How many times a day did/do you feed your puppy?

[Christiansmommy]

Originally, Dale was a little on the skinny side, so i had been blending his dry food with water to make it more "puppy teeth friendly" and more appealing to him (suggested by breeder), and eventually stopped that, and now i just am adding water to the dry food, and then i will do just dry. But my question is...how many times a day do you feed a puppy and for how long? I am doing 3 times a day right now...but am thinking about going to 2 times a day...(just larger quanities of food at each serving.) I guess this could depend on breed size and how much the dog is able to eat.

I know i have heard it is easier with housebreaking to do just twice a day, and that is what i will eventually do when he is grown, but i was just curious about what you all did, when you had your puppies.

Thanks.

I will post pics later on Dale (he has gained 4 lbs in the 2 weeks that we have had him...looks much bigger ) He is an awesome dog...i LOVE this breed....so great with Christian and great around the cats!

[Kfamr]

I feel Nala two cups in the morning, two cups around 5 or 6.

She gained 15 lbs the first week we had her.

[ParNone]

Hi Christiansmommy!

Can't wait to see new pics of Dale!

I fed Oz 3 times a day, up until about 13 weeks old, then I went
to 2 times. I still feed him twice a day, but he really only eats
at one of the meals. Just nibbles a little at the other one. I feel
like he should eat more, but the agility instructor told me he was
the perfect weight, so I guess I'll trust that he knows when he's
hungry.

Par...

[Christiansmommy]

Originally posted by Kfamr
I feel Nala two cups in the morning, two cups around 5 or 6.

She gained 15 lbs the first week we had her.

WOW!! 15 lbs the first week!! That is over 2 lbs a day!!

[binka_nugget]

Originally, I fed kai 3 times a day. Once in the morning, after school and around 6. He barely ate any from the second and last meal. Now, I feed one in the morning and one around 7 or so. Sometimes I'll give him an egg or some fruits/veggies if he gobbled up his breakfast and seems to be hungry still.

[KYS]

I also fed my pups 3 times a day until
they reached 6 months of age..
After 6 months, I cut them back to 2 meals a day.
I also mixed their puppy food with healthy
adult food that is easy on their tummy's.
I only used the puppy dry food instructions
as a guide, on the amount to feed.
Simply, if puppy gets to tubby, cut down on food, if
to thin feed them more.

I also switched to a adult dog food at 10-11 months of age
or fed a puppy kibble made for large size puppies.


Some pictures please.

[pitc9]

It all depends on the dog itself, the breed, the age, etc..
When I got both of mine, they were skin and bones, so I kept food in the bowls at all times. So I never got either of them on an eating schedule. (I know I should!!) But even with food in there bowls all the times, they only go to the bowl and eat twice a day, in the AM when I'm getting ready for work, and in the evening when were winding down watching TV.

[GoldenRetrLuver]

When we first got Daisy, we fed her 3 times a day, 1 cup in the morning, 1 in the afternoon and 1 at dinner time. With Molly, she was almost 5 months old when we got her, so we fed her 2 times a day, 1.5 cups in the morning and 1 cup around 5. Now, they get 2 cups a day, 1 in the morning and 1 at night.

[tatsxxx11]

Sounds like my formula is similar to a lot of my pals! Star's breeder sent me home with very detailed feeding instructions when I brought her home and he insited that I follow them. She was 7 weeks old. For the first 6 months, she was fed large breed puppy formula, 3x per day..1 cp. per meal. Growing puppies actually require a higher calorie/nutrient content per meal that adults but at the same time, their immature digestive tracts cannot easily digest too large a volume at one feeding, hence the 3x per day schedule. After 6 months of age, her food was mixed 1/2 puppy formiula, 1/2 adult and she was started on two feedings per day, 1 1/2 cps. morning and evening. At 1 year, she was on adult only, 1 1/2 cps. 2 x per day. Hope this helps! Hugs to Dale!!

[Foam]

I feed Darlin 2 times a day. She gets Breakfast and dinner. All though she gets lots of little snacks in between.

[Rachel]

Originally posted by KYS
I also fed my pups 3 times a day until
they reached 6 months of age..
After 6 months, I cut them back to 2 meals a day.

Boy, it's been 8 years since I had a puppy, but that is what I've always done as well.

My Vet used to say if their bowels are loose then you are feeding too much. A guide to the appropriate amount of food is a nice firm stool.

One thing though is that you have a really large breed dog whose nutritional needs may be quite different from those of our smaller breeds. In your case I would rely more on what the breed books may instruct as well as your vet. Another thing I have heard about very large breed is that you have to be careful with the amount of strenuous exercise they get as they grow.

[kingrattus]

Oh man, its been almost 9 yrs since Max was a pup, I was 11, hmmm I know we let him eat as much as he wanted when we first got him, then it went to 2 feedings/day & its been 1 feeding from there on. Max is about 70-80 pounds & he eats about 3 cups/day. We feed him Nutro & that food produces little waste, so he poops once aday & pees about 2-3 times aday. With Max we don't have to deal with him wanting to go outside every 5 mins for a pee or a poo, like the 2 annoying dogs here do.

[cloverfdx]

with theodore (chihuahua) we fed ALOT of small meals often and that seemed to work with him, but id say feeding a puppy of dale's breeding would be alot different than feeding a chihuahua puppy.

with clover (now nearly 5 yrs old) we fed about 3-4 small meals, breakfast,lunch, dinner and a snack if she woke up hungry during the night.

ohhh now this will be testing my memory abit , with penny (now nearly 6 yrs) being one of our first ever dogs she pretty much ate when she wanted to and that was not very often.

[denver83tet]

I fed my pups 3 times a day. Now that they are older, I leave their bowls full, they are very good at not overeating.

[Kfamr]

Originally posted by Christiansmommy
WOW!! 15 lbs the first week!! That is over 2 lbs a day!!

Yup! It may have been a day over or a day short of a week. We got her on a Friday and late in the next week we took her to her first vet visit. She had weighed 13-15 lbs when we got her then when we took her to the vet she weighed 28-30 lbs.