I personally like to feed three meals until a puppy is nine months of age. As the number of meals drop the amount of food should increase. I personally prefer 2 meals indefinitely as we have found this better than one large meal. If this cannot accommodated, one meal can work for some people and some dogs. Dogs with larger chests can contract bloat where in basic terms the stomach fills too quickly smaller, more regular meals will help to avoid this. Allowing the dog to graze (having food down all day) is not advisable in my opinion as you have no knowledge of how much the dog is eating and it is not a healthy way of eating.

When I sell a puppy I like to give samples of this puppy’s food and suggest continuing with this in the short term and gently integrate any new food of the owners choice slowly. If this is done correctly the dog should not suffer any digestion problems. A quick change in diet could result in an upset stomach.

To change a diet we suggest:

· The first week 2 meals of the food we have given and 1 of the new food

· The second week 2 meals on the new food and one on the old

· By the third week all three meals will be the new food

Looking at the suggested feeding guidelines coming with the food is a good starting point, adjusting a little to meet your pup’s needs. Soaking complete food recommended until your dog is over 12 months old at least and many people do this for their adult dogs too.

A chow seems to do best on low protein foods and rice and pasta tend to work well sometimes instead of a complete food. Some meat or fish will be greatly enjoyed as a flavouring to their food and we find tripe an excellent food. I personally try to avoid lamb as I was once told this was not good for chows- do I test it or just stay clear? I trust and steer clear.

Remember to have fresh drinking water down always but never ice or iced water.

There are numerous ways to feed a dog. I feed a raw diet. We do occasionally feed a complete feed if pressed for time but this will also be a food that if similar in make up to avoid digestive issues. Over this section I have noted a few methods of feeding, some of the examples of feed and some of the benefits of each method. I hope is that this information will assist in making a more informed decision, when choosing a feeding method.

Raw diet.

My raw diet includes, meat, vegetables and rice for the main part.

The meat I choose varies, we feed; tripe; beef; chicken; beef offal (heart, lungs, liver); tinned sardines; eggs (and raw eggs)

The vegetables include; peelings; frozen packs of vegetables; carrots; cabbage; potatoes; parsnips; swede; etc for veg to avoid please see below.

Rice is used as an addition, nutrients are gained through meat and veg, whilst extra energy is provided from rice.

Pros	Cons
Our dogs tend to have less waste through this method of feeding. There are no additives. Dogs temperament is level and calm. Coat condition is also good. Puppies gain wait at a slower rate which ensures steady growth. Seasons are more regular. Constitutions are stronger. Price, this is a cheaper option when able to buy in bulk.	Time is an issue with this- things need to be cooked and prepared. When buying this style of food, meet often needs to be stored in a freezer, storage can be an issue. Summer feeding, timing is important in the summer as meat defrosts quicker, as such spoiling needs to be avoided.

Complete packaged feed

Nature Diet and Natural Instinct. These are prepared meals, which are packaged and ready to use. One is frozen the other is long-life, several varieties are available, different flavours etc.

Nature Diet-

Pros

· Pre-packaged long-life and ready to use.

· This is premade to quantities required

· Easily available – pets at home etc

· The same benefits as Raw Diet

Cons

This can be more expensive than certain brands

Natural Instinct-

Pros

· This is premade to quantities required

· Easily available and delivered directly online.

· Quick to serve

· The same benefits as Raw Diet

Cons

This can be more expensive than certain brands

Summer feeding, timing is important in the summer as meat defrosts quicker, as such spoiling needs to be avoided

This requires freezer storage

Dried complete food

I occasionally feed a dry complete feed, the brand I prefer is Applaws. Both are high in quality and the bags they come in give feeding guidelines on quantities etc

These dried complete feeds-

Pros

· This is premade to quantities required

· Easily available and delivered directly online.

· Quick to serve

· With these brands the same benefits as Raw Diet

Cons

· This can be more expensive than certain brands

Treats are always nice.

Bonios are easily available and can provide a crunch

Turkey/ chicken necks from butchers are also enjoyed by dogs

Raw bones can be enjoyed also (marrow can be too rich for some dogs), also be mindful of splintering etc

Dentastix again these are good for the dog along with being a treat.

Show bait

Our dogs tend to enjoy cheese and chicken as show bait. Others use liver, dried feed. Think of what is convenient to you, can be handled with ease and most importantly something your dog enjoys

Other food is widely available, I only offer advice in this section on what I feed and why.

Food to avoid

This list is not a complete, but to our knowledge is does offer a list of possibly harmful substances to dogs (and chows). Items in Red need to be avoided as they can be fatal.

· Caffeine

· Chocolate

· Grapes and Raisins

· Macadamia Nuts

· Onions, Garlic, Chives etc

· Peaches

· Plumbs

· Sweetcorn

· Tobacco

· Xylotol (artificial sweetener)

· Yeast Dough

· Alcohol

· Apple seeds

· Avocado

· Baby food

· Cat food

· Cirtus

· Coconut

· Cooked bones

· Fat- too much fat trimmings

· Hops

· Milk (large doses)

· Nuts

· Rhubarb

It is important to note what is normal for your dog, are they drinking normally/ has this changed in the last 24 hours (think why?), are they eating normally in the last 24 hours (think why?).