SherriB

Our new puppy is a sweetheart! He is doing good on the housetraining part. Still has an accident occasionally but we are working on that.

How often should you feed a puppy? Should his kibble be left out for him to nibble on or just fed certain times? He will be a good sized dog, mommy is German shepherd and daddy is labrador (sp?).

What about water? Should it be available at all times? Right now we are taking all food and water away at about 9pm to help with housetraining.

What kind of chew toys are better? His teeth are as sharp as tiny razors. He doesn't have a crate yet. Is it to late to try him, now that he has had full run of our home?

mimom

a dog more likely to over eat if he is only fed a few times per day. I have a German Shepherd and his food is out all the time, he never over eats and has never been overweight. When his bowl is empty he just does his little "I'm hungry dance" and we fill his bowl up.

litacats

puppies are like little children they will get into anything that is left out they also make wonderful vaccuum cleaners. chew toys need to be of a good quality plastic that he can't demolish in the first day, as far as feedind when he is young you feed him twice a day, he needs water on hand all the time tho I do understand you removing it at night, my BIL always used to take his doge walkies just before he went to bed so they could go to the tiolet that way most of the time they can last the night, Bickies can be left out most of the day but do not over feed him with them. If you can keep his diet as close to nature as possible. there is a wonderful site called rawfeeding you can google it and they will give you lots of advice. I hope this helps

milp04

Hi Sherri,

Oh what fun a new puppy can be. It is not too late to crate train him. My border collie just loved his. I have always feed my dogs once in the morning and once at dinner time. I've had an outdoor shephard that we left food out all day for him along with his water. It's a good idea to limit water in the evenings until you get him house trained, then you can leave water out for him with it being fresh water daily. It's also a good idea to clean the bowls every day, especially the water bowl as they get slimey. Housebreaking entails just taking them out like every hour until housebroken. They also do better with praise praise and more praise when they do well. Having toys for him are also good to know that it's ok to play with them and not socks and other things. I like the large cowhide bones that look like bones. They come in different sizes so as he grows get the next larger size until he becomes an adult dog.

I would get some books from the library about the two different breeds so that you can learn which way his traits are coming from. I would also ask your veterinary what he recommends for your questions.

Pam M

nycquilter

OK. I have labs. They eat all the time, and if food is available, they will literally eat themselves sick. I feed mine twice a day though on weekends, in the country, they like lunch too. So, I split their total rations in thirds instead of halves. Calories from treats also count! I use a natural kibble supplemented with nutritional yeast, raw ground beef, and some herbal tinctures/supplements (in case you're not sure, check out the size of my butt--) I leave fresh water out all day for them, they can't drink too much (one of mine is prone to UTIs so I encourage her to drink lots). I have a water cooler type thing for them, so mostly the water stays fresh except for the little bit that is available in the bowl. One of my labs has really hard jaws and needs nylabones or kongs. Anything else, she can destroy faster than it takes to pay for. I also buy the real bones with some filling in them as they occupy her longer. Kongs come in all shapes and are virtually indestructible. A dog can hold her/his bladder for about one hour per month of age, so a 4-month old puppy should be able to last about 4 hours. Now my "girls" are adults (seniors, sadly) they are walked three times a day and in the real cold, can go twice a day without complaint.

prairiequeen

While we are on puppy training.Mine is about 5 months old a has gottten bad about jumping on people?Just to loving. How do I stop her?

irishrose

Feed three times a day until six months. Then two times a day. I feed my adult dogs just once a day. I would never free feed a dog with Lab in it. They never get full. Water out at all times, though I understand pulling it in the late evening.

Crate - a wonderful invention. They are never too old. Lily and Moira were each adopted as young adults and they like their crates. With a puppy, it will save your house. With those teeth, Kongs and a certain black tire may be the only thing he can't destroy.

blossom808

I leave the food out all day for my dogs. They eat when they are hungry. Water cleaned out once or twice a day. Since he is a puppy you can take it away at nite. But have clean water for him all day. Puppies like to drink lots of water. They play so much. They need it. I really like material toys. The plastic ones can tear and a piece could get stuck. Old stuffed animals are good. They have a material freezbie. My doggies just loves it. I found it at walmart. 99cents. Enjoy.

blossom808

As soon as you see her doing it or just before. USE a STURN voice. NO NO. Just keep doing it and when she or he does not jump on people give them a treat. They will learn. Just will take some time. Be firm. NO hitting. Just look them in the eye and tell them NO NO jumping.

Sadiemae

I have had some dogs that I could not leave food out, because they would eat and eat until it was gone. Now I have a poodle Molly, and she only eats when she is hungry. Sometime she eat the whole bowl of food, and sometime nibbles all day. Once in awhile she won't eat for a couple of days. I think the personality of the dog will tell you which you need to do.
The only toy I could use for my dear departed Chesepeake was the Kong. She would instantly destroy every other toy, but she couldn't tear this up. If you put peanut butter inside, it is really good exercise for them to get it out. We had them for years and years. Tried a frisbee, it lasted about 2 minutes.