Adult vs. puppy feeding

[LaRositaMonita]

Mac is rapidly entering "Corgi Teenager" stage...as in, the stage where your dog "forgets" commands, learns to test boundaries, generally gets stubborn and annoying. We are prepared, but are also prepping ourselves for having an adult dog instead of a puppy.

Currently, Mac eats 2 cups of Canidae per day - 1 cup at about 7 AM and one cup at about 6 PM. You can still feel his ribs without trouble and can still see a bit of an indent on his back, but he has certainly filled out and isn't nearly as lean as he was through puppyhood. I haven't weighed him in a few weeks but around Christmas time he was 31 pounds.

Although I know every dog is different... at what point did your dog start needing less food than when s/he was a puppy? How much d you feed your adult dog now, Canidae people in particular? We try to be careful with what Mac eats...but ned to re-learn as things start changing :)

[mtoy]

Link eats Canidae sometimes. Right now he's eating Eagle Pack Holistic Anchovie (many times with added stuff like eggs, meat, etc. but then the kibble is decreased). Anyway, he'll be 1 year old at the end of this month and I just started decreasing his food. He was eating the same amount as Mac - one cup 2x daily. Now he gets the one cup in the morning and anywhere from 1/3 to 3/4 cup in the evening, depending on what snacks, training foods or activity he had during the day.

He's just starting to fill out, but sometimes still has that torpedo look. He has a waist and I can see his end ribs sticking out a little. After dealing with Millie, where just a few pounds make a huge difference I'm very aware of their weight, it's so important. If only I had someone to do that with me!:TWITCHY:

Oh, I just weighed him right now, he was 30 lbs a few weeks ago and now it came up as 29.2 lbs (pretty much the same).

[MVons]

Mac is rapidly entering "Corgi Teenager" stage...as in, the stage where your dog "forgets" commands, learns to test boundaries, generally gets stubborn and annoying. We are prepared, but are also prepping ourselves for having an adult dog instead of a puppy. Relief, thank you for posting, this was our morning.

I've decided with Chester not being neutered yet, and Peggy's comment that her dogs eat more in the winter and our house is cold (54F), that it is okay to keep him on his 1 1/4 cup 2x day of Fosters & Smith chicken and rice. It is less calories than Candidae so don't let the extra 1/4 cup worry you. And Chester was 35 pounds last weigh in. He is sleeping nicely so I can't weigh him now...see 1st paragraph. Chester is showing no signs of weight gain and is exercising even more - he beat the Jack Russell last night in a race during their play. A proud moment for me, even though the Jack Russell just nipped at him more, he puts up with it. Chester is eating 1/4 cup less than his brother does, but his figure shows it!

I'm confused on the indent on the back?

[disraeli ears]

I actually didn't start to reduce Rhys's food until recently, right about their 2nd birthday. Rhys seemed to have a growth spurt AFTER he was about 1 1/2.

I should have reduced Andy's food at 18 months. By the time the twins turned two, she was a few pounds over what she should have been! :SHOCKED: Now, I've cut her back to about 1/2 cup a.m. and 1/2 cup p.m. Rhys is eating approximately 1 and 1/2 cups, split between feedings.

And they seem to be doing fine on Canidae. Though their poo is stinkier....:SWOON:

[dcole]

I actually didn't start to reduce Rhys's food until recently, right about their 2nd birthday. Rhys seemed to have a growth spurt AFTER he was about 1 1/2.


Ditto for Trevor. He also really started filling out at around 1 1/2. Right before Christmas I began noticing that he didn't have as much of a "waistline" as he used to, although it is still there.

Trev is a small Pem and currently weighs in at around 26 lbs.

I make sure that his daily kibble (Innova) intake does not exceed 1 cup (including what I put in his treat puzzle before I leave for work in the morning.) Plus he gets a tablespoon of wet food at each feeding ( twice a day ) and a biscuit before bed. If he gets treats in the evening (like a bully stick) then it's half a biscuit at bed time (He is horribly spoiled and expects his biscuit, no matter what! :WINK:)

[LaRositaMonita]

I'm confused on the indent on the back?

If your dog isn't overweight, two things should be obvious: 1) You can easily feel ribs beneath fur, and 2) when looking at the dog's back from above, you should be able to see an indent or "waistline" just above the hips. Chester's waist should basically have a lovely little curve to it before his rear end :)

Thanks for the support so far...I'll definitely be keeping a close eye on things over the next six months or so :)

[Dillydoodle]

I weigh my boys once a week to see where they are at on any given week. I also keep a close eye on waistlines, though with Gus it is a bit harder as he has a lot more fur ( more of a glamour coat) and so i actually have to run my hands over him to know how his weight is and get on the scale with him to see how he is doing.

I am not feeding canidae ( dillon gets some wet food canidae now and again but Gus gets way too gassy from their food for some reason) anyway, With Gus he was eating twice what Dillon was since i brought him home... he was underweight when i first brought him home and was gaining weight very ... then once all his liver issues resolved, he did start to finally gain weight... and then he got to be a little over weight ( 1 lb) and i started cutting him back a 1/4 cup of food in the evening, and after two weeks he was still maintaining that 1 lb weight gain, so i cut him back another 1/4 cup in the morning, and he was still maintaining that weight, so i finally just cut him back over a two week period from his original 2 cups dry and 1/2 can wet a day to just only slightly more than Dillon was eating ( total per day - 1 cup a day dry with about 1/3can a day wellness, eagle pack holistic, merrick- and 2tbs yogurt 2 tbs pumpkin,) and he did lose the one pound and has maintained the new weight since...

I think if you just watch, and weigh him often ,you will know by the scale and the way he feels if you need to cut back a little..

Emilie

[manymuddypaws]

Wicca gets just under 1 cup a day, and Sam gets 3/4 cup a day. Vito is getting a cup and 1/2 once a day. Wicca packs on the pounds very easily and is actually a little on the chunky side (for her) right now. I like to be able to see the outline of her ribs. She usually weighs around 22lbs or so. Sam hasn't been allowed to be active so he is really putting weight on. I haven't weighed him in a while but I would think he is close to 30lbs- which is alot for him- he used to weigh around 25 or so. And Vito it super lean- still in that puppy stage I think. I haven't weighed him in a long time!

Every dog is going to be different- and everyone is going to have different "ideal" weights. I like my dogs thin and muscled for what I do- some people (my breeder included) think my dogs are too thin and always harp on me about it. Her dogs are fat (or what she considers "show weight" ) each to their own I suppose!

:o)

-amanda

[taflar]

Currently, Mac eats 2 cups of Canidae per day - 1 cup at about 7 AM and one cup at about 6 PM. You can still feel his ribs without trouble and can still see a bit of an indent on his back, but he has certainly filled out and isn't nearly as lean as he was through puppyhood. I haven't weighed him in a few weeks but around Christmas time he was 31 pounds.

Although I know every dog is different... at what point did your dog start needing less food than when s/he was a puppy? How much d you feed your adult dog now, Canidae people in particular? We try to be careful with what Mac eats...but ned to re-learn as things start changing :)

Every dog is different. I don't go by age, but by their weight and condition. I adjust foods as the dogs need it.

Some of mine have continuted to eat 2 or occasionally even more at ages 2 and 3. Our Cassidy (CWC) currently varies between 1 1/2 cups and 2 cups and she just turned three.

Don't worry about what the age is, go by how he looks and feels. (The brand of food doesn't matter either, same advice as above.)

Peggy