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Furbaby advice

jweis11jweis11
500 Comments
in Pennsylvania-Pittsburgh
So we feed my puppy twice a day...about 1 1/2 cups each time total of 3 cups all together. Well he rarely eats it all both times. Today he barely ate. He has been acting normal and his poop and pee are normal. He gets like a 1/2 to a 1/4 of a puppy milk bone everytime he comes in after potty and I usual give him a snausage to train every night and he gets 3-6 bones (as 2 at a time or 3 at a time..depending on how many times we leave) in his cage when we leave...DH thinks we are giving him to many treats...I think he is just getting to distracted and forgets to eat and DH doesn't have enough patience to sit with him and remind him to eat?Thoughts? Advice? TIA and sorry for the WOT
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Re: Furbaby advice

  • SteelrsGrl92SteelrsGrl92 member
    1000 Comments
    edited December 2011
    Im no help to this however, I am listening in cause we're gonna hopefully have our 'furbaby soon! :)
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  • jweis11jweis11
    500 Comments
    edited December 2011
    it's cool!
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  • reannalynnereannalynne member
    100 Comments
    edited December 2011
    I would say too many treats, but I am not really a dog person. I know the treats that my mom buys her dog though have a certain number on them to give them MAX a day, but I don't know what those limits are...
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  • jweis11jweis11
    500 Comments
    edited December 2011
    haha...I would agree I think too many treats but I just have a hard time not rewarding him for potty outside I'm afraid he will revolt and start peeing and pooping everywhere in the house..haha
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  • reannalynnereannalynne member
    100 Comments
    edited December 2011
    slowly wean him off of them, give him like, 1/4 each time, and then instead of 2-3 in his cage, maybe 1 or so when you leave?
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  • jweis11jweis11
    500 Comments
    edited December 2011
    good ideas! Thanks!
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  • daveys_babydaveys_baby
    500 Comments
    edited December 2011
    No real advice here either.  My old dog never liked it when people watched him eat (he would wait until you left to eat anything except treats).  Could your dog be asking for some privacy by not eating?
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  • jweis11jweis11
    500 Comments
    edited December 2011
    hmm...i actually think it might be the opposite...haha cause when I bring the dish closer to me he will sit there and eat for a little bit longer and then go back to being distracted. I think right now the dish is behind the couch in the basement and he thinks he is missing something...i don't know maybe its just him being a puppy
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  • AMK2009AMK2009 member
    500 Comments
    edited December 2011
    I would definately say too many treats.  Last time I had my dog at the vet, they told me he was getting too chubby and asked how many treats I give him and I told him prob 6-10 a day, and he said that's way too much.  We always give him treats in the morning, and then when he goes in his crate before I leave for work, and then after they go outside when we get home from work, and then again before bed.  The vet said to just give him pieces of his dog food as a "treat" instead of real treats.  Even though your dog isn't overweight, I'd guess that's still the problem with him not eating.  But of course I'm no dog expert.How big is your dog?
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  • slm13slm13
    500 Comments
    edited December 2011
    I agree with the too many treats. It sounds like too many bones in his cage. About the needing people to watch him eat, one of our cats won't eat his food unless I stand near him in the kitchen when he eats, so it's not out of the realm of possibilities that your little guy wants some company.
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  • jweis11jweis11
    500 Comments
    edited December 2011
    thanks for the help ladies!I really like the food as a treat idea. Dh is probably right it is too many treats...haha I hate it when he is right :p
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  • jweis11jweis11
    500 Comments
    edited December 2011
    oh and AMK he is 16 wks old and about 16 pounds
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  • d78d78
    500 Comments
    edited December 2011
    Wow, that seems like a lot of everything to me, but our dogs weren't puppies when we got them, so I'm no expert either. We give our 23 lb adult dog about a cup of food total each day and then on their walks, I give them a good many of those tiny training treats to reinforce good behavior. Since I'm just starting with the treats on our walks, I'm reinforcing all good behavior, but as their behavior gets more consistent, I'll be making it a variable reinforcement schedule, where every other potty gets a treat, then every third potty gets a treat. Then, eventually, it'll be more random.Does that make sense?Could you leave a chew toy in the crate instead of bones?Keep in mind that if he's acting normal otherwise (including potty), that he will eat when he's hungry.
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  • d78d78
    500 Comments
    edited December 2011
    Just to clarify, so I don't sound crazy...we have two dogs, but I just told you what we feed the one, since she's smaller & a healthy weight. The other one is on a diet and much bigger, so I figured telling you what we feed him wouldn't be helpful. So when I say "they," now it should make sense. lol
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  • jweis11jweis11
    500 Comments
    edited December 2011
    hahayes, it made sensethank you for the help! Im going to try the variable training with the treats for the potty since he gets the idea of what he has to do and I'm going to switch from bones to a piece of his dry food.Thanks again ladies!
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  • New_to_PGHNew_to_PGH member
    500 Comments
    edited December 2011
    How many cups you feed depends on the individual dog food type you are feeding the pup, so I can't comment on that.However, it sounds like you are feeding too many treats. Since rewards are pretty essential when training, I'd break them down into smaller bits (I like using Candidae "Snaps", which break into 4 pieces)On another note, our older dog was a "grazer" when we first got him, too. We put the food in the bowl, and picked it up in 20 minutes if he didn't eat it all. It won't kill your pup to skip a meal while he figures out he's now got a timeline :)
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  • Er&JerLemEr&JerLem member
    100 Comments
    edited December 2011
    I agree with that's a lot of treats.  I'd cut down on how many you leave in the crate - one is really enough.Also - that seems like a lot of food to me.  I only feed my full grown lab and rottie about 1 cup twice a day. But, then again, maybe the type of food you're using needs to be more.
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  • New_to_PGHNew_to_PGH member
    500 Comments
    edited December 2011
    We use a no-fillers food (Candidae All Life Stages) and each of our dogs eat 1 cup twice a day. If you're using a grocery-store brand, I can see needing to feed 1-2 cups to get your pup enough calories. dogfoodanalysis.com can point you in the right direction with calories per food brand and ratings
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  • d78d78
    500 Comments
    edited December 2011
    Oh & I agree with Jenn about picking up the food after a set amount of time... best to get him on a schedule.
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  • KRMacKRMac
    1000 Comments Combo Breaker
    edited December 2011
    I agree with the PPs - we used to give our dog a set "time" to eat and if she wasn't done, we picked up her bowl.  She learned.  :)We also give her ice cubes as "treats"...I've never had a puppy as young as your dog though, since we got ours when she was already close to a year, so she was able to chew them and already was house trained.  Maybe ask your vet if it would be okay first?
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  • jweis11jweis11
    500 Comments
    edited December 2011
    I like the 20 min thing! We have been feeding him what it said to on the bag. The vet told us that we should be feeding him 3 times a day but with our work schedule we can do 2 and he seems fine and growing with that. He also loves ice cubes so I was thinking that would also be a good option! I usual have a rule to that if he goes to the door and needs out ...then the fodo dish goes up when he comes back in so he doesn't think he can play the go out and come back and eat game all morning/evening.Also, just to clarify the treats I gave him I do break up to little pieces so sometimes it's not that many I was just giving around about number :p (I don't want you guys to think I'm trying to make my puppy explode on food :) )
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