Like much internet advice I find short answers incomplete - and mine was. I really want to ad that making a crate/xpen/gated puppy area should never be seen as "punishment". These partitioned puppy areas should be conditioned to be safe places for a puppy/dog. Mine, thankfully, tolerates and even likes her xpens probably because it's where she eats, receives treats, sleeps, chews and even plays. This took about a week or so. Now she voluntarily goes into her xpens (in my case) on her own and when she's put there involuntarily she might whine for a minute before settling down with a chew and/or going to sleep.
Feeding Schedule
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I have two 11 week old male basenji puppies. I have been feeding them 1/2 cup, three times daily. Is this the correct amount?? Should I be feeding them more or less?? Should I move to two times daily??
They are being fed Blue Buffalo Puppy dry food.
Where can I find a guide to show when to change a puppy's feeding schedule?
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Honestly, you really need to feed according to the puppy itself… as one "size" does not fit all....
As far as # of times a day, usually by the time they are 12 wks mine are on 2x's a day, but again, depends on how they are doing....
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These are one of those things that you can chat with your pups breeder about.. I am sure they'd be happy to talk to you about it.. if they didn't already give you a puppy feeding schedule.
Good luck with the new pups!
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What food are you feeding? The quality, calories, fat content etc is critical. 4 cups of cheap food may have less calories than 1/2 cup of quality.
I feed puppies 3x a day til they are 6 mos old, particularly smaller breeds. Until they hit about 20 pounds, it is harder for them to regulate blood sugar levels with 2x a day feeding. I know many who do feed only twice, but I just like to know they can utilize the food and can maintain stable blood levels. I won't bore you with research, but a good article in general:
http://www.vetmed.vt.edu/vth/sa/clin/cp_handouts/Nutrition_Growing_Puppy.pdfAll that said, if your pup is neither fat or thin, is healthy, then you are probably fine. If you see problems, evaluate. But you can never go wrong with top quality food. As for puppy or adult food… I switch at 6 mos over to adult. Many stay on puppy food til a year.
