Starving my dog? Okay, so this did not used to be a problem with Milo when we first got him, but Milo is now 13 weeks old and is starting to eat much more than is suggested by anything I have read. I have been just feeding whenever he eats "The Kibble". Which is a single kibble I place on his bedding area, which I use as a signal to feed him whenever I notice it disappears, which has been a perfect indication of when he gets hungry, because timing his feedings felt like a waste of time, because my schedule was not his schedule apparently. However, when he initiated feeding, I would feed him until he stopped eating. However, now that I know he was eating too much, I am limiting his intake, and I feel so bad because he sticks his face in his bowl when he eats everything and then stares at me like I just hit him...or maybe that part is in my head...lol. Either way, should I feed my dog according to his appetite, or should I continue to limit his intake? |
How much is a lot? Has he been dewormed? |
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I'm confused about how you are feeding him 1 piece at a time, and from my understanding of what you've said, this isn't a good way. Three cups of dog food over what period of time? This does sound like an excessive amount, but how much does Milo weigh? They go through growth periods, and some days can eat a massive amount and the next day be hardly hungry. You should not withhold food the brain is developing during this period and they should never get overly hungry, you might make them even more food obsessive. What kind of food are you feeding him? Joeys breeder believed puppies should have food available 24/7 until they are around 7 months, and I filled his bowl several times a day. This way the never have periods of hypoglycemia. One of the symptoms of hypoglycemia is lack of appetite and if you go too long without feeding they will not have a appetite and won’t eat, and this can turn dangerous. By the way, dogs will eat more if you hand feed them; I'm not sure if that was what you're doing, but most Yorkie puppiescan only eat a small amount at one time, that why you have food available all the time. |
He is a growing pup & needs to eat often so I would not hold back food unless it is causing him a problem like vomiting from over eating. |
Abby was not getting enough food when I got her and her poop indicated that. I fed her a very good quality food often til she started to catch up- (4 times a day 1/3 cup offered at each meal, )Now at 8 months she eats 1/4 cup twice a day- she weighs 6 lbs. |
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That sounds like a good plan. To the OP, just for your information, you will not keep him small by underfeeding him, but you could make his brain development slower and also his bones and teeth weaker, but this isn't a good way to keep him small. I'm not saying you are doing this, but some people have tried this before. |
Sounds like you were smart to find a way to limit his feeding -- 3 cups a day (plus treats) is what my 92 pound Chesapeake Bay retriever eats. For my Yorkies, I'm more on the level that ritapat serves -- 1/4 cup twice a day as adults. I'm an advocate of regular feedings twice a day -- at times that fit your schedule. The pup will adjust, and it will be easier on him when you're not there when he decides he's hungry. I just love how they know when suppertime is and demolish their food. And I love that they don't harass me at other times of the day for food (other than treats ;) ) Others have had good luck with free feeding -- leaving a bowl out all day and letting them decide when they want to eat. I can't do that because I have multiple dogs. If you do decide to do that, make sure you're not leaving more out than you want him to eat. Good luck! |
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I am confused, so about three cups daily is fine? And yes I feed him both ways, I hand feed him, more for training purposes, and usually one of his feedings is straight from a bowl, depending on how busy I am, hand feeding takes a while the way he eats... I just don't want him to be fat and have his Vet looking at me like I suck at raising a dog. He was weighed about a week ago at his last vet visit, they said he was 2.8 pounds, which sounds fine to me, but I just want to make sure I feed him the right amount now. I rather prevent the problem now of there is one, rather than starving a fat dog down the road. |
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I do want to say again, that at 13 weeks you don't want to deprive them of food, and sometimes a loss of appetite can ocur even when they need food desperately, that's why you should have food down all the time, or at least regular feedings 4 times a day, at that age. |
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Okay, that is exactly what I thought, I was trying to think back to where he started eating more, and it was back when I started using his feeding times to train him, instead of just putting food in a bowl. So the introduced hand feedings probably need to stop until I guess he gets older? I guess it is too early to make him work for it, especially if he going to become a pig. |
If your 13 week old dog is eating 3 cups of food a day, I'd take him to the vet, something is wrong. Are you absolutely sure about this? Dogs will eat too much fresh food, but they generally will not eat too much kibble unless something is wrong. |
Is there anything that is not fattening that I can train him with? I just always thought all his treats were way too fattening, so that is why I decided his kibble was better training option. |
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