My little Beagle is five and a half months old and weighs about 18 lbs (it's no easy task weighing a puppy that's constantly wriggling on a pair of dodgy bathroom scales 😁).
I'm feeding her Purizon Puppy chicken and fish dry food, about 220 to 240g a day.
I was feeding her three meals a day, but she doesn't have much of an appetite in the morning or at lunchtime, and it was taking her at least an hour to finish her bowl. At 8 am she'd rather sleep, and at 1 pm and 8 pm she just wants to play. On top of that, she's regularly having a poo at 4 am.
I'm trying to switch her to two meals a day, but I'm not sure what times to feed her to shift that night-time accident to before bedtime. We actually had it sorted for a while; she used to go in the morning, around 5:30 pm, and then again at about 10:30 pm when she was on three meals.
I should add that even with two meals she still eats very little in the morning, but she absolutely wolfs down her food at 7 pm.
So, should I stick with two or three meals? At what times? And how long should I leave the bowl down for?
Have a lovely day!
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As I mentioned, it might just be a habit she's picked up.
Take the puppy pad away at night.
If she has an accident during the night, clean it up with white vinegar. If you can manage it, take her out once during the night... pushing the time back by 10, 15 or 20 minutes each time until you hit your normal morning walk time. Obviously, keep within her limits so she stays comfortable.
That’s only if you’re able to get outside, though.
If you can't, then don't worry about it, just clean it up.
If she’s got used to going on the pad, you need to get rid of that association, even if it means things are a bit messy for a few nights... To help her, try making the last walk before bed later, say 11pm... then gradually move it back to 10:30pm, 10pm... depending on how she progresses overnight.
Hi there, you can just hop on the scales while holding her and then subtract your weight from the total. As for the pooing at night, I think that’s more to do with house-training than her meal times.
She uses a puppy pad (it’s a wooden floor) in my daughter’s bedroom, as that's where she sleeps in her bed.
She’s very food-motivated with everything except her kibble in the morning. Mind you, when I feed her at 8 am and 6:30 pm, she usually eats it all in one go.
This morning it took her at least 30 minutes.
We go for a long walk in the late afternoon with some training exercises (using treats), and at lunchtime it’s more about indoor and outdoor play. We also go to training classes at a club on Saturday mornings.
Um, I just wanted to mention that meal portions also need to be adjusted based on their daily physical and mental activity. This is to avoid them getting overweight or having a puppy that just scoffs its food... 😉 Any treats or chews will also need to be factored in.
Hi. Personally, I think two meals a day is fine, especially if she isn’t eating much in the morning... Why not try feeding her between 1pm and 2pm, and then again in the evening around 9.30pm or even 10pm? That gives her plenty of time to digest.
You could also try a lighter portion for the first meal and a larger one in the evening. I only suggest that because she doesn't seem to eat much during the day...
Is she getting plenty of exercise? Running about, playing with other dogs? Training sessions and games with you?
That really helps build up an appetite.
Doing a few minutes of training before her meal is also a good way to motivate her; it makes the meal feel more rewarding, and she’ll be happy to tuck in.
Just try to avoid getting her too hyper immediately before or after, to help her digestion.
Where is she doing her business at night?
I’m not a fan of strict schedules myself, so I don’t use them. I wonder if yours has just got into a bit of a habit? Sometimes just changing a few little details, and not necessarily the meal times themselves, can make all the difference...
