Skip to content

Feeding Schedule

Basenji Puppy Pen
  • 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?

  • 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....

  • 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!

  • 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.pdf

    All 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.

Suggested Topics

  • Four Puppy Questions

    Basenji Puppy Pen
    31
    0 Votes
    31 Posts
    4k Views
    DebraDownSouthD
    I know too many puppies and dogs injured or killed due to collars left on unattended. Not worth the risk.
  • How do I limit puppy biting???

    Basenji Puppy Pen
    15
    0 Votes
    15 Posts
    2k Views
    Beth314B
    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.
  • Too much walking?

    Basenji Puppy Pen
    9
    1 Votes
    9 Posts
    1k Views
    ZandeZ
    @jkent I have certainly never even heard that advice and would not have taken it if I had. It depends on the conditions underfoot, the breed, the size of the puppy (some breeds have very large ones !), off leash or regimented walking, stopping to admire the view / watch the puppy socialise with dogs he/she meets. SO many things to take into consideration. I wouldn't pay much attention to generic advice from the KC. Our breed is 'different' !
  • Puppy Feeding Issues

    Basenji Puppy Pen
    5
    0 Votes
    5 Posts
    3k Views
    c-busC
    Thanks for all of the great ideas. I will go to the limited time for feeding and may start to mix in a little wet good as well. I have begun some train with her but was told I have to wait for all of her shots to take her to obedience classes. She has her third set this monday and then the last ones in three weeks. I have almost got her to sit, she does it if she knows I have a treat but struggles if I just come out of the blue and tell her to sit. We're working on it.
  • Raw Feeding?

    Basenji Puppy Pen
    73
    0 Votes
    73 Posts
    47k Views
    D
    Or rats…...even more ewwww.
  • Bite the Hand that Feeds

    Basenji Puppy Pen
    3
    0 Votes
    3 Posts
    3k Views
    lvossL
    This sounds like resource guarding. The eating fast is a sign of it, then when your husband grabbed Mick it just confirmed to him that someone was out to get his resources (the food). The link that Pat provided has a good discussion. I would really recommend getting the DVD The Language of Dogs, http://www.dogwise.com/ItemDetails.cfm?ID=DTB875P, it sounds like Mick gave a lot of signals that he was going to bite before the bite actually happened. Learning to read those signals will really help to prevent situations where Mick feels the need to escalate to biting. Some things you can do to prevent this situation in the future. If you are worried he is eating to fast, one recommendation I saw for slowing the pace a dog eats at is to put a tennis ball in their dish so they have to keep moving the ball out of the way to get to the food. You probably should also feed in the crate, so that he is less worried that any people around may take his food. You are going to need to work on the resource guarding, a good source of information is the book Mine, http://www.dogwise.com/itemdetails.cfm?ID=DTB740