feeding puppy via chew toy stuffed w/ food only vs. in a bowl?

[Dewberry Family]

We are getting our puppy this Thursday and reading a lot of different information on this site and elsewhere.  One item I read was not to give puppy a dish of food until it is trained and only feed it the daily measured amound through the use of stuffed chew toys.

 

Does/has anyone done this?  Thoughts/opinions?

 

Thanks,

-cjd

Clayton

[Lori]

I have never heard of such a thing...have you ever known anyone to feed a puppy with a stuffed toy? I think a bowl works just great!

[Jane, Guinness and Murphy]

Wow, I've never heard of this. We got our puppy used to eating from his dish right away. He had been eating from a dish at the Breeder's, so it was totally natural for him. Is the "chew toy" recommendation so that they'll eat slower? I really can't think of another reason why you'd want to take this approach. I never had any issues with Guinness eating too quickly as a new puppy. I did stick pretty close to the amount recommended for puppies his size. Each food provides these daily recommendations.

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

Clayton, where in the world did you read such a thing? Cross that website off your list, they give lousy and potentially dangerous advice! A new puppy needs nutrition, and lots of it. Please use a feeding dish!
Some people do fill a kong or other toy such as a Buster cube with kibble when they leave the house, to keep older dogs & puppies occupied. But this should never be used as the only feeding method, especially for a new puppy!

[Anna and Achilles]

I think the faster you get your new puppy used to the routines and things he will be using on a regular basis the better. I have never heard of anything like this, and I did a great deal of reading before we got Achilles in Sept. Good luck with the new pup! Let us know how it all goes.

[Laura & Chewie]

I think I did this read once. I could be wrong, but if I remember correctly, it's something to do with making them "work" for everything to aid in training with who the alpha in the house is. I didn't agree with it...sounds like nobody else does either. I fed from a bowl, but trained Chewie right from the beginning to sit while waiting for his food and not to go to his bowl until I give the ok...of course, we only make him wait a very short time. Another good thing to do is practice adding to and taking from the bowl while the puppy eats, so he/she becomes accustomed to human hands by his food.

Congrats on the new addition...can't wait to "meet" him soon.

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

I agree with making them "work" for everything, but having them sit first and wait a moment for their food is the right way to do it. Not to literally have to labor for every bite of food, lol!
Many people also hand feed puppies to get them accustomed to human hands near their food. These are all humane methods of training puppies. The idea of showing of a young puppy who is the alpha in the house is a somewhat antiquated idea, and it isn't necessary for many dogs, only those who have dominant personalities and challenge humans authority.

[Sandra Griffith]

The concept of using a stuffed toy (usually a Kong) is done for several reasons. One is to encourage the puppy to learn that the Kong toy is an acceptable toy to chew and play with (versus your shoes, etc.). Another reason for giving the puppy a toy stuffed with food is to give the puppy something appropriate to do when it is confined- either because you are not able to watch the puppy at that time or you are working on housetraining. The third reason for the stuffed Kong is to help the puppy associate its crate with really good things. When stuffing a Kong, it is not always stuffed with just its regular food- sometimes the stuff inside is layered- food, acceptable treats, etc (this is of course dependant on your pup's digestive system being able to handle what you have stuffed inside). It is then often sealed closed with either peanut butter or cream cheese. Some people will freeze the stuffed Kong so that it will take longer to finish eating (to give the puppy more to do when it's alone). The use of a stuffed Kong can be a useful training tool, but does not need to be the exclusive method of delivering food. I have seen stuffed Kongs used successfully for many dogs to help relieve boredom while their people are not available. It's just another tool- that may be helpful to your puppy, but as you are reading is not the only way to do things.

[F, Calla & Luca]

I never heard of this either and it doesn't make much sense to me. I agree that dogs can get "bored" and working for treats and things can be fun. But I do think that it is important that they have the reassurance that food is available when they need it and having a schedule helps us all : )

[Carla, Lucca and Izzy]

Use the bowl!!!! and feed 3x/day the recommended amount. You also need to give puppy the same food the breeder is feeding now so make sure you purchase some before you go. If you want to change to a different food, wait until puppy adjusts to your household. It's emotional enough to be separated from your siblings and having to get used to other people. And remember to transition the new food slowly. Their digestive system is so fragile at that age. I know there are discussions on this in the Food Group section.

[Sandra Griffith]

I like to let a puppy adjust to his/her new environment for about a week before instituting any big changes, especially with food. It's great if you can be around a lot for this first week, Puppies have such a big adjustment to go through from being with Mom and their litter mates to being alone in their new home without them. Of course, housetraining should be worked on right away.

[Dewberry Family]

Thanks everyone. Seems there is quite a bit of debate on the subject across a variety of boards here and the UK. Sandra seemed to hit it on the head - get them use to chew toys and make them work for the food, slow consumption down ( you measure out the daily food intake and some how get it into a variety of fillable toys) and apparently it tires them out as well. I think the biggest benefit is keeping them entertained when they are in the crate.

Another site mentioned that Zoo's are doing this with their primates to keep them engaged and challenged too.

-cjd
Clayton

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

There is a big difference between providing nourishment to a young puppy and challenging primates. I don't know what other sites you are referring to, but here in the Food Group, our focus is on researching and analyzing canine diets and various methods of feeding, not training, and not the merits of the advice in other discussion groups around the globe. There is a lot of bad advice out there, which is one of the reasons we started this group, lol.
Slowing down consumption is best accomplished with the use of special feeding dishes which are designed for that purpose. And again, you do not know that your dog will be the type who inhales his food. If you look through our discussions here, you will see that the bigger problem is for most of us is finding ways to get picky doodles to eat. If you read Sandra's response carefully, you'll see that she was explaining the use of a food-filled Kong to occupy a dog when you cannot watch him, to direct him to appropriate chewing objects, and to make his crate a desirable place...NOT as a method of providing nutrition. She also advised you to "let a puppy adjust to his/her new environment for about a week before instituting any big changes, especially with food".
In your initial statement above, you said: "One item I read was not to give puppy a dish of food until it is trained and only feed it the daily measured amound through the use of stuffed chew toys." And again I will repeat, this is lousy and dangerous advice. Feed your puppy from a feeding dish. Nourishment is nourishment, not entertainment, and certainly shouldn't literally be "work."