Diet/Food

Question
Hi, i have a husky named Ice. he is my fist pet and he is 3 months old. ive been told to leave puppy food in his tray at all times and he well eat at his own paste. is this True? and i also want to know if fresh raw meat would be better for his heath then commercial dog food? and what kinds of meat would be more suitable?  i have so much more questions for he is my fist pet and aim VERY interested is his breed. i just want the best for him and his heath.

Thanks!

Answer
Elyas,

Having a Siberian for a first pet can be a bit tricky, but it can be done.  As for leaving the food down, there are two schools of thought there.  However, the best way to keep an eye on the dietary intake of the dog is to having scheduled feeding times and monitor the food eaten.  If you are adding any sort of meat, then you definitely want to move to scheduled feeding.  The best course of action for a 12 week old pup is three feeding times spaced roughly equally apart.  Something like 7 AM, 1 PM, and 7 PM works great, but based on your schedule, don't worry if the second feeding is closer to one or the other times.  Usually, having the food down for 5-10 minutes is sufficient, then take it up.  The first few times you do this, you will probably notice the dog not eating much, but that will soon change as he realizes that he has to eat at those times.  Also, don't worry too much about a dog who skips a meal or two later - its perfectly normal for Sibes to do this.

As for adding meat supplements, there are some owners that go for the raw diets and do really well with them.  Personally, I have not tried it, but my dogs do great with commercial foods and supplements of meat and other raw food.  I find that to be the best of both worlds and a little cheaper.  As for what types of food to give - pretty much whatever is around and fresh.  Ground beef, chicken, turkey, even fish all work well.

Hope that's a good starting point, and feel free to write back with additional questions as they come up.