[sganow]

I free feed mine so I don't know how much they eat, but none of my dogs has ever been picky and they never miss a meal. They eat what the need/want when they want to. I keep the food and water available almost all the time, but there are times when I put it up. This has been the routine for all my dogs since the day we got them. We currently have 4 dogs, but have had as many as 5 at one time before. It is cute when they all line up to eat. It seems that one of them starts it, then they line up to get food. Maybe they just learned from each other.

I don't necessarily agree with leaving the food down for a short time and then putting it up. Especially being a puppy, your dog could get hypoglycemic and could crash pretty quickly. I think you are doing the right thing by doing whatever you can to get the dog to eat and drink an adequate amount. The 1/4 cup may be enough for your dog. If not, you would notice something in the way the dog acts. As long as the dog is staying healthy, alert, active, growing, and gaining weight, it should be fine. Maybe little by little you can get the dog to eat a little bit on its own.