"Mommy, Where's My Dinner"?

[Stitches29]

Just a quick question. Maggie, at only 4 months old, really has never enjoyed eating breakfast. My husband and I get up at 5AM. She gets up at 7AM, goes to PP and Poo outside, then it's on to her pallet in the den, for a morning nap until 11AM. She prefers to start eating about 4PM until bedtime at 9PM. I finally have resorted to "Free Feed". Is this the best method? Does anybody have a "No Breakfast, Sleepy Head", baby?

[red98vett]

I WISH !! When Chanel was a tiny baby - she woke me up every morning with kisses and toys in her mouth.....now - I get woken up at 5 am for the Big Toad Hunt - All three are up - then it's breakfast, playtime - then a nap..... and by that time - I've already been up for hours and there's no way to go back to sleep so I stay on the computer.

I free feed also and have never considered a different way - they get what they want when they want it -

[Julie1]

Mollie Retreiver has breakfast lunch dinner every day but Duncan Yorkie has only 2 meals usually sometimes he refuses breakfast and sometimes lunch. It's not something to worry about if they are happy and healthy.

[luzangela428]

Originally Posted by red98vett

I WISH !! When Chanel was a tiny baby - she woke me up every morning with kisses and toys in her mouth.....now - I get woken up at 5 am for the Big Toad Hunt - All three are up - then it's breakfast, playtime - then a nap..... and by that time - I've already been up for hours and there's no way to go back to sleep so I stay on the computer.

I free feed also and have never considered a different way - they get what they want when they want it -

I'm with you Villette..Maximus wakes up at 5:48 which means I am forced to wake up..or I will get doggy tongue stuck in my nose, ears and eyes until I get up..I put out breakfast which he eats in about 3 minutes flat along with new water..I then brush his teeth/hair and play with him till about 9:30 at which time he gets some fruit and I have something to eat..at 12:30 he gets lunch and I give him a vegetable 30 minutes later....at 6:00 he gets dinner plus a vegetable and some fruit...along the day he gets treats and thats about it..HE LOVES TO EAT....vet said I probably feed him too much but he's healthy and happy

[eensor]

5:48! LOL Not 5:47 or 5:49...but 5:48! These little ones are amazing!

[luzangela428]

Yeah the vet doesn't believe me, he said I MUST BE DOING SOMETHING at that time that wakes him up...(yeah I would purposely wake up at 5:48..doesn't everyone????) he said dogs can't sense time...but I turn to the clcok next to the bed when I feel him getting ready to lick my face and it says 5:48 AM...grrrrrrrrr!!!!! I am no longer a nice person..lol

[natalie]

Jeez, that's early!!
Fred wakes up when the sun rises. So, if the sun decides to rise at 6:48 and it seeps through our blinds.. he'll be up at 6:49 barking away!
I think I should be keeping him on a feeding schedule but I just can't do it. I can't doggy-talk and know what he wants or when he wants it and I would be heartbroken if Fred was hungry and I didn't leave any food down for him to eat. I wouldn't want to be on a strict schedule. I eat whatever I want when I want it and I want Fred to have the same courtesy. I think thats why it's so hard to potty train him!

[luzangela428]

Maximus us such a porker..I think he would eat everything if I left food out..lol..I have a reoccuring nightmare that somehow Maximus makes it over his gate and into the 16lb. bag of food on the other side and when I get home there are a few kibbles scattered around and he is lying on his back with a BIG belly like Garfield next to an empty back...premonition????..lol..my vet says he eats like a hoover vaccuum..no chewing he just inhales the food and it's really true..lol

[miezzi]

Luig is alot like yours!!! He will sleep in til noon- we go to bed around 11 or midnight! My hubby will wake up for work around 7 am and Luig doesnt budge!!! I will get up around 10 am or so and I have to drag him out of bed. We go outside-- I swear he's half asleep when he does his business,-come in and I feed him and he just picks at his food!!! Then he goes back to bed while I shower and get ready for work!!! He eats his main meal when we get home from work!!!! I really don't get it!!!

[eensor]

Originally Posted by luzangela428

Yeah the vet doesn't believe me, he said I MUST BE DOING SOMETHING at that time that wakes him up...(yeah I would purposely wake up at 5:48..doesn't everyone????) he said dogs can't sense time...but I turn to the clcok next to the bed when I feel him getting ready to lick my face and it says 5:48 AM...grrrrrrrrr!!!!! I am no longer a nice person..lol

I think your vet is wrong! We had a beagle when I was a child who went on a neighborhood food mission every night at exactly 6:00! You could set your watch by him! we never did know who was sharingh their supper with him!

[Meg]

5:48!?!? that is the funniest thing I have ever heard.

Keeley is a late sleeper compared to some of your pups. He sleeps until like 10:00. Even on the nights he sleeps with us. He'll just sleep and sleep and act all put out when we talk and get up. He'll look up at us and then kind of get this little "umph" sound and turn to get more comfortable. It's so funny.

After we had a scary hypoglycemia incident, I leave food available to him all the time, I think he sneaks some in when he wakes up and we don't even notice. But I figure he knows when he need to eat and if he does he'll go get it. Maybe when he is older and more predictable I'll start feeding him on a schedule, but right now I just let him follow his stomach.

[Passionfruition]

DARN! I just wrote this huge response to this - and then the site went down and I had to force quit the window. Grr. Ok let me see if I can type this again...

Sully is NOT a "morning dog"!

He is the funniest thing in the morning! When my alarm goes off, I wake up and have to kindly pet him and scratch his belly to wake hiim up! He yawns, makes that cute little squeak when he yawns (do yours do that?)

After he jumps down from the bed, he stretches his backlegs by leaning forward and walking a couple steps on his front legs with back legs dragging. Then he stretches his front by doing the "take a bow" stance. (It's so cute!)

Then I take him outside, he pees, and comes back inside for 10 minutes before going out to poop. Who knows why, but I guess it takes his bowels longer to wake up, haha!

If he eats at ALL in the mornings, it's only a couple bites. He will eat a decent late lunch and always likes a huge dinner! I'm not worried about him, I mean, he's very healthy and eats plenty (and we feed him the best food available).

He's just such a funny little morning guy! He even gets "bed-head" worse than my husband does! LOL

[leximax]

My alarm goes off at 6am but Lexi & Max don't bother to move.They just lay there until daddy gets up & goes in the bathroom then they reluctantly come downstairs all sleepy eyed like "What is wrong with you guys? Don't you know its too early to get up!" Breakfast is something they just aren't interested in either! When I was sick last year Lexi stayed in bed with me all day!

[SoCalyorkiLvr]

Lucky for me, Hefner is a sleeper too! he will sleep until 10 or 11 am if he's allowed. He doesn't eat until about 10 or so. He also goes to bed before I do. I stay up pretty late some nights byt he goes to bed when my daughter does at about 9:30 or so.

Chai, geta up a litte earlier and will eay any time of the day. She has a high energy level and can go go go.

They are all different just like people.

[lovmyyorkie]

Melissa gets up with whoever gets up first, goes outside to pee and runs back to bed. When she was a pup she didn't eat early, so she would cover her food for later.

Buffy is not a morning doggie at all, sometimes I carry her from the bed to the car to take hubby to work because she does not want to get up. In the car she'll just keep on sleeping. As far as eatting she eats anytime without a problem and than takes a 1 to 2 hour nap.

Weekends we all sleep til 10 or 11.