Puppy feeding time
I have a question about feeding my sheepie, Prince Simon. I want to get him on a schedule. I try feeding him at 6 am before I leave for work and feed him again at 5 pm when I get home. My roommate says, Simon, is often begging for food in the afternoon. Should I add an additional feeding time... like a snack or something? Thanks for reading, Asreial |
|
|
| How old is Simon?
Young puppies often have a fast metabolism, and of course they are growing at an astounding rate so they usually do better with 3 or even 4 feedings til they are 12-16 weeks old. Usually one cup of a good quality puppy kibble offered 3 times a day keeps them happy. |
| Simon will be three months old on Friday. |
| When they're young it's best if they have 3 meals a day.
Barkley is 6 months old and still gets 3 meals a day. I'm not sure when it is advisable to switch them to 2 meals per day (anyone know?) but a young puppy should get 3 meals per day - that's what I've heard from breeders, vet, people on the forum. If your roommate is home perhaps he/she can feed your puppy lunch. Also make sure he's getting lots of water while you're gone all day. |
| He gets plenty of water.
Thanks for the info. I will call me roomie right now. |
We switched Chewie from 3 down to 2 meals/day at about 4 months. If you have the time to do 3 meals,it is nice to go a while with that. It is better on the digestive system. He is almost 8 months, and we will continue on the 2 meals per day. Because of his growth and activity, he eats 5 cups - I can't imagine him trying to eat that all in 1 meal  . |
| I agree with the three meals a day, but I thought I'd add...
my dog gets fed religiously between 5-6 a.m. and 4 p.m. every day. She knows this. But she will start begging for dinner at 2 p.m. So, even if you add an additional feeding... you may never get them to stop begging fo more. 
If my dog gets fed at 2p.m., she will not beg again at 4pm (normal feeding time) or the rest of the evening, so it's not about quantity ...just she wants what she knows is hers. |
| I fed my puppies three meals a day. I look at the recommended amount of food per day on the bag and divide it by three. At about a year old I switched to twice a day feedings. Once again using the recommendation on the back of the food bag and dividing it in half. They do get a milk bone half way through the day and get other snacks.
Good luck with your pup. |
| When we switched Panda to 2 feedings a day, we found that she did better with 1/3 am and 2/3s pm...so basically I feed her 1 cup in the morning and 2 cups at night.... |
| We feed once in the early morning, and then at two. If the are hungry towards early evening, I will give them a little more. Puppy gets fed three times a day. |
| i asked because my vet told me to feed him twice a day... it just didn't seem right. |
| Part of it depends upon how much you're feeding at a time. I am wondering if your vet didn't suggest 2 x because that is what is easiest for people with full time jobs. You're lucky to have a room mate and could do 3 x if your room mate is willing, and also willing to do a walk afterwards. At 3 months, what goes in, comes out the other side pretty soon.
I knew my puppies were ready to move to 2 x a day when they showed less interest in their mid day meal. I gradually added a bit more to their am feeding and their pm, so that they were getting the same amount of food, but gradually twice a day rather than three times a day. You should also know that dogs vary widely in how much they will pester for food. My first OES was sure it was always time for dinner or a snack or a little something. We had to watch his weight like a hawk--accidentally let him get fat and then had to cut back and be careful how much he was really getting. He was good at conning us out of extra meals. Our second OES, Archie, still doesn't care all that much if he misses a meal now and then. He often ignores his breakfast and sometimes his dinner. He's not sick or anything--he seems perfectly energetic and happy and content. No diarhhea, no vomitting--just not that interested in food. He's thin. We never have to worry t hat he's overeating. |
tgir wrote: I knew my puppies were ready to move to 2 x a day when they showed less interest in their mid day meal. I gradually added a bit more to their am feeding and their pm, so that they were getting the same amount of food, but gradually twice a day rather than three times a day. This is the same as Bosley. I worked full-time, so he ate at 8:00 am, then 3:30 PM when the kids came home, then again around 8:00 pm. Around 4 months old he started to not be too interested in the mid-day meal, so we made it smaller and smaller...more like a snack, and moved his late meal closer to suppertime. |
Didn't find exactly what you're looking for? Search again here:
Custom Search
|
|
| |
|
|
|
|
|