Quote:
Originally Posted by Patti  My 3 are all on scheduled feedings and due to my pom being sick with Cushing's ever since I had Pixie and Roxie they all got use to being fed 3-4 times a day including one during the middle of the night and one at 5 am. Since Maya's passing I had hoped that I could get them on to a schedule where they would eat around 7 am then 4pm and then a tiny meal at night. Pixie has been driving me crazy at night with wanting to still eat at 1 or 1:30 am and then gets me up at 5am again. I try and ignore her but she just keeps bugging me and barking. They get fed at 10pm and she still wants to eat again 3 hours later and then again at 5. They are eating California Natural canned and I know they are eating enough as they are all a bit chubby. So I have 2 questions, will they feel full longer if I feed them the CN kibble? I bought some and they love it. And 2, is it possible to get them to free feed without them pigging out and eating the who;e bowl of kibble. I would love to just be able to leave out bowls of kibble and not have to worry about getting up and feeding them. I appreciate any input. I know they are spoiled!!!!! |
Whoa!
I've
never heard of dogs wanting to be fed 2-3 times in the middle of the night. No offense, lol.
I would put a stop to that immediately. That's just nuts.
How much exercise do they get during the day? Exercise makes them hungry... so take them for a nice, brisk walk in the morning (if possible! if not, at least a 30min-1 hour walk a day at some point) and when you get back, feed them their kibble mixed in with some of the wet food. That could start your morning schedule. Make them work for their food! Make them sit before placing the bowl down. Don't just cater to them when they're whining in the middle of the night. Plus, doesn't that make for an awkward potty schedule?
All I know is I would never in a million years be waking up in the middle of the night for my dogs to be fed. You've already created a bad habit so it's going to be more difficult to break. Ignore them in the middle of the night! If that doesn't work ... take action. I would use coins in a can and shake it whenever they whine or bark for food. Or use a spray bottle and do a quick squirt at them to get them to stop the whining. I usually would suggest simply ignoring but at this point, it sounds like that may not work great.
I personally give Jackson his breakfast every morning by filling up his bowl with kibble. Usually, every other morning, he gets wet food mixed in as a "treat." Then, I fill up the bowl w/ kibble and just leave it out for the rest of the day. He goes over and snacks every now and then. The kibble is usually gone by 7pm and it stays empty until morning time again. So he's sort of free fed and he never over eats. If, for some reason, they are scarfing down their food... just don't put as much in the bowl. I put the recommend feeding per the back of the bag of dog food and put that in Jackson's bowl so I know he's not eating more than he should.