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Old September 5th, 2008, 06:24 AM
Soter Soter is offline
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Smile 1 feed a day or two? (for my springer x cocker spaniel pup)

Okay. I know some people who feed their dogs two meals a day and some who feed their dogs one meal a day.

Does it depend on the breed as to how many times a day you feed them?

There is a certain amount that you would normally feed your dog a day, but should you split it into portians throughout the day, or have one main meal at between lunch at dinner (our currant plans are to do just that)

(I'm getting the puppy in a few days to a week maybe more)

Also I read in a book that it is actually better (proven by scientists) to feed your puppy adult food rather that puppy food, because puppy food is so rich in fat and calories that it can stimulate way too fast growth, and slower growth can mean a better body stability.

I know there isn't a benefit to your dogs health or weight either way you feed your dog, one meal or two, but does it help with training maybe.

Wolves have one main meal of the day, maybe i should just get my dog back to all canine roots and feed one a day.


any advice and/or opinions thanks!

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Last edited by Soter; September 10th, 2008 at 07:08 AM.
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Old September 5th, 2008, 08:10 AM
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Does it depend on the breed as to how many times a day you feed them?
no. AGE is what matters. A puppy will NEED to eat 2-3x a day to start. A pup needs the nutrients and calories. Your pup is NOT a wild wolf, please don't treat it like one. Your pup is a dependent domestic animal, who relies on you to feed him properly.

I firmly believe a puppy should have puppy food. (unless starting off on a nutrient rich raw diet of course!) packaged dog foods are processed, and as such, they are geared towards a dogs age/digestion. Adult dog food really isn't suitable for a puppy. A pup needs those extra calories and such to grow and thrive. I liken it to a baby's needs - babies thrive on mother's milk, forumla, or whole milk. I wouldn't expect my 1 yr old to thrive on 1% milk. he needs the nutrients of the whole milk.

that said, my own dog was NOT a big fan of eating multiple meals a day. however, since he needed the nutrients, I often tricked him by stuffing his kong and puppy toys w/ his breakfast and lunch. he thought the food was "treats" since it was stuffed into his toys. we always had a set dinner time for him as well. My dog is 3 now, he eats one dinner meal, but he still gets a few treats through the day.

keeping a pup on a regular eating schedule will help DRAMATICALLY with housetraining. what goes in, comes out. and with scheduled feeding times, it's easier to judge when the pup should need to go potty outside, making training easier. smaller meals, more often through the day, are much easier for a pup to digest and process. keeping him happy, healthy, and less chance for digestive upset.
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Old September 5th, 2008, 08:23 AM
aslan aslan is offline
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well in my home two of the dogs get fed 2x the older dog just once. I have to feed my golden twice because if i didn't he would eat the puppies food. Puppy's as they grow burn off the calories quickly so i agree with jessi, 2x3 times a day is good to start with.
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Old September 5th, 2008, 08:25 AM
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Small breed dogs should always be fed more frequent smaller meals, especially puppies. This prevents hypoglycemic episodes which can be very dangerous.

Large breeds IMO should be fed two smaller meals instead of one large meal, this is important to lessen the risk of gastric tortion.

Puppies regardless of size or breed should be fed smaller more frequent meals, and if fed commercial diet, should be formulated for puppies...they need this extra fat etc. This is sometimes altered for large or giant breed dogs, as the extra fat and nutrition content can contribute to a faster growth than desired....affecting growing bones and joints. So for them, many people will feed an "all life stages" commercial diet instead, or a large breed puppy formulation.

So...it really does depend alot on the size/breed as well as the age. You kind of have to tweak it just right for your own particular dog.
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Old September 5th, 2008, 05:15 PM
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When my dogs were pups, they got fed twice a day. They now get fed once a day, in the evening around the same time that we have dinner.

Cindy
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Old September 8th, 2008, 02:54 PM
Soter Soter is offline
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Originally Posted by jessi76 View Post
Your pup is NOT a wild wolf, please don't treat it like one. Your pup is a dependent domestic animal, who relies on you to feed him properly.
don't worry, i meant when he is way older and doesn't need puppy food and doesn't need 2 to 3 feeds a day. I think when i first get him i will feed him morning, middle of the day, and dinner time, and then cut out the middle meal till it is two feeds a day, morning and dinner. By the way purple domino, what it 'gastric tortion.' ??

also jessi76, you said it helps with housetraining to keep a pup on a regular eating schedule but can it also help with other training eg. obedience... cos' in the same book that i read about the scientists saying that adult dog food was better they also said that if you do a training session with your dog just before a meal he is more alert. Because of this is it better to feed two times a day (when he is an adult?)
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Old September 8th, 2008, 04:59 PM
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Soter- it is advised to do a training session before a dog's mealtime because they will be hungry and more motivated to do what you ask of them for "rewards" (ie treats).
Just out of curiosity, what book was this that you were reading?
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Old September 8th, 2008, 05:47 PM
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Gastric Torsion is more commonly referred to as bloat. It's where the stomach becomes stretched due to gas buildup and in the worst cases, the stomach can actually flip over and twists on itself. If this happens to a dog, it can be fatal if not treated quickly. The condition occurs more often in deep chested breeds like St. Bernards, Boxers, Great Danes, etc.

From the research I've done (I own newfs, which are a deep chested breed) dogs that eat quickly and then drink lots of water are at a higher risk, especially if the kibble is one that swells quite a bit. They eat the dry kibble, drink tons of water and the kibble swells. If the dog cannot expel the build up of gas, it can bloat the stomach.

While it's not unheard of, it's uncommon for a smaller breed like a springer to get bloat.
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Old September 9th, 2008, 10:15 AM
Soter Soter is offline
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hey mollywog

the book i was reading was 'the everything golden retriever book' by the canine unversity usa.

I know its for golden retrievers, not springer spaniels, but it teaches obedience training methods, houstraining methods and general care ect. that can be used for any dog. (and then it goes on to specify about goldens)

so, main question, 1 feed a day or 2
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Old September 9th, 2008, 07:31 PM
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All my dogs,past and present have been fed twice a day.My current 12 year old GSD gets fed twice a day(canned).I also have dry left out for snacking.He was getting fed 3x up untill about 6 months.Then I switched him to adult(suggested by my breeder)..Some breeders will actually wean the pups on adult food.

Personally,I just don't think once a day is enough for a dog.Especially if they are pretty active.But that's just me.

Quote:
Wolves have one main meal of the day maybe i should just get my dog back to all canine roots and feed one a day.
BUT,in this one day,they will eat up to 5lbs.But they can go as high as 22lbs in one sitting.Big difference from a wolf and a dog.And what you also need to remember is,you are getting a domesticated pup from a domesticated dog.Please don't think of it as a wolf...
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Old September 9th, 2008, 09:31 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by kandy View Post
Gastric Torsion is more commonly referred to as bloat. It's where the stomach becomes stretched due to gas buildup and in the worst cases, the stomach can actually flip over and twists on itself. If this happens to a dog, it can be fatal if not treated quickly. The condition occurs more often in deep chested breeds like St. Bernards, Boxers, Great Danes, etc.

From the research I've done (I own newfs, which are a deep chested breed) dogs that eat quickly and then drink lots of water are at a higher risk, especially if the kibble is one that swells quite a bit. They eat the dry kibble, drink tons of water and the kibble swells. If the dog cannot expel the build up of gas, it can bloat the stomach.

While it's not unheard of, it's uncommon for a smaller breed like a springer to get bloat.
My Chow died from bloat about three years ago, and he was about 65lbs, not the "typical" deep chested breed. My sister also had a Golden that had a torsion, if not for her quickness in getting him medical attention and emergency surgery...he would have died I'm sure. In her case her dog had just eaten a large meal, then he had been chasing a ball....enough to cause a twist.

In my Chows case, I can only speculate...he had seen the groomer the same day, and I think this caused him stress. I fed him some unfamiliar food later in the day for a treat (Rollover). Those could have been triggers...but I'll never know for sure. What I do know though, is that it is a horrible and painful death for a dog, and well worth the extra effort of giving two smaller feedings in the hope that it makes a difference to lessen the risk.
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  #12  
Old September 10th, 2008, 06:35 AM
Soter Soter is offline
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Don't worry

I won't treat any dog i have like a wolf, it was just a way of saying, maybe i should just feed one a day

i think i will go with two anyway, seems better
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Old September 22nd, 2008, 07:31 PM
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Twice a Day

My GSD has always been fed 2x/day. I am terrified of bloat because I know of someone's GSD who passed away from it. Koehler gets fed, we wait an hour then take him out.
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Old September 22nd, 2008, 08:21 PM
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Originally Posted by gsdlove View Post
My GSD has always been fed 2x/day.
Same here. We feed our GSD twice a day, equal portions. We always wait atleast an hour before going outside after meal time.

We switched our guy to adult food at 4 months. He is a large breed and it was recommended to us that we switch to adult food earlier to prevent rapid growth.
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Old September 24th, 2008, 11:57 PM
Etown_Chick Etown_Chick is offline
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I started feeding my dog twice a day when I got him - was about 7 months old at the time. I didn't want him starving, or eating so fast he got bloat.
Now he seems to only want food once a day.
But with a young pup, I'm definately echoing those who encourage frequent feeding. He's a baby, babies can't go all day without food.
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