How often should I feed my puppy?

Question

I am preparing for my first puppy and I want to do plenty of research before she arrives.

Any advice you can give me regarding the points below, I'd be grateful for. Just to say, I am not a complete novice with animals, I breed horses and train them but I respect each animal and I know that "you only stop learning when you are dead", so I'm asking for experts to share their knowledge :-)

1) I believe I should feed my puppy several times a day but how many is several?
2) I understand that dogs should not have access to food 24/7, is this true and why?
3) Should I and my family always eat before the dog does, to show we are higher up the hierarchy than the pup?
4) How long before retiring to bed should I remove food?
5) Should ever leave my puppy or dog without water (say over night)?
6) How long should I leave it after a meal, before taking my puppy outside?

Thank you for sharing your experience with me :D

Answer 1

yeah you should feed a puppy several times a day. to start with its 4 times a day till they are about 12 weeks then you start to only do it twice but keep the amount of food the same!

no you should never leave food out for them 24/7 as dogs will just eat what is in front of them and youwill have a overweight dog and one that thinks she can always eat anything!

i dont eat before my dogs and they are fine so i do not think that you have got anything to worry about there at all. if you train it will it will know that your incharge and its not!

i only leave my dogs food down for half a hour and if it does not eat it then its gone!

NO NO NO never leave a dog without water. it must always have drinking water down.

The puppy should be put out straight after it has finished eating. puppies want to toilet and should always be put out straight away after a sleep, feed and play. or whenever you see the dog sniffing round looking like it is going to go out it outside. make sure you praise her everytime she goes outside to the toilet andshe should get the hang of it in no time at all.

good luck with your new dog. i am glad to see that your doing your research before she arrives at your home.

Answer 2

Cow's milk can give dogs diarrhea. I hope you are feeding them a milk replacer made for puppies? At 7 to 8 weeks of age, it is definitely time to start offering them a good quality Puppy Food mixed with warm water to a mushy consistency. Don't use cow's milk. They should be fed 4 or 5 times a day.

Answer 3

1) 3 - 4 small meals should be sufficient, then reduce to 2 - 3, then eventually to twice a day (altho we only feed ours once a day)

2) No, they will eat when given the chance, if they have access to food 24/7 they will just get overweight as they are scavenging animals

3) Yes, and don't let pup sit at your feet at the table begging for scraps. Either put him in a crate or his bed and make him stay there

4) Do not feed after 7pm at the latest, then take for a walk just before you go to bed, pup will have a chance to go to the toilet then

5) Never leave them without water, but if you are worried that they will drink too much and mess in your house, place a couple of big ice cubes in his water bowl instead of water

6) Depending on how much he is being fed, I'd say 30 mins to an hour

Hope that helps!!

Answer 4

1. You should at least feed a puppy three times a day.
2. Yes, because they will not have the appetite to eat when it's time to eat.
3. Not necessarily...you don't reallly show the dog that you are eating ahead of him. The dog will realize that you are higher up the heirarchy by the way you treat the dog.
4. As soon as the food is finish, take the container out... if the food is not finished, you can talk the dog out of it and bet you, he will understand...half an hour before you retire you can take the food out, and be sure to wash your hands!
5. No... always have a bottle of water for the dog all the time.
6. You can take your puppy outside as soon as he is finished with his food, it doesn't really matter that much.

Answer 5

1) it depends if you have a small dog or a big dog. (personally I think big dogs are better) I have 2 big dogs and I give them 1/4 scoop of sensitive skin food twice a day.
2) once again this depends on what kind of dog you have. It is definitely true for all dogs because it will make them sick if they eat too much, but if you have a greyhound this may cause serious sickness. It can even be FATAL.
3) it doesn't matter. but i feed my dogs before we eat so that they don't steal our food.
4) I'm not sure, but i feed my dogs at 6 always.
5) NEVER. But if you notice they are drinking waaaaay too much, like GALLONS, then take it away from them and see a vet to prevent water poisoning.
6) i honestly dont think it matters.

Answer 6

4 little meals a day is good when he's a growing puppy. Its not good to give him constant access to food - you wont guage how much he's eating and it goes stale. Always eat yourself before feeding a dog - it maintains the pack status (you are higher in the pack). Never feed a dog just befoe exercising him/her - it can lead to gastric torsion in some breeds. Never leave a dog or pup without clean fresh water - even at night. Take your pup out at regular intervals while toilet training - try about 10 or 20 mins after a meal and every 1/2 hour or so after that until he goes. Have fun with your pup xx

Answer 7

I breed dogs and 3 times a day is plenty then cut back to twice a day.

2. They should not have access to food all day they only need so much food a day. Look on the back of the sack of dog food it will tell you exactly how much to feed them according to the weight of the dog. Divide that by how many times you want to feed the puppy.

3. Don't feed the puppy scrap food off your plate it is not always healthy for dogs and you don't want a begger around and it will usually make a purebred dog sick at it's stomach.

4. At least 3 hours

5. Yes puppies take water up at night just like a kid don't let them drink all that water unless you wan't to clean it up the next morning in puddles on the floor.

6. Puppies will usually go to the bathroom within 10 minutes of eating so take them out right after they eat.

Answer 8

I would say 3 times a day perhaps 4. Since it is a puppy of course it is growing, playing, getting tired often so... ensure there is ALWAYS fresh water avaliable, overnight ensure you got a good deep bowl there. All animals need water most and a crazy puppy running around will need it. Give it one to two hours before taking puppy outside otherwise it will get sicky. Puppys are just like human babies in many ways, eat too much, get too excited, eat everything get sick etc... Before bed, I suggest giving puppy some food and water around 6 - 7pm. I'm no puppy expert but ive raised 5 kittens so i have some idea. Best advice is to ask ur vet but remember babies are teh same all over in regard to food, water and rest and getting too excited. Hope this helps.

Better idea have a look on google for a dog lovers site they usually have a good resource of experience and vets involved. free info!

Answer 9

1)2 times a day and each time 1 cup. that is what we are doing with our puppy. and he seems to be a luttle slim but your puppy should be fine
2)yes because they get fat and slow
3)well feed the dog at 6-8 because other wise the dog gets hungry
4)like i said earlier just let it finish
5)never, just leave water out at all times(dont leave him out overnight until he is house trained)
6)like 10-15 minutes sometimes sooner

hope it helps

Answer 10

Only like after naps,playing,like every other hour.Water ALL THE TIME!!!Yes it is true because when puppies eat, they hog it all down so you don't want to get them fat and it can make them sick and throw up sometimes. Yes eat before, if he/she comes over and begs, tell him/her NO and tell them to go away.Or put them somewhere where they can't get into mischeif. Don't feed him/her at night, BUT WATER!!! ALWAYS HAVE WATER FOR THE PUP 24/7!!!!! About 7 min or so. If he/she has its but low to the ground, that means they have to go... DO EXPECT ACCIDENTS ONCE IN A WHILE!!!!

Hope i helped!!! :)