Food question and update on our puppy!

[Doug and Beth]

So Coco has been with us for 10 days now and he is just the most adorable thing!  From day one he has slept in his crate throughout the night and does not make a peep (I am sure I just cursed myself).  For the most part he is going outside however does pee in the house 2-3 times a day and most likely because we are only taking him out every 1.5 hours.  I am not sure if we should be doing more but I want to teach him to hold it when he is not in the crate.

 

Now to food-for some reason he is just not eating a whole lot.  The breeder had him on Orijen which we continued and his poop is fine so it's not irritating him at all.  I would say he is eating about a 1/2 cup of food if that.  We tried adding goats milk as per the breeder to soften the food but he doesn't really seem to like it.

 

I have been making eggs for him in the morning and adding it to the food and he loves them but does not finish them all.  I make two eggs.  He is 10 weeks old so not sure if this is the amount he needs and we are just paranoid.

 

The only night he gobbled the food was because we poored the juice from steak we made for us over his food as a test and buy did he gobble it!

 

Any suggestions?????????

[Adina P]

I won't address the food, I'll leave that to those who know doggy food better.

 

BUT you DO NEED To take him out more than every 1.5 hours.  He may be able to hold it 1.5 hours in a crate, but puppies pee FAR more often than that when playing or free in the house.  I would go every 30 minutes when he's not crated. He needs lots of opportunities to pee and poo outside and learn that is the place to go.  He can obviously learn to extend that over time, but definitely give him more potty breaks.

[Nicky, Riley & Boris]

Firstly I think he is too young to hold it for 90 minutes and so it may be fairer to take him out more often.  At ten weeks I am sure we were taking Riley out every 30/40 minutes.  Now at 17 weeks he hasn't had an accident indoors for over three weeks.

On the subject of the food, is Coco gaining weight? when you say half a cup do you mean at each meal or through a whole day?  If he's gaining weight  I wouldn't worry about how much he is not eating.  I would simply leave the food down for twenty minutes  and then lift it.  He won't starve himself and will soon get the idea that he needs to eat at mealtimes.   I think that often puppies in a litter who are competing for food back off when there is no competition.  If you start adding all sorts now you may be encouraging a long term problem.  I know this all sounds harsh and this is just my opinion.  Hopefully others will chip in and may have a different view.

[Angie, Hudson and Lily]

I also say no less than every 30 minutes. At times it might be every 15 minutes if he is playing or eating. Running around stimulates the need to go (as do eating and drinking).

[Doug and Beth]

Thanks for the feedback!

 

As far as food it's about a 1/2 cup every feeding is what he is eating.  Just wasn't sure if this was normal or not

[Allyson, Peri & Taquito]

Is he a standard?  How many times a day is he eating - 2 or 3?

 

I agree with others about taking him out.  When he is out of the crate and you are home, try every 30 minutes.  Peri had accidents if we didn't do it more often.  It was always our fault. 

[Doug and Beth]

Wow folks you really know how to make someone feel like garbage!!

 

Let me clarify we are taking him out more frequently just trying to stretch it a little and no one is blaming the dog at all we are blaming ourselves!  Secondly he had a few minor accidents and I mean minor.

 

Damn you are all making it sound like we are abusing the damn dog.  I appreciate killing us and not answering the original question.  Sorry for being upset but the posts could be a little less offensive

[Donna K & Quincy]

Take a deep breath, I am sure no one is trying to offend you. I just read through the replies and all I see is folks offering the best advice they have. Puppies can be finicky little creatures and as long as your pup is thriving and gaining wt you probably should be fine. What amt does the packaging recommend for you pups size, as long as he is close to the amt I wouldn't worry. When Quincy was a pup we went through all kinds of feeding issues and tried many different foods, we finally settled on Fromms Four Star line and haven't had any issues since. Good luck with your little baby, hope you find a solution that works for you. Sometimes a little something sprinkled on top of the food is a good enticement to get them to eat, parmesan cheese worked for us.

[F, Calla & Luca]

I agree. We are trying to be helpful. No one who is abusing their dogs asks for advice do they.? Please remember some of us have answered these questions many, many times so we tend to be a bit terse and dogmatic.

[Kim]

When I give my dog an egg, I split one egg up for her two meals.  You should ask for assistance in the food group in regards to the eggs. 

 

No one was trying to be rude.  You asked for assistance, and you got it.  Not everyone is knowledgeable about certain areas, so I'm sure that is why only parts of what you were asking were being answered.  Most of us have had a puppy that needed to be potty trained.  That is why you are getting more answers about taking the dog out than answers to your food question.

[Jennifer,Chloe & Myla]

Chloe wasn't eating much as a puppy or so we thought, we tried everything and she wasn't on a great food like orjen. It turned out after about 6 months that we were feeding her too much at a time. We fed her twice a day but we went by the guidelines on the bag and the vet said that we were overfeeding her and she just wasn't hungry. I felt bad taking her food away after about 20 minutes but it worked. I think the egg thing is great I also heard 1 boiled egg per meal or scrambled for a puppy it could be less. If you are making the egg anyway just see how much he wants to eat.

We took our dogs out every 20-30 as puppies but we also trained them on the potty bells on the door and they caught on real quick. We also had a few accidents. In crate and out. You are so blessed that Coco sleep in the crate all night quietly! We never could get Myla to do this.

Good luck and keep up the good work Coco!!!