[Droidz]

Hey everyone,

so I'll be getting my black lab puppy next week; she'll be 8 weeks old then. I can't figure out a solution to feeding her, and would really love some advice on this.

She's a young puppy and from what i've read online and discussed with the breeder and other dog owners, she should be eating 3 times a day (i.e. morning, lunch, dinner). The problem comes because there isn't anyone at home during lunch, and having my neighbours coming in to help feed her really is not an option. what can i do? can i just feed her more for another meal, or spread her meals in another format (i.e. morning, afternoon, night)? I don't want to put her on a bad habit of eating late or something else.

thanks!

 

[Willowy]

What are you going to do about potty training? She won't be able to hold it all day.

Anyway, I feed my cats 3 times a day--before work, after work, and at bedtime. Of course, they use litterboxes, so feeding at bedtime won't cause any potty emergencies. But the concept is the same--pick 3 times that work for you and feed her then.

 

[Droidz]

What are you going to do about potty training? She won't be able to hold it all day.

Anyway, I feed my cats 3 times a day--before work, after work, and at bedtime. Of course, they use litterboxes, so feeding at bedtime won't cause any potty emergencies. But the concept is the same--pick 3 times that work for you and feed her then.

I think i'll be paper training her for when i'm not home, then using a combination of something like the porch potty on the balcony and taking her all the way downstairs the condo when i can. i;m guessing eventually when she's old enough i can do away with the paper and just take her on walks to let her go. would that work? i'm just hypothesizing based on looking online as this is my first puppy.

back to the food. so it's perfectly okay to feed her late at night? one of my concerns was that she might develop into wanting food all the time at night even when she's grown up, and i don't think it's a good idea to have her eat then go sleep right away long term.

 

[Willowy]

Puppies usually have to potty about half an hour after eating. That's why I said it wouldn't be a good idea to feed her at bedtime. If you can feed her then go for a walk, that could work.

I really would not attempt to paper train a Lab. Or even training her to use a box. I would use puppy pads to line an expen for her to stay in when you're not home, but I wouldn't train her to use them. And take her outside whenever you are home. A big dog is not what you want peeing on your balcony! And if you train her to do that it coud be hard to train her to do otherwise when she's grown.

Can you hire a dogwalker to take her out once during the day?

 

[Madakira]

Just feed her twice a day. I recently got an 8 week old puppy and he was 13 lbs when I got him. I have had him 8 weeks and have only fed him twice a day the whole time. He is 16 weeks now and 39 lbs. It is best to feed when you have time to take them out. I would feed him, then take him out about 20 min later and wait until he went. When he did, I praised him heavily and brought him back inside. This worked great. The dog will grow to be over 100 lbs, and my apt is only 700 square feet and I am on the second floor so I don't really have a yard available besides the greenbelt in front of my apt. Feeding twice a day should suffice.

 

[Hambonez]

I'd definitely hire a dog walker for when you're at work!! Bathroom issues aside, your puppy isn't going to want to be all alone all day. They have too much energy to be pent up for 9 consecutive hrs every day.

 

[hanksimon]

Things to consider with a Lab puppy:
1. Labs ALWAYS want to eat. After you feed a Lab, she will whine and look around for more... they can grow to look like a bear
2. Labs always want to chew. If you leave something to chew... such as newspaper etc., you may discover this habit.
3. Labs are intelligent. Intelligence that is undirected and untrained is destructive mischief.

This does not apply to all Labs, but if you see the symptoms, assume the trend.

Free Download: http://www.dogstardaily.com/free-downloads ..... may help....

 

[3doglady]

We've always fed 3x's a day for lab pups and used a crate. While you can manage feeding twice a day, 3X's is optimal because it helps meet their nutritional needs without having to over-feeding during the other 2 meals. Larger meals can cause stomach upset, or uncomfortable digestion and bigger stools. The smaller, more frequent meals are metabolized at a rate that works for a growing pup and helps their digestive system to mature properly.

In the early weeks, a schedule of 3 feedings a day is hectic and hard to manage. What has worked for me, is to have someone come in twice a day, once around 11 and again around 2, if I can't make it home myself. (High school students, college students, trusted neighbors and pet sitters are great options for this). It costs a little more in the beginning to pay someone, but until the puppy develops the muscle coordination to regulate their digestive schedule, (about 2 -3 months), it's not fair to leave them for longer than 3-4 hours at a time anyway and you are also helping to set them up for successful house training.

At around 4-5 months, I eliminate the mid-day feeding (slowly reduce amt of food and add it to their morning and evening meal) and by this time, they are able to hold it for 4-6 hours. The crate will help to deter inappropriate elimination and the destructive chewing phase that labs tend to go through as puppies.

 

[hanksimon]

Labs stop [destructive] chewing ?