Should My Dog Eat During Night Hours?
I have a 11 mo. old female sheltie and I've had her a month. When I got her from a breeder, she would put her food in her crate at 10:00 at night. I am having a hard time getting her to eat at supper or breakfast. I've tried twice a day half each time or once a day. Is it bad or good to let her eat during the night time hours? What else can I do. She's on dry food. Please help. Also what is the best time to give her treats. My other dog eats his meal at supper and then gets treats after. The female loves treats but she can't live off them.
I feel that feeding at 10:00 is too late to feed your pooch. Since she has been fed like this for a while it may take sometime to convert her to a reasonable time schedule. I recommend that you feed her in the morning and in the evening. 8:00 am and 4:30 - 5:00 is fine. I would start by feeding her a VERY small amount at 10:00 pm tonight. Then in the morning offer a small amount again and then at 4:30 and so on. Reduce the amount at the 10:00 feeding and increase on the the other two feedings. It should take about 2 weeks to get her converted. I recommend feeding dry food exclusively and treats are fine in moderation.
Your other e-mail asked about 1/2 cup of food equaling 10 pounds of body weight. It depends on the type of food. All dog food is not created equal. If you feed a Super Premium food the calorie make up is much more dense. Most grocery store brands are far less as far as nutrients and calories. Dogs eat to achieve their optimal caloric levels. If one brand of food has ( this is for sake of discussion) 200 calories per cup and another food has 350 per cup then the amount to be fed will vary. Read the recommend feeding table on the side panel of the food that you are feeding. It should give a chart to follow. You can give her treats at any time but I would not give that many until she is back on a good schedule.
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