What to feed a Cocker Spaniel puppy: menu by age

The American Cocker Spaniel and its English counterpart are somewhat different in body structure and character traits, but they need the same nutrition and care. Before buying a puppy, the future owner should ask the breeder what to feed the cocker spaniel. It is also useful to learn how to properly organize feeding a Cocker Spaniel puppy. A balanced, high-quality diet will help him remain an energetic, healthy animal for a long time.

Breed Features

The Cocker Spaniel is a medium-sized dog. Active, playful, agile, energetic with well-developed body muscles, she will require careful attention to her diet.

This breed has a good appetite. They are not picky and are easy to please with food. Raised and trained, she will not beg for food, but will always gladly accept it. The dog is very attached to the owner and family. Strangers cannot always communicate friendly with a four-legged animal, but this does not prevent her from taking food from strangers.

Possessing hunter abilities, spaniels can rummage through garbage heaps in search of food.

A distinctive feature of the breed are low-set ears with long hair, which are constantly trying to get into the bowl and get dirty. It is in this matter that you should carefully consider the organization of the feeding area.

Top 5. Royal Canin Medium Adult

Rating (2021): 4.55

76 reviews from resources were taken into account: Yandex.Market, IRecommend, Otzovik, OZON

The best price of Royal Canin Medium Adult is 3 times cheaper than the closest analogues. Moreover, this is premium food with a decent composition and excellent properties.

Characteristics
Average price: 65 rub.
Country: France
Main ingredient: meat and meat by-products
Protein percentage: 7.5%
Garnish: cereals
Weight: 140 g

The famous French brand Royal Canin produces good premium wet food for medium breed dogs. Appetizing pieces in sauce will delight even the most picky cocker spaniel and will be an excellent addition to the main diet. For the owner, regularly purchasing canned food will not be too expensive, since the cost of the product is more than moderate. Moreover, if we talk about quality, then, according to the breeders, the diet is very good: it is easily digestible, normalizes stool and even improves the condition of the coat. Of course, the composition is far from ideal, but overall for the money this is a decent option.

Advantages and disadvantages

Easily digestible - suitable for sensitive digestion
Excellent taste - will please even the most picky pet
Low cost
Improves the condition of the coat and skin
Optimal consistency

Opaque composition

Choosing a place and dishes

Before starting to feed cocker spaniels, they undergo a procedure of “covering” their ears. Being long, they “climb” into a bowl of food, or water if it is nearby and cause unnecessary problems in caring for them.

Owners, when solving this problem, go in two ways:

The hanging ears are tied up (fixed) with a special mesh, wearing it like a collar and tucking the ears;
Equip a place for receiving food and water, taking into account the peculiarities.

While the puppy is small, there are no special requirements for the feeding area. Over time, when the puppy grows up, the owner begins to solve the problem.

This can be done as follows:

set up the feeding area on a hill so that the ears “do not drag along the floor”;

The bowl should not just be placed on a stand, but should be deepened into it so that it does not move from its place. The dishes are selected from food material, durable, heavy;

The bowl should be deep, but not wide. In this case, when eating food, the ears will hang outside the bowl and not get dirty, and they will also not reach the floor;

There is no need to place a bowl of water nearby. Otherwise, when the dog eats, even if the ears do not end up in the food bowl, they will “climb” into the water bowl.

All of the above “wisdom” will not help if the dog gets used to taking food out of the bowl and eating where he wants. However, Cocker Spaniels are very trainable.

When adopting a puppy, you need to teach him to eat food from a bowl from the first day; this will make it easier to care for the dog and the food intake area in the future.

The “canteen” for a dog should be:

with easy to clean surfaces;
in a place where the dog will not disturb household members;
in a place easily accessible to the pet.

Advice: For a cocker spaniel, a special requirement will be distance from the place of play. This dog can easily turn over all the bowls, along with the “pedestals”.

Drying or natural nutrition

Anyone who is interested in the question of how to feed dogs properly knows that there are two main types of food: ready-made combined food or natural food.

The diet of the American and English Cocker Spaniel can be based on one or the other species. The owner makes the choice based on his preferences and taking into account the recommendations of the veterinarian:

If you decide to feed your English Cocker Spaniel dry food, the main attention should be paid to its quality. You should choose only professional premium and super premium food. Dry food is very convenient for the owner, especially if the dog often has to be taken on the road.
When organizing feeding your American Cocker Spaniel, a couch potato, you can choose a natural diet. The owner must make the menu balanced and varied. It should include a certain amount of meat, fish, dairy products, cereals and vegetables. It is worth consulting with the breeder or veterinarian about how to properly create a diet.
It is recommended to feed an English or American Cocker Spaniel puppy natural food until the baby teeth are replaced. If a dry diet is chosen, babies can only be offered professional food specially designed for them.

It is not advisable to use mixed feeding for American and English Cocker Spaniels. This diet is difficult to balance. The enzymatic system of dogs is not able to efficiently process food of one or another type. Due to this, the dog may experience enzyme deficiency and other digestive problems.

Ready-made feed

Granules from a bag are becoming more and more common, and this is understandable. The manufacturer is trying in every possible way to “persuade” the owner that the food has the highest performance, and his puppy will not grow up without granules. Meanwhile, independent laboratory testing constantly proves that the feed does not have the properties and composition specified in the recipe and annotation.

The puppy eats the granules with pleasure. However, the number of flavors and flavoring additives is so great that it cannot be otherwise.

Ready-made food is easy to use. By purchasing a large bag with a long shelf life, you can feed your puppy without any problems. There is no need to even wash dishes. Only the question of the dog's health remains open.

Ready-made foods are derivatives with the addition of artificial protein. High temperatures in the extruder kill all biologically active substances and vitamins. When feeding ready-made food, you need to be careful about the puppy’s water balance. The manufacturer warns on the package that there must be water in the drinking bowl at all times, since the feed causes thirst.

Advantages

The food has a number of advantages:

with its help you can feed the puppy quickly;
clean dishes will remain after the meal;
feed is easy to buy and store.

Flaws

When feeding with prepared foods:

inability to control the composition independently;
in a coma there may be allergens that are difficult to identify;
non-compliance of the formulation with the results of laboratory tests (even for expensive samples) casts doubt on its usefulness.

If these arguments are not arguments, then when choosing food you should at least ask:

labeling (manufacturer, address, telephone);
date of manufacture;
deadline for implementation;
read the manufacturer's recommendations.

Mixed diet

This is the type of feeding that many owners prefer. Natural food is fed constantly, and when necessary, ready-made food is fed. Ready-made food is used for:

travel;
inability to purchase food;
Difficulties with preparing food.

Whatever diet the owner chooses, it is necessary to monitor the state of the gastrointestinal tract. At the slightest “failures,” you should reconsider the feeding program and seek help from a specialist.

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:

Dog sizes. Spaniels can vary greatly in size: for example, the English cocker is slightly larger than the American one. Big dogs need more food.
Age. Small cockers need a lot of nutritious food during their growth period. Puppies are allowed plenty of food, the main thing is that the food is “correct”. Older cockers run and jump much less, so there should be fewer calories in their diet.
Pet's character. The majority of cockers are active runners who can organize a playground even in a small apartment. Despite this, there are also lazy individuals. For such not particularly active pets, the portion can be safely reduced by 25%.
Excess feed is unacceptable, veterinarians remind
Load level. For dogs that perform hunting duties, go fishing and hiking with their owner, the diet should be nutritious and high in calories. In apartment dogs, too nutritious food will cause obesity, since there is nowhere to spend calories.
Pet's condition. During the postoperative period, recovery from illness, bearing and feeding babies, the dog needs more protein foods and foods rich in microelements.
Allergic reactions. Some cockers (especially decorative ones) are prone to allergic reactions. When introducing a new product into the diet, it needs to be tested by giving a small portion first. If a negative reaction occurs - your eyes become watery, itching, irritation begins - you should abstain from the product.

New products should be introduced into the menu gradually

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

Sample menu by age

Up to a month

The puppy needs mother's milk. It, unlike cow's milk, is fattier, has more phosphorus, sugar and protein. However, the main thing is that it is a source of immunity. If the puppy is left without a mother, it is better to find a wet nurse. If this is not possible, then you should:

use milk substitutes;
infant formulas (they are enriched with phosphorus and have calcium removed);
prepare food yourself.

Milk replacers should be purchased at a pet store and prepared according to the instructions.

If this is not possible, then chicken egg yolk and sugar are added to cow's milk. The puppy is fed 10-12 times a day, 20-30 g each. A hungry puppy will make sounds and be in search of food.

Natural food

Natural nutrition for cockers should be comprehensive. It is recommended to feed them meat, fish, fermented milk, cereals, vegetables and fruits. It is necessary to balance the dog’s diet as much as possible:

Meat should form the basis of natural food and account for two-thirds of the volume. Boiled chicken or beef will do. An adult dog can eat up to 300 g of meat with cartilage and tendons per day. If meat is replaced by offal, the feed portion size increases by 30%. It is not recommended to feed a cocker only meat.
Sea fish is a source of phosphorus and omega 3 fatty acids. It is necessary to feed your American Cocker Spaniel this product 2 times a week.
Fermented milk products and eggs are a source of animal protein for a growing body. This food is very useful.
Vegetables and fruits , cereal products and bread should make up a third of the diet. Carrots, pumpkin, zucchini, cucumbers are given raw, with vegetable oil or heat-treated.
It is useful to cook porridge in water or milk from rice, buckwheat, or oatmeal.
Apples, pears, and bananas are suitable fruits , but not oranges.

Fish oil is offered as a dietary supplement. In the first days, the optimal dosage is 2-3 drops. Gradually increase the amount to 2 teaspoons if there are no side effects.

Vitamins and supplements

If the diet is balanced and contains all food groups, then there is no need for vitamins and supplements.

Synthetic vitamin preparations are medicines. Their appointment is associated with certain diseases, the diagnosis of which is established after a comprehensive examination.

If the puppy has:

good wool;
clean skin;
mucous membranes are not anemic;
He is active and playful, there is no point in giving him vitamins. In case of problems, you should consult a doctor.

Top 1. Go! Natural Holistic Carnivore 4

Rating (2021): 4.89

230 reviews from resources were taken into account: Yandex.Market, IRecommend, Otzovik, OZON, Wildberries

Best value for money This is a quality holistic product made from 100% fresh and natural ingredients. At the same time, the price is 1.5 times lower than that of the closest analogue.

Characteristics
Average price: 1000 rub.
Country: Canada
Main ingredients: chicken, turkey, salmon, trout
Protein percentage: 34%
Side dish: potatoes, peas, tapioca, lentils, chickpeas
Weight: 1.6 kg

The best holistic dog for the active cocker spaniel. It contains 85% natural meat: chicken, turkey, trout, duck and salmon. Moreover, it is not dehydrated, but 100% fresh, which is perfect for a little meat-eater. In addition, the composition contains a huge amount of vitamins and minerals for growth and development. Another plus is that there are no grains and, accordingly, gluten. Breeders note that the food is very nutritious and therefore is consumed quite sparingly. However, it is not suitable for everyone - if your dog is not very active, then a high-protein diet can trigger allergies. In this case, it is better to give preference to more dietary products.

Advantages and disadvantages

Grain-free balanced diet
Lots of animal protein
Relatively low price for a holistic practitioner
Enriched with nutrients, microelements, vitamins, oils
Economical consumption due to high calorie and nutritional value

Very high protein content - not suitable for low-active dogs

Water

Drinking, clean water must be available at all times. Thirst without drinking water, even short-term, leads to metabolic disorders.

Particular attention is paid to water when:

feeding with prepared food;
high physical activity.

You need to monitor your water consumption. Drinking too little or too much water is not a disease, but may be a sign of certain metabolic disorders. In this case, you should consult a doctor.

Top 2. Purina Pro Plan Veterinary Diets Gastrointestinal

Rating (2021): 4.79

76 reviews from resources were taken into account: Yandex.Market, IRecommend, Otzovik, OZON, Wildberries

For diseases of the gastrointestinal tract Medicinal canned food that helps quickly restore the functioning of the gastrointestinal tract after gastritis, enteritis, pancreatitis. In good standing with veterinarians and breeders.

Characteristics
Average price: 250 rub.
Country: France
Main ingredient: meat and animal by-products
Protein percentage: 8%
Garnish: cereals
Weight: 400 g

Medicinal canned food from Purina Pro Plan will be a good choice if your cocker spaniel suffers from gastrointestinal diseases. They contain a minimum of fat, thereby reducing the load on the digestive system. Also, the composition contains only highly digestible components, so there will be no problems with stool. Veterinarians often recommend food for recovery from gastritis, enteritis and pancreatitis. Judging by the reviews, the beneficial effect is noticeable almost immediately, which is good news. The only complaint is that the consistency is too thick, which is why the contents have to be diluted with water.

Advantages and disadvantages

Low fat content makes digestion easier
Easy to digest
Helps restore digestion after gastrointestinal diseases
Quick effect
Improves skin and coat condition

Consistency too thick - needs to be diluted
Contains grains that have no particular nutritional value

Prohibited Products

Food and dog food are completely different. Even if the pet loves it and begs for a “treat,” this cannot be abused.

A dog, especially a puppy, should not be fed:

sausage, frankfurters and smoked meats;
raw offal, chicken and fish;
sauces;
fried meat and fish products;
fat meat;
flour and confectionery products (including pasta).

The puppy's appetite is influenced by the composition of the diet and temperament, physical activity and weather conditions. Observing the dog and analyzing what it eats can tell you where to adjust the diet in order to prevent unwanted situations.

Top 4. Belcando

Rating (2021): 4.71

112 reviews from resources were taken into account: Yandex.Market, Otzovik, OZON

The most canned meat Canned food consists of 98.8% meat and is perfect for a small active predator.

Characteristics
Average price: 230 rub.
Country: Germany
Main ingredient: meat and meat by-products
Protein percentage: 14%
Garnish: depends on the chosen flavor (vegetables, liver, noodles)
Weight: 400 g

The German company Belcando produces five types of canned meat for dogs of all breeds. According to the manufacturer, they are 98.8% meat, and this is a priority when choosing wet food. There really is nothing superfluous in the composition, and additional components depend on the chosen flavor. At the same time, buyers confirm the quality of the product and note the dense consistency and pleasant smell. There is nothing artificial here: no additives, preservatives or dyes. The only complaints are that canned food is difficult to find in pet stores, as well as the packaging, which can be difficult to open due to a weak key.

Advantages and disadvantages

High percentage of meat - 98.8%
Five flavors
No grains, preservatives or artificial additives
Thick consistency and pleasant smell
Has a beneficial effect on digestion

Not sold in all pet stores
Sometimes the key comes off and you have to use it to open the can.

Training

English Cocker Spaniel puppies, like American ones, need regular exercise.

Training at home should take no more than twenty minutes a day so that the baby does not get bored and lose interest.

Initial training begins in the first two months of life and consists of teaching the baby to his place, the ability to sit quietly, and toilet training.