Feeding Troubles .

[monet91]

I'm having kind of a hard time feeding with my puppy I wanna have him on a little schedule to feed three times a day so I can time his bathroom breaks I've been giving him 1/3 every serving to equal out to 1 cup a day as said on his current food he's eating . When I give him his food he eats it but just not all of it he picks he'll eat go play n go eat n play n I wanna teach him to eat before play I wanna give him atleast 30-45 mins to eat his whole dish n it's not working . I think it may be due to his breeder free feeding him so he's use to eating on his own . He's 10 weeks old @ 3lbs

[lovespandp]

Scheduled feeding is not really recommended at a young age. Yorkie pups can get low blood sugar pretty quickly so you should have food available to him at all times. I have a 6 year old and if he misses a meal he will start to shake and hide in the corner… I split his amount in half, I give him 1/8 in the morning and 1/8 in the evening, he does have food available all day. He kind of eats like your puppy, he takes a couple bites here and there. Which when they do that, it makes it harder to put them on a schedule.

What food are you feeding..? They really shouldn't poop that much. 2-3 times is normal, anything above that is too much. If the kibble you are feeding has a lot of fillers ( corn, wheat, bi products) he will be going a lot. When that happens they don’t take in any nutrients, which isn't good. You want a higher quality kibble with a higher protein. It will keep his tummy full longer..

[monet91]

Okay so your saying free feeding is better ? when can I start scheduling his meals then if I wanted to do that . && he's eating wellness just for puppies he isn't pooping much a good 2-3 times a day peeing he's doing a lot because I make sure he has enough water around him

[lovespandp]

Yes, I would wait at least until he is a year. Then you can try to do it. Just remember what I said. Peanut is 6 and if he misses a meal he is a mess. I have to make sure he has something in his belly before I leave work- he is 4 pounds. It seems the smaller babies have issues like that… Just be aware. These little guys go down quickly.

Ok, Wellness is a good food. You can still try to schedule his poops. Peanut isn't on a schedule and I still know his poop times!! Once in the morning and once in the evening!!

What time does he poop?

[monet91]

Okay well how does the free feeding actually work if I'm giving him food at 8 in the morning 1 in the afternoon & 5 in the evening . Do you just leave it down the whole time or refresh each serving ? & from what I'm seeing he's going in the morning & evening & right before bed

[lovespandp]

Originally Posted by monet91

Okay well how does the free feeding actually work if I'm giving him food at 8 in the morning 1 in the afternoon & 5 in the evening . Do you just leave it down the whole time or refresh each serving ? & from what I'm seeing he's going in the morning & evening & right before bed

So you pretty much know when he poops that’s great.
So in the morning, evenings and before bed you can take him outside to poo. Does he go outside or on pads?

Well what I do is split Peanut’s up. He is suppose to get ¼ of a cup a day- so I give him 1/8 in the morning and 1/8 in the evening. Some days he doesn't eat all his evening food and some days he wants a little more.. As your puppy grows you will get a routine down and you will be able to know how much he will eat and how much will be too much. They are like clockwork and for the most part they love a good routine. So Peanut will get fresh food, since I don’t put it all down at once- which I think they like more..

Since you are feeding him 3 times a day you can split it in thirds.. see how much he eats of it in the morning compared to afternoon and evening.. Maybe try on a weekend when you are home to watch him.. ??

[monet91]

He poops on the pad right now he's to young to be outside still some shots he has to get before I start taking him out ..I'm usually home all day long nights I work .the feeding chart says he should get 1 cup a day between the ages of 6-11 weeks & weighing in at 3 lbs so I split it up until 1/3 morning noon & evening for example if I feed him in the morning how long would I leave the food down ? until the next meal ?

[lovespandp]

You can just give him the next amount.. I will usually add how much is needed with the food that is already in the bowl.

[monet91]

The vet said he should be given 3 meals until he is about 6 months but if you can't get him to eat 3 full meals atleast 2 is fine niño is 4 lbs & 7 oz right now at almost 12 weeks the doctor said you don't want him to be a little butter ball lol

[Tphelps]

I leave dry food out all the time for my babies. They are older. One is two and one is four. They also get a planned meal at night. I feed them a little boiled chicken. My vet said they are very healthy.

[Sunnydayz]

I free feed Gizmo and he has food and water at all times in his xpen, where he goes in and out all day long eating as much as he wants. He's 4 months old, and the reason I free feed is because I rescued him from someone who was starving him to make him smaller in size and stunt his growth.

When I rescued him, within 20 mins it took to rush him to the vets office, he was in a hypoglycemic coma, and it took me 24 hours to wake him up, and 36 hours before he could even sit up. I had to stay awake with him that first 36 hours, giving him high glucose treatments along with nutrical every hour on the hour until he came to. I guess that is why I free feed him, is that I have seen with my own eyes what can happen to them, when they do not get enough nutrients . I would be really careful of limiting his food, as their sugar can drop very very quickly. Maybe gizmo was more sensitive to it due his condition from the person I rescued him from, but I would still be very careful :-)

[Britster]

Scheduled feeding is fine... Free feeding is, too, but just because he's young doesn't mean you can't get him on a schedule. You just feed more when they're young... 3-4x a day usually. I prefer to know when exactly my dog is eating and how much.

[monet91]

Well I feed him at 8am 1pm & 6pm I just leave whatever he doesnt eat in his bowl until the next meal but some times it goes to waste ..hell eat all his morning food then lunch comes I refresh it he doesn't eat it n hell eat that by like 5 pm so the 6pm would just be wasted ..I know if ya understand what I'm saying so I always take out his food when it's bed time he always has water in his pen & I give him come nutri cal every night before bed so he knows his bed time

[KazzyK810]

I've always schedule fed a puppy, as it aids in potty training.

Is there any way you could change the morning feeding time to earlier, and push back the evening feeding time?

My ZoE will be three in December & she still eats 3 times a day at roughly, 6:30am, 4pm, & 11pm. By spreading it out like that, she's ready to eat at each meal, it keeps her blood sugars level and it stops her from vomiting bile.

[monet91]

I guess I can push his meals back but usually I work work night shifts in at 11 & off by 730 am that's why I do 8am 1pm & 6pm do they seem to be to close in time I was told from the breeder try to get a meal in every 3-4 hours I stretched it out to 5 hours ..how big is Zoe ? nino is 4 lbs & 7 oz at almost 12 weeks doctor said not to over feed him you don't want him over weight but if you can feed him 3 meals up into 6 months but if he's not eating 3 full meals make sure he has atleast 2