Maybe Silly Questions About Feeding Puppy With Older Dog Around

[DaveyCC]

Hi guys,

Our new puppy came to us last week and is now 9 weeks old (Polly). I also have a slightly older dog who is 1y3m (Davey). Both are the same breed (Chinese Crested Powderpuff).

They both have Black Hawk dog food, Polly obviously has the puppy food and Davey has the adult food. Plus they have raw beef mince with their kibble.

Anyway at meal times I have been putting their food into their bowls and giving it to them in separate rooms - Davey gets his first in the laundry, Polly next in the bathroom. The problem I'm having is that Polly will eat a tiny amount and then lose interest or concentration and wander away. I have to keep putting her back in front of her bowl to eat. She seems to want to be wherever Davey is and follows him. She then goes and eats his food, and he will just stand back and let her.

I've tried feeding Polly in her crate, but she cries and jumps around so much and the food goes everywhere and she eats nothing.

Davey has never been a big eater anyway, he isn't a very food focused dog and I'm worried that he isn't getting enough.

So, after that long story - is it better to keep both food bowls out and let them both graze throughout the day even if the puppy is not specifically eating her puppy food and eating his instead? Or should I persist with taking the bowls away once they've finished (even if they have hardly eaten) and not putting them out again until the next meal?

Or is there some other solution? I've never had a puppy this young before with an older dog around so haven't had this issue of food sharing/swapping.

Thanks

[CHA]

I feed mine together, the competition factor tends to make them less fussy. Keep an eye on them to make sure there are no fights or swapping of bowls and pick up leftovers when they have finished. Never let one bully the other for its food either.

[Kavik]

mine get fed separately, food bowls removed straight away. That way I know how much everyone is getting, and they also get different food

[sheena]

Can you feed them together, but separated by a barrier or wire door, so they can still see each other eating. If the puppy hasn't eaten all his within 15 minutes take it away & give it back to him at the next meal time. Don't let him pinch the older dog's food...take his away too if he doesn't finish it. You may be giving the older dog too much.

[megan_]

I always fed separately, even though my dogs never fought over food and respected the "he/she who got it first gets to keep it" rule. If I dropped food they both went for it but never fought.

I always separated them as a family friend had two dogs who ate together for over 8 years without incident. Then one day, the one dog killed the other over a bone.

Edited February 15, 2016 by megan_

[Dogsfevr]

We fed sep but ours could eat together .

Pander now & you create drama down the road.

We don't allow grazing here ,feed time is that & if you don't eat it goes away .

You have a dog that will stand back & not eat & is fussy.

You have a puppy that needs to learn independence & that includes eating .

If she becomes a food pig your older boy will most likely eat even less .

Eating should be set up for success ,fussy dogs are a nightmare .

[Airedaler]

I presume Polly is having more than one meal a day at 9 weeks I would be feeding at least 3 meals at this stage and your older dog one or possibly two meals per day.

I would always feed Polly in the same place making sure that Davey is not allowed to intimidate her in any way.

I would feed the dogs together for any meals that are at the same time but separated by a barrier or similar but if Polly has not eaten her meal within about 10 minutes take it away. It may be that she is being fed too much and just not hungry.

Personally I don't think leaving food out for any dog to take as it wishes is a good idea although others are happy to do so.

[DaveyCC]

Thanks for the input everyone :)

I've taken on your advice, I've started feeding them together but putting their bowls about 2m apart and then standing in between them and watching them. Polly aka Miss Piggy has been eating hers and then turns her attention to his bowl but I've been redirecting her and telling her NO and she did listen and stop this morning. Meanwhile Davey the fusspot still only eats half and then stands there looking bewildered. Then I've been taking the bowls away and putting them on the benchtop in the laundry until the next meal.

Airdaler - yes Polly is still having 3 meals a day, Davey has breakfast and dinner only :)

[sheena]

Thanks for the input everyone :)

I've taken on your advice, I've started feeding them together but putting their bowls about 2m apart and then standing in between them and watching them. Polly aka Miss Piggy has been eating hers and then turns her attention to his bowl but I've been redirecting her and telling her NO and she did listen and stop this morning. Meanwhile Davey the fusspot still only eats half and then stands there looking bewildered. Then I've been taking the bowls away and putting them on the benchtop in the laundry until the next meal.

Airdaler - yes Polly is still having 3 meals a day, Davey has breakfast and dinner only :)

It sounds like Davey is getting too much food. May I ask, what breed he is, what does he way & how much Black Hawk does he get given daily or per meal. Interested to know this as my two Border Collies are on Black Hawk & I know that some people do overfeed it.

[RuralPug]

It sounds like Davey is getting too much food. May I ask, what breed he is, what does he way & how much Black Hawk does he get given daily or per meal. Interested to know this as my two Border Collies are on Black Hawk & I know that some people do overfeed it.

Both OP's dogs are Chinese Crested (powderpuff coated variety). Adults are normally 4 - 5 kilos maximum.

I agree that possibly the adult is being given too much. It is very easy to overfeed small dogs.

[Scottsmum]

Thanks for the input everyone :)

I've taken on your advice, I've started feeding them together but putting their bowls about 2m apart and then standing in between them and watching them. Polly aka Miss Piggy has been eating hers and then turns her attention to his bowl but I've been redirecting her and telling her NO and she did listen and stop this morning. Meanwhile Davey the fusspot still only eats half and then stands there looking bewildered. Then I've been taking the bowls away and putting them on the benchtop in the laundry until the next meal.

Airdaler - yes Polly is still having 3 meals a day, Davey has breakfast and dinner only :)

Why not divide Davey's kibble into three serves while puppy feeding Polly? dont increase the serve - just divide it into three - but really - if he's not eating it all so be it. Scottie has days when he doesnt eat a full ration - he's probably my first dog ever which self regulates.

[DaveyCC]

Yes they are both Chinese Crested powderpuff, he weighs 7.9kg but is definitely not overweight at all? In fact I was worried that he was a bit skinny!

When I feed him I give him approx 1 cup black hawk kibble and some beef mince, maybe equivalent to about half the size of my palm. He usually eats all of the mince, and about 1/3 - 1/2 of the kibble. But then the kibble is still there for his next meal where he will eat the rest... so maybe 1 cup in total over the course of the day. Is that too much for an adult chinese crested? Maybe I'm giving too much mince?

Polly is only 1.6kg so has teeny amounts per meal, but eats all (or most) of each meal

Scottsmum - in the past I've had dogs that will eat non-stop even if they're full so I guess it's strange for me having a dog that is not that interested in food too lol. Even finding a training treat that he is interested in is tough, unless its polish sausage... he loves that ;)

[sheena]

Yes they are both Chinese Crested powderpuff, he weighs 7.9kg but is definitely not overweight at all? In fact I was worried that he was a bit skinny!

When I feed him I give him approx 1 cup black hawk kibble and some beef mince, maybe equivalent to about half the size of my palm. He usually eats all of the mince, and about 1/3 - 1/2 of the kibble. But then the kibble is still there for his next meal where he will eat the rest... so maybe 1 cup in total over the course of the day. Is that too much for an adult chinese crested? Maybe I'm giving too much mince?

Polly is only 1.6kg so has teeny amounts per meal, but eats all (or most) of each meal

Scottsmum - in the past I've had dogs that will eat non-stop even if they're full so I guess it's strange for me having a dog that is not that interested in food too lol. Even finding a training treat that he is interested in is tough, unless its polish sausage... he loves that ;)

Going by the breed standard, I would say he could be a little overweight. My very, very active border collies weighing 18 & 23 kilos get, not quite a metric cup of BH kibble a day. They also get an egg & a bit of yogurt & half a turkey neck, plus a few training treats & a tiny bit more kibble when performing their "tricks" for us :) So comparing dogs, I would say you are over feeding him & he is telling you that. Definately don't go by the guide on the back of the pack, because that is all it is...a guide.

[DaveyCC]

Hmmm ok, maybe I'll reduce it to around 1/2 a cup plus the mince and see how he goes :)

I also looked up the breed standard for the chinese crested, it said that a male should be 28 - 33cm at withers and no more than 5.4kg... he is 38cm and 7.9kg lol

Thanks

[Airedaler]

My 18 month old Airedale Terrier is fed 1/2 cup of dry food and 250-300 grams of meat per day. She weighs about 22.5kg and is in good condition. So I would say a full cup per day of dry food was a lot for a CC.

[CHA]

Yes I agree, I think you are feeding too much. My 9kg dogs get half a cup of premium dry food with a spoon of yoghurt or an egg or 1 sardine once a day. They get a carrot stick and some apple in the morning and bones on the weekend. I would cut the food down by half and feed one third 3 times a day with the pup and start some new eating habits.

[Christina]

Forget ideal weight charts & look at your dog. If you think he looks slim enough & your vet doesn't think he is fat then feed what you are feeding.

Look at people. 2 of my sisters are the same height as me. They weigh about 10 kilos more & I eat twice as much as both of them, so there is no ideal exact amount to feed. Like people dogs burn up food & have different metabolisms too.

Re the post by CHA above as an example. My dogs are between 2.2 kilos & 4.5 kilos, all toy poodles but some taller & bigger in build than others. They eat about 100 grams of meat plus about half a cup of dry daily plus weekly bones & an odd dentastick. The smaller ones may nibble on the dry a bit less & none of them are fat. So that is as much as Cha's larger dogs get.

Puppies like to eat with other dogs as that is what they do in the litter so I always feed with a couple of older dogs with space between & supervising, once they are about 3 months old & big enough not to get squashed. As mine don't tend to overeat or be weighty I leave dry down all the time for the younger ones but not for the oldies, over 10, as they are desexed & can put weight on as they don't have the energy of the younger ones. That works for me but you have to figure out what works for you routine wise & what suits your dogs.

Don't worry too much about what others do or feed just be sensible & try what works for you until you are happy & comfortable with it.

[flame ryder]

Hmmm ok, maybe I'll reduce it to around 1/2 a cup plus the mince and see how he goes :)

I also looked up the breed standard for the chinese crested, it said that a male should be 28 - 33cm at withers and no more than 5.4kg... he is 38cm and 7.9kg lol

Thanks

My Chinese Crested is about that size. He seems to be a bottomless pit where food is concerned. Mine seems to have the body of a greyhound. Not an ounce of fat on him. Sometimes I think he could do with a bit more weight. He is hairless btw

[DaveyCC]

Well we have had good success the past couple of days with feeding them both together :) I've been putting their bowls about a metre apart and then standing and watching to make sure there is no food stealing... Polly is a piggy and will often try to steal Davey's food but she responds well to a firm NO and returns to her own bowl lol.

I've also cut down Davey's dry food to approx 1/2 cup per day split over 2 meals plus his beef mince and that seems to be a good amount for him with not too many leftovers.

flame ryder - Davey is quite lean also with long legs, but a fusspot when it comes to food :)