# Feeding schedule



## Littleflower (Aug 8, 2021)

Hi, I am not only a new member but am a the proud and happy new mommy to two adorable puppies! Baylee is 11 weeks and Monique is 12 weeks. The breeder told me to free feed them but everything I am reading says to feed three meals a day. I am keeping them in a exercise pen in my bedroom at night. I am really anxious to crate train them and have them sleep in their crate at night but cant if they have food around the clock because they have to use the litterbox throughout the night! Wondering what everybody here suggests? Free feed or scheduled feeding?


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## Basil_the_Spoo (Sep 1, 2020)

Try both and see what works best for you.

Basi (spoo)l wasn't eating what the vet suggested as a pup (1 cup 3x daily lol) because that's a ton of food. So, I just left the food out for her and we've been free feeding ever since. 

Two puppies... You signed up to have your hands full that's for sure.


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## cowpony (Dec 30, 2009)

Are your pups toys or a larger variety? Toys are prone to drops in blood sugar, so I would err on the side of more frequent feedings.

My first two spoos got semi-free fed. I set food down four times a day when they were puppies. However, I left the bowls down so they could go back and snack on anything they didn't eat. Once they stopped growing I changed to two meals a day. Again, they had constant access to their food bowls, so they could go back later if they didn't finish their meals immediately.

I had to stop the free feeding with my two most recent puppies because my cat is greedy and ballooned up to 20 pounds on the puppy food buffet. I offered food 4 times a day initially and then cut back to 3 times a day when they got older. I've never had a problem with feeding late at night. My young puppies needed to pee in the middle of the night no matter when they last ate, and the older puppies would make it through the night if I got them out at 9:30 or 10.


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## Littleflower (Aug 8, 2021)

They are both toys. Yes, I give Nutrical once a day to keep their sugar level okay. Okay, I will free feed till they a bit older and then see how they do with the three x a day feeding. I sure dont want them to not get enough nutrients!


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## Skylar (Jul 29, 2016)

I have a minipoo puppy who is 7 months now.

When he came home I fed him in the morning around 6 am, noonish, 5 pm and an 8 pm evening snack consisting of a filled Kong and a separate ball that dispensed kibble. Around 5 months he stopped eating the noon meal.

When feeding meals on a schedule you can take them to potty after each meal. It makes training easier.

There is a good reason why you probably should feed separate meals and not free feed your dogs. If you keep each dog separate and give them food on a schedule you will know how much each is eating. It will allow you to stay on top of things if one dog changes their eating pattern. It may be the first sign one is ill. If both dogs are free feeding from the same general area you won’t know what each is doing. 

I would ask your vet how many meals they need and to suggest how to spread them out in a day.


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## Littleflower (Aug 8, 2021)

Thank you, Skylar, I hadn't thought of the separate feeding. Monique is a week older and hogs the food dish and Baylee eats after her so it is hard to make sure they get the right amount. I will start feeding them separate! Before getting them, I had thought scheduled feeding would make housebreaking easier. But the breeder started them on the litterbox and they both use it very well now so I don't have the problem of keeping an eye on them after eating. But it would help with being in a crate at night.


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## runnynose (Aug 9, 2021)

When he was still a pup we also feed him 3 times a day but we would not leave the food on the bowl where they could easily access it (just so they won't smell it regularly and crave for it). As weeks passed, we noticed he's not that interested in eating at noon and he would just eat 2x a day which is not really a concern as long as the amount is stll the same (enough for their body).


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## Skylar (Jul 29, 2016)

Littleflower said:


> Thank you, Skylar, I hadn't thought of the separate feeding. Monique is a week older and hogs the food dish and Baylee eats after her so it is hard to make sure they get the right amount. I will start feeding them separate! Before getting them, I had thought scheduled feeding would make housebreaking easier. But the breeder started them on the litterbox and they both use it very well now so I don't have the problem of keeping an eye on them after eating. But it would help with being in a crate at night.


One way to encourage your dogs to like their crates is to feed them in it….. solves two problems, keeping them eating their own food and part of crate training. If they aren’t crate trained yet, keep the doors open but with food and dogs inside their own crate. When they are done eating they can easily leave the crate.


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## 94Magna_Tom (Feb 23, 2021)

Just wondering. I'm sure at just under 6 months (Elroy) I don't have to think about this yet, but is there a definitive reason to switch from feeding 3x to 2x a day as your dog gets older? Is this really done for the humans convenience or is there a doggy reason? Or, do they usually decide and just skip a meal on their own? If you're going to, when do you switch to 2x/day?


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## Skylar (Jul 29, 2016)

94Magna_Tom said:


> Just wondering. I'm sure at just under 6 months (Elroy) I don't have to think about this yet, but is there a definitive reason to switch from feeding 3x to 2x a day as your dog gets older? Is this really done for the humans convenience or is there a doggy reason? Or, do they usually decide and just skip a meal on their own? If you're going to, when do you switch to 2x/day?


Dogs have preferences and people have them too. 

In my case I was traveling when Theo was 6 months old, and it would be more convenient to have no noon feeding. However Theo himself stopped eating the noon meal on his own at 5 months, it turned out to be his decision and not mine. I have many friends who only feed their dog once a day. I feed twice with an evening snack. One friend has a dog that will only eat in the middle of the night, he never sees his dog eating but the bowl is empty in the morning.

I would follow Elroy’s cue. At some point puppy growth slows down and they don’t need to eat as much. There’s the growing larger/taller early puppy phase followed by growing more muscle as they fully mature into adulthood.


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## twyla (Apr 28, 2010)

littles should be fed 3-4 times a day, I went to 2x daily at 6 months


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## cowpony (Dec 30, 2009)

94Magna_Tom said:


> Just wondering. I'm sure at just under 6 months (Elroy) I don't have to think about this yet, but is there a definitive reason to switch from feeding 3x to 2x a day as your dog gets older? Is this really done for the humans convenience or is there a doggy reason? Or, do they usually decide and just skip a meal on their own? If you're going to, when do you switch to 2x/day?


My guys have shown me when they need their feeding schedule adjusted. Usually what happens is they start ignoring breakfast until around 11 AM. That's my signal to switch from 4 meals a day to 3. Later on they may start ignoring supper in favor of a bedtime snack. I may push supper later, from 5 PM to 7 or 8, and combine it with the bedtime snack by just leaving it out for them to graze on. Galen, especially, seems to enjoy having something available as a midnight snack.


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## Rose n Poos (Sep 22, 2017)

94Magna_Tom said:


> Just wondering. I'm sure at just under 6 months (Elroy) I don't have to think about this yet, but is there a definitive reason to switch from feeding 3x to 2x a day as your dog gets older? Is this really done for the humans convenience or is there a doggy reason? Or, do they usually decide and just skip a meal on their own? If you're going to, when do you switch to 2x/day?


Coming in behind the others here. The description of switching from 3x to 2x is sort of reversed from the why, as I understand it. 

The three times a day is adding a feeding to a typical schedule, rather than taking away if transitioning to two. While puppies are going thru their peak growth months spreading the daily intake more evenly thru the day keeps their metabolism more regulated. 


_Since puppies are growing rapidly, they need more food than adult dogs. Puppy nutrition is crucial for developing a foundation for future growth, as well as their bone and organ development. Puppies must have a specific amount of calcium in their diet, otherwise, they can develop metabolic bone disease or orthopedic conditions like early-onset arthritis. Toy-breed puppies, in particular, are prone to hypoglycemia.

Puppies need small, frequent feedings. For the first few months of a puppy’s life, they will need small meals of food throughout the day as they transition from their mother’s milk to solid food. Starting around four months, puppies can begin eating about three times a day, and after that, puppies will quickly graduate to twice-a-day feedings.

Feeding them three or four times per day makes it easier for puppies to digest and help keep energy levels consistent. However, it’s important to not overfeed them, since overweight puppies are more likely to become overweight adult dogs.

Toy-breed puppies will need 4 to 6 meals per day for the first three months of their lives. Medium-breed puppies will require three meals per day, and large-breed puppies typically need 3 to 4 meals per day. Though the breed is an important consideration, metabolism and energy levels can vary by up to 30 percent. Therefore, you’ll need to proportion meals accordingly.

Even though puppies grow quickly, it’s important to keep caloric intake and food amount consistent from four to twelve months of age. Puppies use fewer calories for growth as they become older. This comprehensive puppy feeding chart has vet-recommended guidelines on how much and how often to feed your puppy._

Feeding Your Dog: How Often Should Dogs Eat And How Much? (akc.org) 


_A regular feeding schedule helps with house training puppies, as well as adult rescue dogs who have not been taught household manners. Puppies generally need to relieve themselves within 10 to 15 minutes of eating a meal. By linking a 'potty stop' with a meal we not only allow ourselves to predict when the pup needs a trip outside, we allow the puppy to learn to associate the urges to urinate and defecate with being in the appropriate location. This is a very important step in the house-training process.

Feeding an adult dog at regular times provides the security and predictability of a routine. Meals become a cornerstone event of the day around which other activities are added. A feeding routine helps your dog cope when there are changes in the household (e.g., a child moves away to college, a new baby arrives, or a vacation during which a house-sitter is in charge).

Because dogs have a simple stomach structure, once the stomach is filled with food, it will empty within a few hours as food moves into the small intestine. After 8 to 10 hours, an empty stomach begins to send signals to the brain stimulating a hunger response. For this reason, at least two meals per day are best for your dog. Imagine if you only got to eat breakfast each day, and that was it! Regular, routine feeding times allow your dog's body to be prepared for the food it will receive. It is not recommended to keep the bowl filled and allow grazing.

When dogs eat on a regular schedule, that habit becomes strong. It is easy to see at a glance if all the food from a meal is consumed. If food is left, whether all or part of a meal, that is an important signal that something is wrong, and it is time to schedule a veterinary appointment.

Feeding a puppy all it can eat at one time is called 'ad libitum' or 'free choice' feeding. This is *not recommended* as it can create juvenile obesity, binge eaters, as well as set the stage for some orthopedic problems and diabetes. Over-eating at any one meal can also cause stomach discomfort and bloating causing slower digestion. Dogs are acknowledged to have a genetically determined "set point" for their adult size. Slower, controlled growth in puppies optimizes body condition in adulthood.

The number of meals a dog eats per day depends completely on the family schedule. Dogs should eat *at least* two meals each day, about 12 hours apart. But a breakfast, lunch, and dinner schedule is an equally great option. If more than 12 hours elapses between meals, the stomach can become hyperacidic causing nausea._

Feeding Times and Frequency for Your Dog | VCA Animal Hospital (vcahospitals.com)


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