Feeding Schedules and the like
Hello everyone! I've just gotten my corgi puppy, Charlie, a few days ago. He's 14 weeks old! He's my first corgi, and well - my first dog that I'm raising by myself! As a first time owner, I guess I want to make sure I do the right things, feed him well, ect.
So for the past few days that I've had him, I've just let his food stay on the floor (along with his water) because it seems like he doesn't eat much (or maybe he just goes and eats when I don't watch him...)
Instead of doing this, should I feed him on a scheduled time? If so, how should I go about doing that (if anything helps, I usually wake up in the 7-10 in the morning range.)? How many meals should he eat?
Sorry for a bunch of newbie questions!
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Emily & Scout on
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Agreed. Getting him on a regular feeding schedule will hopefully regulate his potty schedule. But I'd keep the water on the floor for when he needs it. Good luck with the puppy!
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Permalink Reply by Jane on
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I always fed my dogs two meals a day. I mix the kibble with some warm water and leave it down for 20ish minutes. If they don't eat it, it gets picked up and I don't offer them kibble again until the next meal time.
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Permalink Reply by Jane Christensen on
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I've done it both ways and they work equally as well. As long as you keep track and don't overfeed I would do what is easiest for you. He may be teething if he's not yet so watch for signs of him not eating as well and soften his food with water if this happens.
Good luck and congrats!!!!!!
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Permalink Reply by Harrison & Melyza on
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I agreed as well. I've had Harrison for almost 3 weeks and he's knows the routine already. Plus! It also helps with house training, that way you know you'll need to take your puppy out, about 15-30 mins after he eats/drinks. So, my pup eats at 7am and again around 5pm. But we leave fresh water out for him all day. And of course plenty of HEALTHY training treats all day long. Good luck!
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Permalink Reply by Joe on
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Hii! I'm actually raising a new pup too. This is our second corgi. This is what we do with Chloe. I wake up in the morning (I also wake up around the same time for class). I take her out to go potty and then feed her break feast. She doesn't normally eat all of it so whatever she doesn't eat I leave in her bowl for her. I usually have to go to class by around 10 so I put her in her crate with toys and stuff. I'm home by lunch time and I give her the rest of breakfast after taking her to go potty. After she eats lunch she usually likes to play a little and after a play session I take her out again. I don't feed her again until I'm eating dinner. I try to do the same thing every day because then you also can predict when they have to go to the bathroom. I hope that helps a little bit =D
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Permalink Reply by Beth on
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At 14 weeks I would probably still feed 3x per day, probably about one-half cup each meal. Within a couple weeks I'd make the lunch meal smaller. So if Charlie eats a total of 1.5 cups of food per day, I would give half of a cup in the morning, a quarter cup at lunch, and three-quarters of a cup at supper. By 5 months or so you can switch to two meals a day, with a biscuit or something at mid-day. Once he's done growing, his food will probably need to be reduced or he'll start growing out instead of up. :-) Check with your vet about feeding schedule if you are not sure, but don't follow his advice about how MUCH to feed, just how often. My vet told me to feed Jack 3x a day, as much as he'd eat in 15 minutes each time. I laughed and laughed and laughed, and called the breeder and we laughed some more. He'd have eaten the entire bag in 15 minutes.... Most vets seem to not realize the low calorie requirement of Corgis.
I would leave it down for a half-hour at his age and then pick it up. Agreed with others that you may need to soften it up a bit if he's teething.
Leave water down all day, but take it up about 1.5 hours before bedtime and don't offer water overnight til he's completely house-trained at around a year or so. After that, leave water out at all times.
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Permalink Reply by Sarah Marwitz on
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Corgis love full bellies and will learn to overeat. So I agree with previous posters, do not free feed. Have a measured amount at each meal. When considering how much to feed at meals, take into account caloric intake of snacks as well.
Also, corgis will eat to keep busy if they are not properly exercised. So exercise and measured meals are key!
Enjoy your wonderful puppy!
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Permalink Reply by Cheryl Coons on
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I fed my puppies 3 times daily until they were about 16 weeks old. Then and still 2 times a day with measured feedings. Both my fur kids are "hoovers" and will eat as much as I give so have worked with my Vet to keep them at a healthy weight. I worry about potential back and hip issues if they get too heavy.
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Permalink Reply by Colleen Osborne on
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My corgis each had three meals a day until they were 6 months old (Ellie is still on three meals a day). Then I switch over to two meals (breakfast and dinner). My dogs LOVE to each to I break up each meal into three portions. They have to "back up", "Laydown", and "Stay" until I say go to get each portion of food. This has me controlling food, they get excited about it, and is a great training tool. To help prevent food aggression later I also recommend petting your puppy (especially around the face) when they eat. Good luck and congratulations on the puppy.
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Permalink Reply by Melissa and Franklin! on
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Franklin was fed 2 measured meals a day, however I keep his food down when he doesn't finish it. He is the only dog right now and is fully potty trained so I am able to reliably do that. When I had a second dog, we did what others have said and fed 3 meals a day until he was about 6 months old, then decreased to breakfast and dinner only. He had as long as it took me to get ready for work to eat breakfast, and as long as it took me to cook dinner to eat his dinner, usually he gobbled it right up though bc of the other dog in the house. Now that there isn't a second dog to compete with for food he sometimes won't eat breakfast until 2 or 3 in the afternoon. The main thing is measured meals. Corgis get fat on air once they mature so best to plan for that now!
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Permalink Reply by FredG and Dixie on
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Dixie is 13 weeks old. I have her on a twice daily feeding schedule of 7AM and 7PM. At those feedings she gets 1.5 cups of Purina puppy chow and a total of 20 minutes to eat. The reason for the schedule is to make her poops more predictable, since she poops 20-90 minutes after eating, and the strict pickup ensures that she does not dawdle when eating.
As for treats I give in a little here and there with the granulated rawhide and bacon stix but I try to keep snacks to a single teenie Greenie's chew after dinner or a chicken flavored traditional rawhide so she has to work to get the treat. Also, I do my best to avoid table scraps, to break the begging habit and to avoid really smelly, inconsistent poops (human food, especially meat makes the worst stench).
So far she is 10 pounds at 13 weeks so this plan seems to be working well for us.
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Permalink Reply by steve smith on
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Dino has a schedule. He eats when he wants to. If it means getting me up early well that is what he does.
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