puppy diet

Question
I have a 6month old female chi-poo (toy chihuahua/toy poodle) that weighs about.. 4 1/2 lbs. I hear chihuahua's are very picky eaters. She doesnt seem to like the big pebble puppy chow so I wanted to post a few questions if you could help answer that would be great!

1. Whats a good puppy food brand to put her on?
2. Is smaller food better than large?
3. How often should i feed her? And if she doesnt eat when i put it down should i wait a little then pick it back up? Or just leave it till she wnats it.
4. Should i leave little chew sticks lying around for her  at all times to have something to chew on?

Those are just some of the answers i can com eup with at the top of my head. but if you have some advice to go along with any of them pleaseee dont be shy and let me know. Im a new puppy owner for this breed of dog :) thank you

Answer
Good morning, Jake.

At 4 1/2 pounds, your Chi should eat three times a day until she reaches maturity and her caloric needs reduce.  At that time, you can go to two times a day.  I would offer her the food and if she doesn't eat it all, remove the food in ten to fifteen  minutes.  Of course, being as small as she is, if she is not eating at all in the time provided, you'll want to find a food she will eat to avoid problems with sugar levels.  

Smaller food would likely be easier for her to eat and she may prefer that.

Orijen Puppy, Innova Puppy, Eagle Pack Puppy are all good puppy foods for her to be on.  You can check with local retailers for samples to see which food she likes best.  If she is not inclined to eat just dry food, it is perfectly fine to add some canned food for her, just make sure it is a good quality food.

You can leave chewy sticks around for her as long as they don't pose a choking risk.  If they are consumable chewy sticks, I would not leave her unattended with them.

Gail E. Vigneault