# Feeding question



## cbull (Feb 14, 2011)

I feed my pup twice a day. Once in the morning (around 6:30) and when I get home from work (at 4:30). My issue is that she wakes up at 6:30 or so every morning and she goes straight to her bowl ready to eat. Should I feed her later in the evening (ex 6 pm)? Would that help her sleep in?


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## doggiedad (Jan 23, 2011)

when my dog was a pup he was fed 3x's a day.
he was fed am, noon and pm. he also had a snack
or 2 in between. staring at 9 weeks old (when he came home)
he was out every 15 minutes. every 15 minutes lead to every 1/2 hour
to every 45 minutes to an hour and so on. over night he was out every 2 hours
and every 2 hours lead to every 2&1/2 hours to every 3 hours and so.
at some point my dog woke us up at 4am to go out. whenever he woke us up
one of us got up to take him out. it's great if you can sleep in when you have a pup
but i don't know how that's possible.

so, you feed your pup at 6:30 am and again at 4:30 pm. i think that be to
long for the pup to go without eating. is your pup alone all of that time?
is she'he crated. that's a long time to leave a pup unattended. can you find someone
to come in and let the pup out and give it a snack or a meal????


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## bernadettelevis (Feb 2, 2011)

how old is your dog?


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## FL Cracker (May 4, 2011)

bernadettelevis said:


> how old is your dog?


After doing some research on his prior post's.... I "think" his Bulldog is around 7mo now?

CoCo our pup was on 3 meals a day until three and a half months...and I started weening her down to twice a day. I was also converting her from kibble to raw...so I had my hands full. I also converted slowly...over 3-4 weeks.
I did this by reducing her afternoon meal...and making it up in the am...pm...eventually her afternoon feeding turned into a training session...using raw treat's....chicken heart's...liver's ect.
Now were on two meals a day...and doing great...we feed at 6:30am and at 5pm....respectively. CoCo is 5mo old the 29th of May.


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## SpooOwner (Oct 1, 2010)

She's doing it because either: (1) she's hungry, or (2) she's used to this routine. Your feeding times seem fine, unless she stays awake until late (even 10 pm is late for a puppy). So my guess is that it's more likely that she's heading to her bowl because she has learned this routine. Varying your morning feed time and routines should help.


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## cbull (Feb 14, 2011)

Sorry to imply that she's in the crate unattended all day. She's 5 months. Here's the routine:
She wakes up at 6:30 am and I let her out to potty. Then I feed her around 6:40 am. She then lays around or plays with her toys till 8 am. I crate her then. I come home at 11:30 to let her out and play for an hour. Often, we do training sessions and she gets treats (acana kibble) during this session (around 8-10 kibbles). I then crate her again until 3:30 pm. She eats around 4:30 pm. She's out the rest of the day. 

Also, she's fully potty trained. She was potty trained at 3.5 to 4 months.


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## magicre (Apr 7, 2010)

i think it's up to you....whether or not you want a strict feeding schedule or you want to be able to choose for yourself...

you can feed a half hour later every few days until she realises she eats when you say she eats....

if she gets the hunger pukes then you know you waited too long.

my dogs are fed within an hour of me waking up.....honey gets up at 5 a.m. and takes dogs out and then they come back to bed with me. i wake up between 6 and 7 and drink my coffee, take my vitamins....and they wait until i've read my email....so their feeding could be anywhere between 6:15 and 8:30 a.m......but i had to train them to do that...

their second feeding is carved in stone, because i want it that way....they eat at 4:30 ish....and then i'm free to go out, not go out..or prepare dinner for honey and me........but we do go to bed early, around 9-10 p.m.....so it works for us...


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## m&mluvpugs (Feb 7, 2010)

magicre said:


> my dogs are fed within an hour of me waking up.....honey gets up at 5 a.m. and takes dogs out and then they come back to bed with me. i wake up between 6 and 7 and drink my coffee, take my vitamins....and they wait until i've read my email....so their feeding could be anywhere between 6:15 and 8:30 a.m......but i had to train them to do that...


Re - care to share any tips on how the training goes for the morning feed? Our guys have been waking up earlier and earlier demanding breakfast. This morning it started around 5:30, and they were chirping for a full hour until my husband fed them at 6:30. My husband wanted to give in and fed them earlier so they would quiet down, but my thoughts are that if we cave, they'll continue this behaviour, so we waited until 6:30, which ultimately is the earliest I would like them eating. 
The routine used to be he takes them out for a walk while I get their food ready, but lately he says they are not interested in a walk and pull to go back home because they are so hungry. Now I know we aren't starving them, but maybe we should be feeding a tad more? Or is that just pug mentality. FOOD FOOD FOOD 
Tia, Melanie


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## luvMyBRT (Mar 8, 2010)

Even though my dogs are fed at certain times during the day and we stick to a routine, I don't let my dogs demand food. There where times when Duncan would come up and stare at me when it was feeding time. I knew he wanted his meal. I immediately told him to "go lay down" while ignoring him. He would go back and lay down on his bed until I said it was time. Any time he did this he would have to go and lay down. He now knows that I will let him know when I am ready to feed him and he doesn't come up demanding food anymore.

I hope Re chimes in with how she trained her dogs.


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## brandypup (Jan 23, 2012)

I agree with the routine thing. My dogs are up with my alarm clock...I hit snooze and they go back to bed.  then im up coffee a little play time harnesses and walk. When we get back in they head to the kitchen or crate.


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## Scarlett_O' (May 19, 2011)

My dogs are use to eating before I go to work in the morning (around 7:45) then Keeva(3 months old) when wee I choose some time between 5:30 and 8pm. 

However on weekends, or days like today (home from work sick) I feed when ever I feel like it. No one other then Keeva has eaten yet....I dont feel right making her wait for mommi to feel good at her age, but the others? They can just chill!!:wink: Brody tries to demand food, will come running over to me, the run to the kitchen and back and forth a couple times ever 90 min or so....but I just ignore him. The others....they really dont care!Lol

As soon as I don't have to work they will be on a MUCH more relaxed feeding time.....eating when ever in the day I feel like it and some days not at all!!:thumb:


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## magicre (Apr 7, 2010)

m&mluvpugs said:


> Re - care to share any tips on how the training goes for the morning feed? Our guys have been waking up earlier and earlier demanding breakfast. This morning it started around 5:30, and they were chirping for a full hour until my husband fed them at 6:30. My husband wanted to give in and fed them earlier so they would quiet down, but my thoughts are that if we cave, they'll continue this behaviour, so we waited until 6:30, which ultimately is the earliest I would like them eating.
> The routine used to be he takes them out for a walk while I get their food ready, but lately he says they are not interested in a walk and pull to go back home because they are so hungry. Now I know we aren't starving them, but maybe we should be feeding a tad more? Or is that just pug mentality. FOOD FOOD FOOD
> Tia, Melanie


even now, my old girl, malia, starts to whine at 3 p.m., even though it's way before her feeding time. 

i don't have any real tips, other than to say that sometimes i give in and most times i don't. i get to brush my teeth and do my morning abutions and make my bed and sip my juice with my supps...

on the other hand, i was raised that animals are taken care of before people eat....it actually applies to working animals, but the sentiment with anything we have dominion over applies.

so they can cry all they want or run to the kitchen and bubba whimpers, but they get fed when i feel i can look at food. 

i probably should not have used the word train...i think, especially with a pug and an old lady...not me, the dog....it's a matter of whose will wins out.

i've decided it's mine that wins, even though it would be easier.

for you, two suggestions....start crating them at night so they can't wake you up. it's temporary until they realise they don't get attention until you decide.

definitely go on that walk because pugs are prone to obesity....whilst you prepare their food, so they aren't there to cry and whine and bark and be general pains in the arse.

if they pull, short leash them or however you keep a dog from pulling...stand like a tree until they stop. 

if i've learned nothing about pugs, i've learned not to let him rule me....except when i want to.

otherwise, i would be bowing and scraping to him.....and even though he is my velcro dog and quickly has become a heart dog for me, i have two dogs who are attention whores and spoiled rotten by my hand....so meal time is the only thing i control.

i don't make them wait a terribly long time....but long enough for me not to cut open my hand when i'm getting their meal ready


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## m&mluvpugs (Feb 7, 2010)

Thanks all for the suggestions. We do crate them at night, I guess the problem is our room is too close to their location in the kitchen, so we hear them quite clearly when they start to peep. We will keep enforcing the no breakfast before 630 rule, and see if things improve


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## Donna Little (May 31, 2011)

I just last week started making mine wait a little later for their evening meal and it seems to be helping with the crack of dawn hysteria to be fed. I know what some of you are saying and their feeding time kept creeping up earlier and earlier. If mine only stared at me I could easily ignore them but that's not the case. They bolt out of the bed like a rocket launcher and all start whining or barking or growling and even if I got it to stop I'm still awake so it's not helping. When there are at least 8 of the 10 idiots doing that it's just easier to get up. So I figured if I could make them wait later to be fed in the afternoon then maybe we could reverse this.
Soooo, last week I just kept doing my housework in the afternoon and didn't acknowledge their insanity until almost 6 pm. They usually get fed at 4 pm. The next morning Bailey woke up at about 6:45 but I was able to make her lay back down and we stayed in bed until about 7:30. THIS morning for the first time in probably years I was able to stay in bed until 7:50! :cheer2: It was a happy morning.... Might not ever happen again but still.... :cheer2:


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## MollyWoppy (Mar 19, 2010)

I started off with the view that my pup has a job to do before she eats. And that job is to go for a walk/run. So, every morning and every night her and I go for our run or walk and then when we get back, she will get her meal, when I am ready. Maybe it's easier for us because I started out that way, but she never bothers me for food.
My friend with her pugs has taken the same attitude, however it is funny watching the difference between the breeds, my cattledog x and her pugs. They are so much more food driven, but no matter how demanding they are, she makes sure they exercise before they are given their food. They too seem to like a routine a lot more than my household.


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## magicre (Apr 7, 2010)

whilst i don't make them work for breakfast, i do make them wait. they can cry, whine, moan and groan...and i will not feed them until i'm ready.

over time, they will get used to it..

we sleep an hour later on weekends and now, so do they....but it did take a while.


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## Donna Little (May 31, 2011)

Well this morning my old girl was waking me up at 6 to go potty. Needless to say everyone jumped up and immediately started their morning insanity. If they had little forks in their paws they would have been banging them on the floor chanting, "Feed me, feed me..." 
I walked to the door, let them all out, let them back in, and then went back to bed. Madison didn't stop barking for 2 hours. Everyone else seemed somewhat confused but they settled back down. I can't tell her to stop because she's deaf and nearly 18 yrs old so I just tried to doze in between the shrieking noises. At least no one was fed this morning until about 8:15 so dinner will be coming even later today. There will be a day that I get to sleep until 8. Yes, I feel it in my future......


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## magicre (Apr 7, 2010)

luvMyBRT said:


> Even though my dogs are fed at certain times during the day and we stick to a routine, I don't let my dogs demand food. There where times when Duncan would come up and stare at me when it was feeding time. I knew he wanted his meal. I immediately told him to "go lay down" while ignoring him. He would go back and lay down on his bed until I said it was time. Any time he did this he would have to go and lay down. He now knows that I will let him know when I am ready to feed him and he doesn't come up demanding food anymore.
> 
> I hope Re chimes in with how she trained her dogs.


I do what you do. 

'it's not time yet. go lay down.'

' are you crazy? i haven't had my coffee yet. go lay down'

i just have a stronger will than they do....and, believe me, sometimes i give in. they are after all, master manipulaters.


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## magicre (Apr 7, 2010)

Donna Little said:


> Well this morning my old girl was waking me up at 6 to go potty. Needless to say everyone jumped up and immediately started their morning insanity. If they had little forks in their paws they would have been banging them on the floor chanting, "Feed me, feed me..."
> I walked to the door, let them all out, let them back in, and then went back to bed. Madison didn't stop barking for 2 hours. Everyone else seemed somewhat confused but they settled back down. I can't tell her to stop because she's deaf and nearly 18 yrs old so I just tried to doze in between the shrieking noises. At least no one was fed this morning until about 8:15 so dinner will be coming even later today. There will be a day that I get to sleep until 8. Yes, I feel it in my future......


how many dogs do you have? i think that and i say this with absolute affection and fondness...that you're delusional if you think you can go back to bed


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## magicre (Apr 7, 2010)

m&mluvpugs said:


> Thanks all for the suggestions. We do crate them at night, I guess the problem is our room is too close to their location in the kitchen, so we hear them quite clearly when they start to peep. We will keep enforcing the no breakfast before 630 rule, and see if things improve


we put a blanket over their crate when we crated them.....that helped us out, since their crate is in the closet of our bedroom...
course, now we no longer crate them and they are in our bed....so there's no fooling them.


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## Donna Little (May 31, 2011)

magicre said:


> how many dogs do you have? i think that and i say this with absolute affection and fondness...that you're delusional if you think you can go back to bed


Oh I DID go back to bed. Okay so the sleeping part was missing but my ass was laying there. Awake....:help: Trying to not hear an old dog.... :lalala: Demanding breakfast.....:hungry: A lot.... And then I got up...out: The end.


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## magicre (Apr 7, 2010)

you went back to bed to make a point. how long did you stay there


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## Donna Little (May 31, 2011)

magicre said:


> you went back to bed to make a point. how long did you stay there


I was being "tough love mom" and stayed 2 whole hours! This morning she woke me up at 6:50 (an improvement over yesterday) and they went out to potty and then back to bed with me and she barked until about 7:40. Then I stayed in bed for about 10 more minutes, just so she'd know I won.
I should audio tape her bark. Dachshunds are known to be yappy and I've had 3 that were purebred and none were barkers. In her entire life I've so seldom heard her bark that when she does we don't recognize it. Now that she's old and has dementia she's discovered her up-until-now underused vocal chords. So her bark sounds more like a sad little yaaaAAARRPpppp. And yet it's still annoying.....hwell:


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## magicre (Apr 7, 2010)

Donna Little said:


> I was being "tough love mom" and stayed 2 whole hours! This morning she woke me up at 6:50 (an improvement over yesterday) and they went out to potty and then back to bed with me and she barked until about 7:40. Then I stayed in bed for about 10 more minutes, just so she'd know I won.
> I should audio tape her bark. Dachshunds are known to be yappy and I've had 3 that were purebred and none were barkers. In her entire life I've so seldom heard her bark that when she does we don't recognize it. Now that she's old and has dementia she's discovered her up-until-now underused vocal chords. So her bark sounds more like a sad little yaaaAAARRPpppp. And yet it's still annoying.....hwell:


that's awesome...mine whimper and whine. it's so annoying. LOL


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