[fusarium]

I'm curious if I should teach my puppy (who I get tomorrow!!1!111!!!) to learn to sleuth for her food inside of toys, or get fed a bowl of grub a proper feeding time 3x/daily. I have 4 Kongs and 3 balls that I can stuff treats into, like kibble.

What would be best? She'll be home all day with me tomorrow and on, but I work on my computer, and would appreciate time where she could do her own thing.

Thoughts?

Thanks!

- Casey

 

[Amaryllis]

Ditch the bowl. There's no reason to feed from a bowl, and feeding from toys, or just hiding food around the house, works a dog's brain and keeps them occupied. Just make sure, with a puppy, that you're using toys made for puppies and you're not making it too hard at first. You have to start small and work your way up.

Also, congratulations on the puppy. Pictures are required by board rules.

 

[+two]

I would disagree a little with the advice above.

I think it is important for a puppy to learn how to eat from a bowl, which sounds ridiculous, but I would want to make sure they are comfortable with it just in case the need arose. For instance, say you are traveling. You may run into a situation where feeding from a bowl is necessary.

I feed my dogs using both bowls and interactive toys.

 

[fusarium]

Got it! Thank you for the replies. My current plan is 2 weeks of toy feedings, then moving to some raw food in her diet, which needs a bowl. I don't want to stuff raw eggs into a Kong!

Happy Pepper Day!

Here's one to get your "awwwwwwwwww"s started.

 

[Abbylynn]

Awwwwe ..... so precious!

I like your idea ... but I also liked my pups to eat at least half of their daily intake out of a bowl ... because that way I knew if they were becoming ill when they did not eat their food. It is hard to keep track of when free feeding. Just something to ponder.

 

[a7dk]

Awwww! Your dog is SO. CUTE. I second both things - teach the dog to eat out of a bowl, but feed from toys for some extra challenge and fun, and to get puppy to leave you alone for 15 minutes. It will also teach the puppy to not scarf all his/her food down at once. I highly recommend a tug-a-jug, but it might be too challenging for a baby? Not sure, but extremely fun and entertaining for an older dog.

 

[Sasha1/2]

Pepper is adorable!

The advantage of feeding your puppy through stuffed toys is that, when you are unable to monitor her, she will have an activity to occupy her. She will also learn to chew on toys instead of your home.

I stuff Kongs with Sasha's kibble and with peanut butter. You can stuff a Kong with anything -- even raw meat -- and then put it in the dishwasher or use a bottle brush to clean it thoroughly. I also feed a portion of her meal in a dish. Sasha inhales the food in her dish. Its gone in minutes. I like that she takes time, enjoys and is challenged by eating whats in her Kong.

I'm going through destructive chewing with Sasha now. Its not fun. Feeding in toys is not a cure, but it does distract the puppy from inappropriate items for a while.

 

[fusarium]

Pepper LOVES her Kong Wobble. She is really active when she is eating, which is fun. I play with hiding it, to ensure she's not protective.

Yesterday, she got a nibble on my Kindle case, which was caught before it got too far. That's because I was napping from exhaustion the night before. Whoops!

She slept 11 hours last night, which meant I was able to catch up on my sleep.

Pepper is the puppy dream!

 

[CrazyDogLady]

Congratulations on the new baby. She is absolutely adorable!

I generally spilt Mercy's food into thirds: 1/3 from her bowl in the morning, 1/3 in one of numerous interactive toys to give her something to do while I am at work and 1/3 in the evening. It does work well, although be warned: the Buster Cube and the Tug A Jug are both pretty loud with kibble rattling around in them, they might be a distraction, since you work at home.