - for food and water, so that he does not get hurt by licking them. There should always be water in the plate, and food only during meals. The food that the puppy has not eaten is transferred to a container and sent to the refrigerator until another meal. Before serving, the food must be heated to approximately 40 degrees.

Diet

It is important to follow the cocker's feeding schedule. The pet must eat at strictly designated hours; no treats should be allowed between feedings. Otherwise, the slender toy will grow into a beggar, fat and with poor health.

If the puppy refuses the prepared food, there is no need to replace it with another. It’s worth removing it and giving it to your pet next time. Otherwise, the puppy will quickly realize that if he “shows off”, they will immediately bring him something tasty. It is forbidden to force the dog to eat the entire portion if he does not want to. Cockers occasionally create fasting days, following instinct.

The digestive tract and glands involved in digesting food quickly adapt to the established regime and type of food. Therefore, a sudden change in the type of food or meal time leads to digestive disorders.

Important tips for feeding your puppy:

1. For several days (4-5) after the puppy appears in the house, you need to feed it only with foods that it is accustomed to. You need to ask the breeder about the feeding regime and diet and gradually add new products to the usual food.
2. You cannot give your pet food from the owner’s table and adapt it to the human diet: people and animals have significantly different needs for the volume of food, its quality and quantity.
3. You should feed your puppy only after going outside for a walk. The first pro: the baby will quickly understand that active games will end with a delicious lunch, and without persuasion he will rush home after the command. The second “pro”: when walking, a well-fed dog will bend its spine under the weight of a full belly; also, due to activity on a full stomach, intestinal volvulus is possible.
4. You can calculate the amount of food that is enough for a pet per day using a simple arithmetic operation: up to 6 months - 6-7% of body weight, over six months - 3-4%.

A small cocker spaniel should have its own dining area. You need to allocate a small area for him where he will not be disturbed by household appliances or furniture. This should be a dry, clean and regularly ventilated place. For food to be digested properly, your pet should eat slowly and in a quiet environment.

Table 2. Approximate daily menu for puppies of different ages

	1-2 months	3-4 months	5-8 months	9-11 months
Puppy weight, normal	3-4 kg.	5-8 kg.	8-12 kg.	12-14 kg.
Total food volume	0.2-0.4 l.	0.5-0.7 l.	0.7-1 l.	1.5 l.
Number of feedings, interval	6 times a day, every 3 hours	5 times, 3-4 hours	4 times, 5 hours	3 times, every 6-7 hours
Sample menu	07:00 – cottage cheese with eggshells/yogurt/natural yogurt; 10:00 – finely chopped cubes of raw meat + boiled carrots; 13:00 – a little milk + egg; 16:00 – buckwheat with rice + stewed meat/fish; 19:00 – cheese/curd mixture with eggshells; 22:00 – fresh meat/scalded with boiling water with boiled carrots and butter.	08:00 – kefir/ryazhenka; 11:00 – cottage cheese/yogurt + greens; 14:00 – oatmeal + sea meat/fish; 18:00 – raw vegetables + curd mass; 22:00 – porridge + fish/meat.	08:00 – cottage cheese or kefir with raw egg; 13:00 – fresh/stewed meat + buckwheat or rice/fresh vegetables with butter; 17:00 – curd mass/boiled offal + buckwheat with rice; 22:00 – raw meat + stewed vegetables/porridge	08:00 – kefir/porridge with herbs; 15:00 – oatmeal porridge + boiled fish/offal; 22:00 – fresh/boiled vegetables with butter + cottage cheese.

Experts recommend preparing vegetable salads more often with the addition of protein products - eggs, fish, meat. You need to add vegetable oil to vegetables so that they are better absorbed. Cockers accept this dish with appetite if they have been accustomed to vegetables since infancy. These are just approximate diets that the dog owner can change at his own discretion. The main thing is to choose those products that will bring the greatest benefit to the baby and will contain all the required microelements. This also applies to industrial feed. In the first year of life, it should be included in the puppy’s diet.

Premium dry food for puppies contains all the necessary elements

What should you not feed English Cocker Spaniels?

Some foods that are not intended for a dog's stomach can cause body disorders and even death of the pet. Therefore, you need to make sure that you don’t get into the cocker’s mouth:

1. Corn, beans, pasta, potatoes, wheat bread. The cocker's stomach is unable to digest these foods; they contribute to indigestion.
2. Spices and seasonings, especially hot ones. Since a dog’s sense of smell is hundreds of times sharper than a human’s, what is a pleasant tang for the owner can cause a loss of smell in the pet.
3. Pork, fatty lamb, raw chicken.
4. Barley and millet porridge.

Your pet should not be fed very cold or very hot food; food should be at room temperature or slightly warmer (about 40 degrees). All fatty, spicy, smoked, sweet and salty foods are prohibited.

Strictly prohibited products

• river and thermally untreated sea fish (leads to infection with worms);
• seafood;
• tubular bones and ribs (split into long sharp particles that can leave cuts in the gastrointestinal tract and lead to the death of the dog);
• sugar, chocolates, pastries, cakes (reduce appetite and spoil digestion, destroy teeth, cause tearing);
• sausages, sausages (severely damage the liver, the animal can die in adolescence);
• broccoli or uncooked white cabbage;
• spoiled and rotten foods (lead to indigestion).

Feeding cocker spaniels: important nuances

To ensure that food does not harm your pet, it does not overeat and does not remain hungry, it is important to take into account the following nuances:

After the puppy has eaten a small amount of a new product, 12 hours should pass. If after this time there is no negative reaction, you can introduce a new product to the menu.

Video - Proper feeding and endurance training in a cocker spaniel

Features of caring for an English Cocker Spaniel

The Cocker Spaniel is an infinitely beautiful and graceful breed. The main pride of pets is their long, shiny coat with small curls. And for the owner, it is the dog’s most obvious drawback, because the coat of active toy spaniels requires special care. If you don't take care of the coat enough, the dog will lose all its beauty and presentable appearance.

A well-groomed cocker spaniel is a true eye magnet.

Care Tips:

1. Spaniels (unlike dogs of other breeds) shed constantly. Pets' fur needs to be combed daily and dead hairs removed to prevent tangles from forming. It is also important to trim the coat occasionally.
2. The dog is brushed regularly with a special brush with teeth of different lengths. The procedure will remove sticks tangled in the fur, and also produces a massage effect that is useful and pleasant for your pet. At the same time, bathing should not be overused, as water procedures will make the coat dull and contribute to the formation of dandruff.
3. After every winter or spring walk, your pet’s paws should be inspected and the reagent removed from them. Otherwise, the development of inflammation is possible.
4. Cocker spaniels also need to have their eyes washed regularly as they are prone to dirt and tearing. The procedure is carried out three times a week using weak brewed dark tea or liquid purchased at a veterinary pharmacy.

English Cocker Spaniels have fairly good health and can live up to 12-15 years. However, eye diseases are common in animals of this breed; they may develop cataracts or glaucoma.

Important! The pet must be adapted to hygiene procedures from puppyhood. Over time, they will get used to it, and each procedure will become automatic.

Ear washing

The long ears of Cocker Spaniels require close and constant attention. When eating, they need to be tied up to prevent food from getting in there, or you need to buy a special, comfortable bowl for your pet.

After a daily walk, the outer and inner surfaces of the auricle are carefully examined. If the ears become dirty, they need to be cleaned with a special solution that can be purchased at a veterinary pharmacy. You also need to check if there are mites or inflammations in the ear; if there are, see a veterinarian.

Cocker Spaniel ears are the hallmark of the breed.

Ear discharge that may appear in cockers can be easily removed with a cotton pad. If there are excess hairs in the ear, it is recommended to remove them.

Important! The first sign that your pet has ear problems is shaking its head and constantly scratching its ears. You urgently need to examine your pet; if there are no visual changes, make an appointment with a veterinarian.

Nail trimming

A necessary procedure that cockers need to be taught to do from childhood is trimming their nails. It has the following algorithm:

1. Buying a hair clipper. A sharp veterinary pruner will do.
2. Inspection of claws. It is necessary to find the pulp where the blood vessels are concentrated so as not to accidentally damage it.
3. A haircut. You need to cut about 2 mm from the tip of the claw at an acute angle.

Only dogs that do not wear them down while walking need to have their nails trimmed. Spaniels who walk on asphalt surfaces do not need this - their nails are constantly being sharpened. But those who like to walk in parks and squares should get used to cutting hair without waiting for strong growth and ingrown claws. You also need to remove hairs that grow between the pads on your pet's paws.

Important! If the procedure was unsuccessful, the claw was cut too short and bleeding began, it can be stopped with a special powder or veterinary pencil. As a last resort, you can stop the bleeding by dusting the wound with flour or bandaging it. If there is severe bleeding that does not stop within five minutes, you need to urgently take your pet to the veterinarian.

Important! To keep your cocker spaniel healthy, physical activity and long walks in the fresh air are required.

Feeding an adult spaniel

It is enough to feed an adult cocker spaniel twice a day, the total volume of food is 1.5-2 liters. Your pet should always have access to fresh water, especially if it eats dry food. If the water sits in the bowl for several days, you need to pour it out and pour a new one.

When developing a feeding plan for an adult dog, you need to adhere to the following rules:

The spaniel must eat the entire portion to the end. If he doesn’t leave the bowl clean, then the portion is too large and needs to be reduced urgently. A sedentary dog ​​can be given a smaller portion - in feeding a cocker spaniel prone to obesity, the main principle is “it is better to underfeed than to overfeed.”

How to prepare food for your pet?

So, the owner who has decided to switch his dog to natural feeding should adhere to the following principles:

• You cannot fry food for feeding spaniels: they only give it boiled and stewed in water;
• meat for dogs must be fresh: chilled meat is purchased for young spaniels, adults can be frozen;
• Spaniels do not like liquid soups; they need to be given food with the consistency of porridge at room temperature;
• the simpler the better: no salt or seasonings, nothing spicy.

An adult spaniel needs to be fed morning and evening: at about 8 am and before bed, at 21:00-22:00. Here is an approximate menu for a cocker over 11 months old and weighing 15-17 kilograms, which can be alternated to diversify your pet’s diet.

Table 3. Daily menu options for an adult cocker spaniel

Nutritional features of a pregnant dog

If your dog was overweight before pregnancy, most cereals and bread should be removed from the diet. Calories are compensated by adding greens, fresh vegetables, and cottage cheese.

Usually in the final week of pregnancy, dogs refuse to eat, so they should be given food in small portions. To whet your appetite, you can add your favorite treat: a small cube of cheese, boiled liver or cottage cheese.

Important! With the onset of pregnancy, the bitch needs 35 g of calcium and 25 g of phosphorus per 1 kg. body weight per day. Deficiencies of these minerals can be easily corrected with calcium gluconate. It is fed to the pregnant woman along with phytin: 1 tablet of phytin + 2 tablets of calcium gluconate. Also, the expectant mother should receive tetravit or trivit according to the doctor’s dosage, vitamins A and D.

Dry food for cocker spaniel

Many owners increasingly prefer dry food: they do not need to be pre-prepared, and manufacturers assure that dry food contains all the elements necessary for the development and full life of a dog. The owner only needs to choose the right food, taking into account the activity, weight, needs, age and condition of the pet.

Before making a decision regarding any type of food, you should definitely consult your veterinarian. After all, some dry mixtures contain elements that will only harm the dog’s individual characteristics: even the best food manufacturers cannot create a mixture that takes into account all the variations in the dog’s personal and breed needs.

For example, you need to choose dry food for an English Cocker Spaniel. You need to pay attention to:

• size of the dog – English Cocker Spaniels are considered a small breed;
• activity – these are active dogs;
• coat length – longhaired.

It turns out that you need to buy puppy food for active long-haired dogs of small breeds. But most manufacturers’ lines do not offer such narrowly targeted food. Therefore, it is recommended to take one characteristic as a basis - for example, take food for small breeds. And the missing elements can be supplemented with mineral supplements - for example, vitamins for active animals or healthy coats.

The main rule is that dry food for cocker spaniels must be of high quality, premium or super-premium categories. It should contain everything necessary for the pet’s health and not lead to allergies or digestive disorders. In order not to search for the right food while experimenting on the health of the animal, you should contact a veterinarian for advice on feeding.

Important! Usually, when using dry food, it is not necessary to supplement your pet’s diet with any mineral mixtures, since industrial food already contains all the necessary substances. However, this rule applies only to those foods that fully comply with the description of the breed.

Balanced food is the key to your pet’s health and energy for many years

Conclusion

Experts do not insist that a Cocker Spaniel puppy’s diet must be varied. If your pet has smooth fur, he plays and frolics, and looks absolutely healthy, you can feed him the same foods. Of course, provided that the owner is confident in the nutritional value and correctness. Under no circumstances should you feed your puppy meat alone: ​​it makes up 2/3 of the diet, the rest includes vegetables. You can replace meat with cheese, fish, cottage cheese. And remember: an adult cocker spaniel will happily eat only what it has been accustomed to since infancy.