Is it better to feed dogs 2 or 3 times
When to Switch a Puppy to 2 Meals a Day from 3
As you will already know, puppies develop very quickly and need to take on a lot of food at regular intervals to grow healthy. You will have already been feeding your puppy 3 times or more daily, but at what point do you switch a puppy from 3 to 2 meals a day?
Heres what you need to know about daily feeding amounts, with the short answer you came for first. Theres more to get right though so please do read on further.
When to switch puppy to 2 meals a day? You can move to 2 meals a day from 3 with most puppies from 6 months onwards. Prior to this, puppies will need feeding 3 or even 4 times a day to help aid health development. Its also important to keep them on puppy food until theyre at least one year old.
Switching your puppy to 2 meals a day
Read on to find out why you should change to feed your puppy two meals a day, when the best time to do it and how much you should be feeding your puppy twice daily. Ill also talk about when is a good time to change your fur baby from puppy food to adult food.
Why you should feed your puppy twice a day
Once your puppy reaches six months old, you can start feeding them 2 meals a day. For the first six months of your puppys life, hes been burning up calories like mad.
I dont think I need to remind you how active your puppy can be! But, if youre still new to puppy raising, be warned!
With so much growing, walking and playing your little one is naturally using up all his reserves. Which is why puppies are fed more often throughout the day.
By the time they reach six months they generally start to calm down and can be switched to 2 meals a day instead of 3. Im still not convinced by this though after witnessing my own puppy being a ball of fire way beyond six months old.
Having said that, your six-month-old puppy is ready to eat two meals a day. Youll notice hes not growing as fast as he was in his first six months. So, to avoid him becoming a pot belly pup, you need to cut down on his food quantity.
Always follow the guidelines on your puppy food packet to ensure shes getting the right quantity for her age despite cutting down to two meals daily.
If your gut feeling tells you that its not the right time or age to switch your puppy to 2 meals a day, then dont but talk to your vet for an expert opinion.
When are the best times to feed your puppy?
Its a good idea to split the two meals up. Most dog owners choose to feed their puppy in the morning and in the afternoon.
Pet feeding experts recommend giving your puppy their first meal at 7 am in the morning, soon after waking up. You can then take them for their walk or play a game with them. The last meal of the day should be at 5 pm. This is about the maximum time recommended to let them go without eating.
By feeding your puppy at 5 pm you are giving her ample time to digest her food before going to sleep. You can also take her for an evening walk after her meal or play a game of ball.
Another advantage of feeding your puppy at 5 pm is less chances of your puppy making a mess in the middle of the night. Between 5 pm and 7 pm, your puppy will have more than enough opportunities to perform her bathroom routine.
Generally speaking, its not a good idea to feed a puppy late at night, and heres why.
How soon after feeding can I take my puppy walking?
Its essential you dont take your puppy walking directly after feeding them. Always give her at least an hour before walking or playing a game with her. Otherwise, you run the risk of your dog developing an abdominal bloat.
If you do choose to feed your puppy before walking, make sure you wait at least 15 minutes before feeding them on return from your walk.
If your puppy is hot and panting, she needs to calm down before taking in any food. Otherwise, shell gobble her food down and end up with bloat again.
Handy Hint: Heres my guide to feeding dogs before or after exercise, and what the consequences can be if you mess this up.
How much should puppies eat twice a day?
The amount of food you feed your puppy depends on their size and weight. Your dog breed plays a big role in how much your puppy should eat. Some dog breeds are more active than others.
It also depends on whether youre feeding your puppy wet or dry food. The following tips will help you gauge if youre overfeeding or underfeeding your pup:
- Your puppy starts to look a bit chubby. Weigh your puppy regularly. This is easy enough to do. Weigh yourself and then pick up your puppy and weigh both of you together. Find out what is the average weight for your dog breed at different ages and stick to that. Cut down on the quantities when your pup looks chubby or weights more than they should for their age and breed.
- Your puppys ribs are showing: This happens when youre underfeeding your pup. Its fine to feel the ribs but you dont want them sticking out. So, step up the quantities slightly until the ribs are not showing obviously.
- Read the feeding recommendations on the food package. This is the best way to ensure youre giving your dog the right quantity every day. Remember, if the package gives the total quantity per day to split it into two half-meal portions.
Dont let your puppy fool you into thinking shes still hungry after a meal. If your puppy loves to eat, shell try to get you to feed her more with puppy eyes.
This could lead to overfeeding your puppy. Another danger area is begging at the table. You may think your puppy is hungry but in fact, theyre simply hoping to join you in your tasty meal.
Switching from puppy to adult food twice a day
When is the right time to change your pooch from puppy kibble to adult food? Puppy food is full of extra nutrients and calories to meet your puppys growing needs. But as they mature, they need less of the rich stuff.
Handy Hint: Heres the age at which puppies will start to eat solid food and drink water instead of their mothers milk.
Its essential you dont switch your puppy too soon to adult food. Its also just as important you dont keep them on puppy food for too long. This could lead to obesity and other health issues.
Smaller dog breeds mature quicker than larger dog breeds. So, if your little Dachshund is 7 to 10 months old, you can start switching them to adult food.
Large breed dogs should reach 80 pounds before you start switching them to adult food. This can be anywhere between 12 and 16 months.
The switch over from puppy food to adult food should be done gradually. By introducing adult food to your puppys diet over one to two weeks, theyll adjust better and cope with the change with less stress. The gradual process might also help you deal with any problematic begging behavior. If it doesnt heres how to stop your dog begging and barking when you eat.
Once again, follow the feeding guidelines on the dog food package or can to ensure your puppy is getting the right quantities. You can also speak to your vet if youre still unsure about how much to feed your puppy when you move to adult formula.
Conclusion
Your puppy has become firmly part of the family ever since you brought them home at eight weeks old. Its been a joyride, chaotic at times especially when she discovered the pure ecstasy of chewing your favorite shoes.
One of the first items you purchased when you brought your puppy home was her special food bowl. Feeding your puppy correctly may have taken a lot of time researching (and reading articles like this one). You also spent a lot of time actually feeding the hungry pooch.
But there will come a time when you need to switch your puppy to 2 meals a day, and I hope that this guide has helped you make the decision on when that should be.
Other aspects of puppy development
Image in header via https://pixabay.com/photos/golden-retriever-puppy-2706672/
What Is the Best Time to Feed Your Dog?
Most dog owners pattern their pets feeding schedule after their own mealtimes. For instance, if the pet owner has breakfast at 7 in the morning, then the pet should have its chow, too. But is it appropriate to apply human mealtimes to our dogs? If not, then what is the best time to feed our canine friends?
Common Feeding Times for Dogs
Different pet parents observe different feeding schedules for their respective dogs. Some observe a twice-daily feeding schedule while others go for once-a-day feeding. There are also those that leave the feeding to their dogs, meaning it is free choice. Let us look at these feeding times one by one.
Twice-a-Day Feeding
Pet parents who observe a twice-daily feeding schedule will feed their dogs once in the morning and another in the evening. They often observe an 8- to 12-hour period in between meals. For instance, if you give your dog its breakfast at 7 in the morning, you can give its dinner at around 3 in the afternoon or 7 in the evening. This is typical for healthy adult dogs and follows the normal canine digestion.
The dogs digestive system requires about 5 to 6 hours for it to process and absorb the food that it consumed. These nutrients will still be present in the dogs blood for a few more hours before its stomach starts sending hunger signals to the brain. This occurs about 8 to 10 hours after the meal, depending on the amount of calories that the pet consumed in its last meal.
As early as 8 hours after its last meal, the dogs brain receives the first hunger signals. These grow in intensity and can manifest in different dog behaviors telling you they are already hungry.
The timing of their first meal depends on a few considerations. One of these is their need to defecate. Canine fecal elimination occurs anywhere between 30 minutes to 1 hour after a meal. If you are going to work at 8 in the morning, this means you need to feed them at about 6:30 AM. This will give you ample time to take them out for a walk for them to defecate. You can then prepare for your work.
You can also observe the same consideration during their second and last meal of the day. You may want to feed them first before you walk them for a poop. The current recommendation is to make their evening walk longer so that they will also tire afterwards. This will help them go to sleep a lot faster. The timing, then, depends on what time you want to be on your own bed.
This twice-a-day feeding schedule is applicable to normal healthy adult dogs. Younger dogs such as puppies often require more frequent feedings. The same is true for dogs with certain health conditions.
Related Post: Automatic Dog Feeders
Once-a-Day Feeding
Proponents of once-a-day dog feeding schedule often feed their dogs in the evening. They will feed their dog upon coming home from work. After about 30 minutes or so, they can take their hound out for a long 30- to 60-minute walk.
There are also those who feed their dogs early in the morning, before they tend to their other life commitments. Again, the general guideline here is to feed the dog first before you facilitate their defecation.
Once-a-day feeding is not recommended among dogs that are prone to gastric dilatation volvulus. These include breeds like Great Danes, Weimaraners, St. Bernards, and Doberman Pinschers, among others. Veterinarians consider once-a-day feeding to be a major risk factor in the development of this life-threatening condition. In GDV, the dogs stomach expands and twists on its own axis. This can lead to the cutting off of the blood supply to the organs of the abdomen.
If you are considering feeding your dog only once a day, make sure that it doesnt have a deep and narrow chest. These dogs are more prone to GDV than any other breed.
Feeding Ad Libitum or Free Choice
There are also pet parents who feed their dogs ad libitum. This means its up to the dog to decide when it wants to eat. This approach is ideal for hyperactive dogs that may require frequent trips to their food bowl to replenish their energy. It may also work for nursing dams since they have plenty of small mouths to feed.
It is also the ideal solution for pet parents who may have difficulty adhering to a strict dog feeding schedule. All they need to do is to leave their pets with a bowl full of dog food and they can go on their merry way.
For this to work, the dog food should be in the form of kibbles. It is never a good idea to use canned or wet dog food in an ad libitum feeding approach. Dog kibbles take longer to spoil so your dog can still feast on its food at the end of the day.
The main issue with feeding your dog ad libitum is that it can increase the risk of health problems like GDV and obesity. Some dogs can finish a days supply of dog food in one sitting. This can make them develop bloat, a major precursor of GDV. If they dont watch the amount of food they are taking, dogs can also become overweight. This is because some dogs have a knack for eating beyond satiety.
There can also be issues about the dogs behavior. It may not want to share the food with the other dogs in the household.
Feeding Schedules for Other Dogs
The preceding section talks about the feeding schedule for a normal, healthy adult dog. However, there are certain dogs that may not do well with these feeding schedules. Let us look at them.
Puppies
When deciding on the mealtimes of puppies, it is important to consider its toilet training. This is almost the same with the elimination pattern of adult dogs. Potty-training puppies often entails taking them outside the house several times each day. Some puppies may have to go outside about 5 to 6 times every day. As such, you can intersperse your feeding schedule within these housetraining sessions.
Sleep is another factor in puppies that you should consider. Puppies can sleep from 16 to 20 hours every day. You will want to schedule their feeding time during the puppys waking hours.
The last factor that you need to consider is the puppys activity levels. In general, pups spend their energy in bursts rather than in a sustained manner. This means you can see them playing now and sleeping a few minutes later. This is because they have already used up their energy.
The current recommendation is to feed puppies at least 3 times a day. Younger puppies require more frequent feedings than their older counterparts.
For example, you can take them outside for a short walk right after waking up. After an hour, you can give it its first meal of the day. After 30 minutes, you can then take it out to defecate in the backyard. You can give its 2nd meal at noontime or after about 4 to 6 hours from its first meal. You can take it out again for the 3rd time. Give it its 3rd and last meal for the day at around 6 or 7 in the evening before taking it out for a walk. For more options head over to our guide on puppy food.
Senior Dogs
When feeding senior dogs, you can adhere to a once or twice a day feeding schedule. However, there is one very crucial piece of modification you have to observe. It is important to reduce the amount of dog food they consume per meal. This is because their digestive system is no longer as efficient as when they were still at their prime. Their activity level is also lower than adult dogs.
Senior dogs may also come with health conditions that require a modification of their nutrition. It is best to adhere to your vets recommended feeding schedule if you have a sick senior dog. For more options, check out our detailed review of the best dog food for senior dogs.
Active Dogs
There are dogs that lead very active lifestyles. On the average, they spend less time sleeping and more time working or engaging in physical activities. Border Collies, Vizslas, and Terriers are examples of very active dog breeds.
For these dogs, it is better to feed them three times a day. That is one in the morning, one shortly after noon, and another one in the evening. Their higher metabolic rate means they will use up their energy stores a lot faster than other dogs.
Related Post: High Protein Dog Food
Sedentary Dogs
The opposite of active dogs, breeds that spend more time on the couch or dog bed often have slow metabolic rate. This means they dont use up their energy stores as fast as other dogs. If you feed these dogs more frequently, they may become overweight.
As a rule, sedentary dogs can feed only once a day. This should be enough to supply them with the energy that is enough to sustain their vital activities.
Figuring out the best time to feed your pet dog requires your understanding of its unique needs as well as activity levels.
Source:
- How Often Should Dogs Eat? AKC
