Am I Starving My Puppy?

[Guest]

hey people,

i finally got my little shiba man, but he always seems hungry... his on Advanced Puppy Plus and he gets that 4 times a day.. but she is always sniffing around for more??

am i not feeding him enough???

[missmoo]

how much are you feeding each meal?

[becks]

Some dogs always want more. So long as the pup is wormed, has a good covering over the ribs (but still able to feel them) then the pup is doing OK

[poodlefan]

Does he look like a toast rack? If he doesn't he's probably getting enough.

If you can feel his ribs pressing your hands lightly on his ribcage he's probably about right. You shouldn't be able to feel his spine or hips that easily.

If you're really concerned, take him to the vet for a weigh in an monitor his weight gain from there.

[Guest]

hey went to visit the vet yesterday and he said that everything is fine and his healthy.

i give him about a 1/4 cup of the puppy plus 4 times a day plus some puppy milk in between.

[Genabee]

Does he look like a toast rack? If he doesn't he's probably getting enough.

:D

I have a hoover for a dog. She is always hungry. She will do anything for food!! And always does a walk past her dog bowl o see if it has miraculously refilled itself .

Correct me if I am wrong, but dogs don't know when they are full (they don't get the same sensation that we do as humans), so they keep going until there is no more! Which is why it is important that we watch what they eat, otherwise they end up little fatties.

Use it to your advantage - do some training with puppy and reward with a 'treat' (I just use her normal kibble) for good behaviour and a job well done! I wouldn't do it too sparatically though otherwise it is hard to monitor toilet habits! If you have the time, feed meals by way of training. This way you can exhaust pup a bit too!

[Guest]

yeah they puppy training is interesting, he can smell the treat and just goes nuts and wont listen.. grrr

[wuffles]

Mine would both eat until they popped.

[Jaxx'sBuddy]

yeah they puppy training is interesting, he can smell the treat and just goes nuts and wont listen.. grrr

the first thing i taught my puppy was to look at the treat and sit calmly and look at me not the treat. as soon as she looked at me i gave her the treat. be patient and make sure as soon as she even looks quickly at you you treat her.

then once she was reliable at looking at me all the time i put a command to the behaviour i used "look at me"

this got her to be patient and behave when she saw a treat.

[poodlefan]

I don't mind seeing slightly ribby pups. It's better for them than being porkers.

With some breeds, "slightly ribby" is almost inevitable anyway if they aren't too fat.

Edited August 18, 2010 by poodlefan

[Guest]

humm thanks for the tips peeps.. ive been trying to gett Ike to sit carmly before every meal.. but he still goes totally mental!

[persephone]

hey, spazzz9 maybe try THIS with your puppy at mealtimes? That way he WILL learn to look to you before eating

[Guest]

thanks persephone ill give anything a crack!

[Genabee]

I used to put Genevieve on the lead and make her sit and wait before eating, then when she was calm I would let her off the lead to eat. I only had to use the lead for about three days. I then added in other things (like high five, touch etc). Now I make her lie down and stay - something she hates to do! But she is getting it! If she got stroppy and just wouldn't do it, I would put her food back up on the bench and walk away. I would try again three minutes later and she would do it first time. Worked a treat!

They soon work out they won't get their food until they behave!

[Jaxx'sBuddy]

hey, spazzz9 maybe try THIS with your puppy at mealtimes? That way he WILL learn to look to you before eating

x2 this is what i used to great effect

[koalathebear]

My puppy seems to be part labrador given his eating habits. He is NEVER full but we have been able to make him wait for his meals. We also bought him a Tucker Ball which slows him down a little - otherwise he'd just vacuum the food away

[Genabee]

I also discovered a new toy on my trip to the pet shop... it is like a water bottle, with a rubber stopper and a rope on the end. Basically they have to pull the rope back and forth to release kibble. That has been great at slowing her down! I went in looking for the tucker ball (on Koala's suggestion), but this shop didn't have any and I needed something to take away with me. Back to the online store for the tucker ball...

[becks]

I don't mind seeing slightly ribby pups. It's better for them than being porkers.

With some breeds, "slightly ribby" is almost inevitable anyway if they aren't too fat.

I'm the opposite, I like them a little tubby when babies, so they have some reserves if they are ill, they soon loose it as they grow.

[aussielover]

I really want to get one of those bob-a-lot things. they look fun!!!

I prefer pups up to 12 weeks to be a bit "roly-poly", after that tough, most pups really slim down.

my puppy was the fattest thing ever at 8 weeks, and is now a good weight, bordering on slim.

[luvsdogs]

I don't mind seeing slightly ribby pups. It's better for them than being porkers.

With some breeds, "slightly ribby" is almost inevitable anyway if they aren't too fat.

I'm the opposite, I like them a little tubby when babies, so they have some reserves if they are ill, they soon loose it as they grow.

Not a good thing for large/giant breed puppies. It puts too much strain on their growing bones & joints. As Dr Ian Billinghurst says, 'grow your pups slowly'.