Poodle (Detailed Introduction)

　　Usually, people like poodles mainly because of their moderate size, good temperament, intelligence, and especially because they make their owners happy and are suitable for family keeping. It seems that poodles have an inherent elegance that is hard to resist. Because poodles possess a unique temperament, they become even more charming with careful care. What foods are reasonable to feed a healthy and beautiful poodle?
　　Feeding Key Points
　　Poodles need a large amount of amino acids and phenylalanine daily to synthesize proteins, as well as sufficient minerals in their diet. A lack of these nutrients in their diet can cause pigmentation on the skin, mouth, and back hair. If these nutrients are insufficient, their back hair color will turn orange-yellow and lose luster, and the gums will become loose. Recommended food formulas: Grain sources include wheat and corn; meat sources include poultry, fish, and pork.
　　Research found that calcium molecules in beef bone meal can cause anorexia in toy poodles, but calcium from clam shells is very suitable. Fats, soluble vitamins A and D in palmitate and cod liver oil are also very suitable, except vegetables containing β-carotene. Toy poodles originated in central France; recommended foods: horse meat and flaxseed, wheat, oats, beet, corn. Do not feed rice, soybeans, or avocado.
　　How many meals should a poodle eat daily is a concern for those new to raising poodles. Many have heard poodles should not eat too much as excess is unhealthy, but they also cannot bear to see their pet hungry.
　　How many meals should a poodle eat per day? Let’s start with weaning puppies. When puppies are newborn, you need not worry about their eating because the dog mother takes good care of them. At one and a half to two months old, the mother’s milk can no longer satisfy the puppies’ appetite. You will see the puppies constantly circling the mother, who helplessly looks at them. At this time, the puppies have grown many little sharp teeth, and nursing them becomes painful for the mother. At this point, you should appropriately supplement some food. Use reconstituted milk powder to soften dog food and feed the puppies. Be sure to use milk powder because packaged milk or fresh cow milk has too high fat, which causes diarrhea in puppies. If the mother still nurses daily, feed the puppies two to three times a day, and as the mother nurses less, increase feeding to four times a day—once every six hours. It’s easy to tell if a puppy is hungry because they will bark and search for food whenever hungry, so you don’t need an alarm clock to get up at 5 a.m. to feed them. This is part of the cost of raising puppies. From three months to five or six months old, feeding three times a day—morning, noon, and evening—is appropriate. Keep meal intervals as even as possible to help them develop a habit of eating at regular times. Puppies usually defecate right after eating, so when feeding them, be ready to clean up after they finish their meal. To tell whether a puppy has overeaten, check their stools. Normal stools should be slightly soft but formed (don’t be grossed out; observing a poodle’s stool is an important task for dog parents). Stools shouldn’t be sticky or contain undigested food. If the stool is very soft, unformed, or contains undigested food, it clearly indicates overeating, and you should reduce their food intake. At this time, stay strong and don’t be swayed by their pitiful eyes.
六个月以后，如果你家小贵宾犬长势良好，可以逐渐把它的饭改成一天两顿，即早晚各一顿。定时吃饭配合有规律的出门散步，贵宾犬就会养成不在家里排泄的习惯了，当爸妈的也就省事儿不少了。对于成年贵宾犬一天吃几顿有两种说法，一种是一天就一顿，一种是仍然一天两顿，对于两种喂法的好坏说法不一。我个人认为一天两顿比较健康，我家贵宾犬也是一直采用的这种方式。因为我觉得一天二十四小时只喂贵宾犬一顿饭未免太残忍了，而且在一天中贵宾犬处在饥饿状态的时间太长，在这段时间里它会常常向你要食物，象肉干、饼干甚至人吃的东西它陆续也会吃不少，其实对贵宾犬的健康更不利。一顿正餐加上无数零食肯定不如两顿正餐少量零售要健康。另外，如果保证贵宾犬一天只吃一顿饭而没有任何其它的零食的话，在一天中贵宾犬的血糖变化会很大，在饥饿的时候血糖会很低，而吃完饭的一段时间血糖又会增加太多，对贵宾犬的健康也是不利的。而且饿极了的贵宾犬吃饭会飞快，本来它们吃饭就不好好嚼，这样一来一下吃了太多没有好好嚼的东西，肠胃的负担太大。所以我推荐你还是不要怕麻烦，一天给贵宾犬吃两次，再带它出去玩两次，这样对肠胃健康和满足贵宾犬的运动量都比较好。最好出门前带瓶纯净水，因为在运动的时候狗狗包括主人都会感到口渴的。