# Question about scheduled feedings



## Cindy3kids (Nov 16, 2010)

I have read that a lot of you schedule feedings and would like some info on it. My vet told me to free feed until 6 months (I think) since small puppies can develop hypoglycemia if they don't eat enough. 

Here's the thing...Ginger does not lover her dog food (Orijen). I notice she will eat it when she is really hungry though! But I was reading on foods that you can feed your hav so I started giving her the occassional egg or cubed chicken or carrot. Now I know she is not eating the dog food because she is waiting for me to feed her better yummy food! Totally my fault I know!

I'm thinking it would be easier to get her to eat the dog food if she ate on a schedule. She should be old enough now (15 weeks) that hypoglycemia would not be such a risk I would think. 

At this age how often do you feed them? I am home Sat-Tues so I could feed her actual meals on those days but I work Wed-Fri so I will still need to leave food out for her right? We are gone from home from 8 AM to about 4PM.

If I want to give her other food like eggs and cubed meat, when do I do that. I have a feeling that if I mix it in with her kibble, she will just pick it out of the kibble! She is not stupid!! 

Okay, I think that is all for now! Thanks for you help!


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## whimsy (Apr 3, 2010)

I know everyone does things different...no right or wrong way just what works for you and your pup. Sometimes its trial and error.
When she was really young I kept Whimsy on the kibble that the breeder used..and made it available to her at all times. I put about 1/2 cup in the bowl and she would eat some in the am and some in the evening. She loves it in her kong also. She is not a big eater. Somedays she eats about 1/4 cup and thats it. I will begin a gradual switch to adult food next month when she is a year old. She gets her kibble and some dog treats and is doing just fine. She's happy and healthy...what more could ya ask for??


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## krandall (Jun 11, 2009)

Also, as far as I know, hypoglycemia isn't the big problem with this breed that it is with some other small dogs.

We kept Kodi on the same schedule the breeder had him on... 3 meals a day, until he, on his own accord, stopped eating all three. Then we dropped him back to two, and his appetite at breakfast and supper picked back up again. Kodi, like many Hav puppies, went through a period of skipping a meal here and there and making me worry. But with the support of my breeder and vet, and some experienced people on the forum, I hardened my heart, picked his food up if it wasn't eaten in 20 minutes, and didn't offer it (or any snacks) again until the next meal. Now, as a young adult, he's not a "chow hound", but he reliably eats his food as soon as it's served. In fact, he'll come and mutter and complain if I don't feed him at his "usual" supper time!<g>

DO NOT get sucked into catering to her pickiness by feeding "yummies", addding things to her food, throwing out good food to try something different... Stick to a food that YOU feel is good quality and good for your dog. Healthy dogs will not starve themselves (with a couple of notable exceptions you might hear about on the forum, but it's EXTREMELY rare) but Havs are NOTORIOUS for manipulating their owners into TREATING them like picky divas.<g>


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## morriscsps (Aug 17, 2010)

Jack gets 1/2 cup in the morning and at night. Always has. He inhales it immediately. If he didn't eat it, the cat would steal it. Never has been a problem.

I would save the tasty chicken for training. If you do a lot of training one afternoon or have a class, cut one of her normal feedings in half or completely. Ex. Jack gets fed at 5:30 pm but we had a class at 7 pm. On that day, I gave him half a serving because puppy classes are all about stuffing their faces.


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## davetgabby (Dec 29, 2007)

Free feeding is never a good idea. Small breed puppies are more prone to hypoglycemia, but that can rectified with three or four scheduled feedings. Here's some info on feeding puppies. http://www.dogfoodproject.com/index.php?page=feeding_puppies


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## Cindy3kids (Nov 16, 2010)

Thanks for the info!


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## mitrus (Apr 6, 2008)

Henry was very small when we brought him home and I found that a four meal feeding plan worked better for his little body. Now he is 6lbs and 5 months old and I have him on a three meal plan. I think when they are young it is good the have them on a schedule, it really helps with potty training.


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## Cindy3kids (Nov 16, 2010)

I started giving Ginger 4 meals per day and it is pretty cute because she sits patiently by her water bowl now when she knows it's time to eat I also found some canned food that I mix with kibble (a different brand than before) and she is eating so well. Thanks for all the advice! It's going well!


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## davetgabby (Dec 29, 2007)

good to hear that Cindy. Just a word of caution. She might get picky if you give her some canned. They will sometimes just eat the canned and leave the kibble. And I don't blame them. LOL:canada:


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## Neophyte (Apr 18, 2011)

I feed sadie twice a day, 1/2 cup of blue buffalo puppy food. She has been really good about eating. She eats as soon as I put her food down. With my GSD, I had to train her to eat. I put it down for 15 mins and if she didn't eat, I took it away until next feeding.


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## davetgabby (Dec 29, 2007)

great. Who'd have thought , a GSD being a fussy eater. LOL


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## Jplatthy (Jan 16, 2011)

I pick their food up after 30 minutes if they have not eaten it but it is never easy lol ...I feel so MEAN because as soon as I pick it up they come running and look at me like.....hey where are u taking my food? but they eat the next time and mine are on 2 times a day....6am and 6pm.....give or take a few minutes....of course they all do MUCH better when the bf is out of town working 'cause he feeds too many treats during the day


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## krandall (Jun 11, 2009)

davetgabby said:


> great. Who'd have thought , a GSD being a fussy eater. LOL


Kodi's BFF is a GSD, and he's a shy eater too. My friend (his owner) has to stand with him and keep calling him back to "finish", or he'll wander away and not eat.

ETA: He's not big on treats, either. When I hand him one of Kodi's "yummy" training treats, he gently takes it from me, then with a guilty look, puts it on the ground and walks away. It's almost like he doesn't want to be impolite by refusing to take it from me, whether he wants it or not!<g>


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## Suzi (Oct 27, 2010)

Cindy3kids said:


> I have read that a lot of you schedule feedings and would like some info on it. My vet told me to free feed until 6 months (I think) since small puppies can develop hypoglycemia if they don't eat enough.
> 
> Here's the thing...Ginger does not lover her dog food (Orijen). I notice she will eat it when she is really hungry though! But I was reading on foods that you can feed your hav so I started giving her the occassional egg or cubed chicken or carrot. Now I know she is not eating the dog food because she is waiting for me to feed her better yummy food! Totally my fault I know!
> 
> ...


At this age how often do you feed them? I am home Sat-Tues so I could feed her actual meals on those days but I work Wed-Fri so I will still need to leave food out for her right? We are gone from home from 8 AM to about 4PM.

Your puppy is almost 4mo old and from what you say you are gone 3 days a week. I think it would make sense to feed twice a day. when I feed in the morning it doesn't take long before they have to go out maybe feed at 6:30 am and 6:30 pm. 
Maybe someone has invented a timer for food. But your puppy will have to go poop more while you are gone. I would just leave water out and maybe try a kong with food in it for while you are at work.


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## lkwilson (Mar 6, 2011)

That pic of Ginger is adorable!!


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