# chubby puppy



## dianaplo (Dec 30, 2013)

I think my puppy is a little on the chubby side. I have noticed him bulk up a little in the past but then he would grow into it. But he is now 7 months old and I have a feeling his growth spurts will become more subtle. 
Is he too young to go to twice daily feeding? Should I cut out the mid day meal and reserve kibble from the other portions for his treats? Now I reserve from the mid day meal for our training treats. 
My other option would be to reduce the volume of all meals and continue 3 meals. 
I can't go by his appetite because he is a bottomless pit!
In addition to meals and training treats, he gets bully sticks in the evening because he has a strong chew urge. I know that is contributing calories. 
He is probably 11 pounds. He has a lush coat but I'm judging his chubbyness by the fact that he feels like a little tank, although I feel his ribs.


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## krandall (Jun 11, 2009)

Honestly, I'd cut out the bully sticks. That's a HUGE number of calories, without great nutritional benefit. Find something else for him to chew on.

Kodi was definitely on 2 meals by that age, but he had dropped the midday meal on his own.

You ARE doing the right thing to be concerned about moderating his weight now, though! A lean dog is a healthy, long-lived dog!


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## emichel (May 3, 2012)

What Karen said. Also, you might try cow ears instead of bully sticks. You can find them on bestbullysticks.com, ironically enough. My dog also loves bully sticks, and like yours, has a ravenous appetite. He weighs 19 plus pounds at age 1 yr 10 mos, but the vet feels that this is a good weight for him, and that he is just a big boy. However, he would easily get fat in a hurry if I let him eat all he wanted! He likes the cow ears, almost as much as the bully sticks, and they are lower in fat and calories. You can also use nylabones or raw bones, if you want to go that route, instead of the bully sticks. Your puppy sure is a cutie, by the way!


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## dianaplo (Dec 30, 2013)

I'll cut out the mid day and see how he handles it and also cut the bullies. He has other chewies but when the bullies are available they are his first choice. 
Thank you he is a cute sweet boy! But I am a little surprised that he is such a big eater because I thought Havanese were dainty eaters 
And if the ears have better odor I'll be thrilled.
Thanks so much for your ideas, Ladies!


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## krandall (Jun 11, 2009)

dianaplo said:


> I'll cut out the mid day and see how he handles it and also cut the bullies. He has other chewies but when the bullies are available they are his first choice.
> Thank you he is a cute sweet boy! But I am a little surprised that he is such a big eater because I thought Havanese were dainty eaters
> And if the ears have better odor I'll be thrilled.
> Thanks so much for your ideas, Ladies!


Kodi went through a couple of picky phases as a puppy, but mostly, he eats like a Labrador!


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## Rob'sHavanese (Jul 31, 2013)

Interesting discussion. I had been feeding amounts per my vets advice of a daily amt of 1 cup for every 10 lbs of weight. But at 7+ months Jack was at 18 lbs and although I can feel his ribs I felt that was too much. So I checked with the breeder and found out the weights of his parents to be 14 and 15 lbs and she advised no more than 1 cup/day and to get him off of puppy food and onto adult. So we're down to 1.25 cups now and headed for 1 cup next week. He has been eating 2 meals per day since we brought him home. 
I did buy the Orijen Six Fish but haven't started feeding that yet. Seems like I should be feeding even less of that with all the protein it has.


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## Colbie (Feb 9, 2013)

dianaplo said:


> I think my puppy is a little on the chubby side. I have noticed him bulk up a little in the past but then he would grow into it. But he is now 7 months old and I have a feeling his growth spurts will become more subtle.
> Is he too young to go to twice daily feeding? Should I cut out the mid day meal and reserve kibble from the other portions for his treats? Now I reserve from the mid day meal for our training treats.
> My other option would be to reduce the volume of all meals and continue 3 meals.
> I can't go by his appetite because he is a bottomless pit!
> ...


A 6" bully stick has on average about 90 calories. If he is going through one a day that is a lot of calories.

Colbie chews on himalayan chews which are also high calorie (a large six inch one has about 435 calories), but it is a lot harder and it take her a month or longer to get through it.

Moose antlers contain little to no calories and provide vitamin and minerals as well as being odor free. Colbie is currently working on a carob/raspberry flavored one. She has had it about 2 weeks and it isn't even a quarter done yet.


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## Colbie (Feb 9, 2013)

Rob'sHavanese said:


> Interesting discussion. I had been feeding amounts per my vets advice of a daily amt of 1 cup for every 10 lbs of weight. But at 7+ months Jack was at 18 lbs and although I can feel his ribs I felt that was too much. So I checked with the breeder and found out the weights of his parents to be 14 and 15 lbs and she advised no more than 1 cup/day and to get him off of puppy food and onto adult. So we're down to 1.25 cups now and headed for 1 cup next week. He has been eating 2 meals per day since we brought him home.
> I did buy the Orijen Six Fish but haven't started feeding that yet. Seems like I should be feeding even less of that with all the protein it has.


I would think it is more about the calories then protein. Colbie eats the 6 fish as well and it has more calories per cup then her last kibble.


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## dianaplo (Dec 30, 2013)

It takes him a week more or less to get through the 6 " bully stick. I was feeding him 1/4 cup Holistic Health Extentions three times a day. I need to look up the calories on that I guess. My breeder instructions were to continue that until he is 9 months but I understand that is a general rule so that's why I felt the need to get more input. He doesn't seem to have missed having his lunch but we will see...he may be looking for dinner earlier tonight loll!


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## dianaplo (Dec 30, 2013)

I also don't have any experience putting my hands on other Havanese so I'm not sure if they all feel like little tanks! We tried to measure him last night. He is about 10 inches at his front shoulders (he didn't want the yardstick to get too close) and about 10.5 pounds at 7 months. I know mama is 10 pounds and the sire is bigger.


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## Lillysmom (Oct 9, 2012)

I know that Havanese are much sturdier than say a Pomeranian. My Pom weighs 8 pounds and Lilly weighs ~11 pounds, but the difference in the feel of them is night and day! Lilly does feel like a little tank, but I know she is not overweight - she is just solid. Trixi on the other hand feels more fragile. But, they both eat the same amount - 1/4 cup of Honest Kitchen twice a day plus treats. I guess Pomeranians have a higher metabolism.


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## krandall (Jun 11, 2009)

Rob'sHavanese said:


> Interesting discussion. I had been feeding amounts per my vets advice of a daily amt of 1 cup for every 10 lbs of weight. But at 7+ months Jack was at 18 lbs and although I can feel his ribs I felt that was too much. So I checked with the breeder and found out the weights of his parents to be 14 and 15 lbs and she advised no more than 1 cup/day and to get him off of puppy food and onto adult. So we're down to 1.25 cups now and headed for 1 cup next week. He has been eating 2 meals per day since we brought him home.
> I did buy the Orijen Six Fish but haven't started feeding that yet. Seems like I should be feeding even less of that with all the protein it has.


That's STILL a lot of food for a Havanese. If you're talking kibble (which is more calorie-dense than wet foods) most Havanese on the forum seem to eat between 1/4-1/2c twice a day.


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## morriscsps (Aug 17, 2010)

Yup, my Jack eats 1/2 cup twice a day. He is a very lean 17 pounder. I have to keep him skinny because he has a wonky front leg.

If your pup is a chewer, the antlers are great. My dogs have an elk one that is indestructible. This past Christmas Santa Paws brought water buffalo horns but they keep sliding under the couch. They are enjoyed when they are out.


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## dianaplo (Dec 30, 2013)

As a follow up...I cut out the mid day feeding and he didn't seem to notice, so I guess I was tuning in on his needs. We do training throughout the day so he's not going to get a low blood sugar. And I already feel his belly tone feels less jelly belly loll.


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