As the title says, for practical reasons (managing our walks), I'd like to move from three to two meals a day with my puppy, who will be 7 and a half months old soon.
Up until now, he's been eating before his walks and we've been waiting at least a good half hour before heading out, plus about ten minutes of walking on the lead just to give him a bit more time to digest without any frantic running around.
He has a massive appetite, so I'm not sure he'll cope with going the whole day without anything to eat, especially as we go for 'long' walks morning, noon, and night, so I was wondering:
- should I skip the lunchtime walk (just a quick toilet break and 5 minutes of fresh air instead) and make the morning and evening ones longer instead?
I tried it for the first time today and he seemed starving all afternoon. 🤦 But maybe it's a bit too soon to tell?
- is there a specific age when it's easier to switch from three to two meals?
- is it better to do it gradually, for example by reducing the lunchtime meal over a week so he adapts more easily?
- has anyone tried reducing the number of meals and then ended up going back to three, and if so, for what reasons?
Thanks for any advice! ;)
Translated from French
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I was asking because I’ve heard about bloat in some of the larger breeds.
I’ve got a Jack Russell; I used to give her three meals a day when she was a pup, but we switched to two meals a day when she turned six months old and I went back to work—so there was no one in at lunchtime to give her her bowl.
I found a dog walker for her every day, but on the days when she’d go for a car ride to the woods for a walk with other dogs instead of just her usual morning walk on the lead, I was told she was throwing up her breakfast (even though she’d had it at 6:30 am).
So now, I still feed her at 6:00 or 6:30 am, but I give her a lighter portion (about half an ounce less) before the walker comes by around half 9 or 10. Then she gets the main part for an early dinner at 6 pm. It’s the same for my other pooch, who’s a hound cross.
We stick to this routine when I’m home to take them out too—so a light breakfast before going out around 10 am for an hour-and-a-half lead walk, plus Saturdays and Sundays when they can have a proper run, and then dinner at 6 pm before their last walk at half 9.
For the first three days, she found it a bit strange not having anything at midday; she kept hovering around me, but you just have to tell her no.
I do cheat a bit, though; most of the time I’m at home, and at the weekend I give my pair some dried chicken strips at lunchtime.
But when they’re being looked after by friends, or the dog walker for a weekend, or if we go away, they manage perfectly fine without their midday treat. I mean, they pester you for a bit, but after five minutes they’re so tired from their morning walk that they just go for a snooze... right until the late afternoon walk. By the time they get back from that, they’re absolutely famished... just like me!
And finally, regarding bones, I’ll let the experts give you proper advice, but never any cooked bones. Use a large, raw meaty bone suited to the dog's size—it shouldn't be something they’d try to gulp down or get their jaw stuck in. Also, be careful with marrow bones, they’re a total calorie bomb. Someone once gave me a marrow bone that had been split lengthways, which was brilliant because my Jack could get to the marrow easily and clean her teeth at the same time.
Another idea: maybe you could give a little marrow bone at lunch? Something to gnaw on to satisfy his mouth more than his stomach, really.
Actually, I was just wondering about that, but I’ve got another probably silly question: aren’t chew bones a bit too fatty? In terms of calories, how many are we talking about, if there's any way to tell? I’ve bought them a few times (different types of bones, not necessarily marrow bones—I don't think I've actually tried those yet). There’s so much choice and some of them looked quite fatty to me, but I'm not sure about marrow bones specifically?
I forgot to mention that I gave it a try today, but we did our midday walk and he seemed absolutely ravenous afterwards. That’s why I was wondering about making the morning and evening walks longer and cutting out the midday one (apart from a quick toilet break, obviously).
Lorna, were you looking to change things just as a bit of a test, for no particular reason?
Anyway, I wish I was in your shoes! The walks must be so much easier to manage, and if she isn't particularly food-motivated, she probably doesn't spend the whole time with her nose glued to the ground like mine does 🙄
@Gabyn, my dog is a bit of a mixed breed (he’s neutered, by the way). He’s mostly Belgian Shepherd—a Tervuren, by the looks of it—and then a mix of gundog and Beauceron. People who "know their stuff" often reckon there’s some Border Collie in there too.
He’s still pretty high-energy, at least when we’re out. He’s very lively and playful outdoors, so he gets to burn off plenty of steam, but he’s fairly chilled at home without being completely "switched off".
I’m actually in the opposite boat! :-)
I tried switching back to two meals a day to see if it made any difference, but my girl couldn’t care less, apparently. She’s not exactly food-obsessed; she’ll eat when she’s genuinely hungry, but otherwise, she just gets on with her day.
I’ve been doing one meal a day since... I can't quite remember how old she was, just under a year, I think.
