am feeding issue

[leechlake]

I've been attempting to figure this out and solve the problem for almost two weeks before posting for suggestions.

We have a Golden who's 5, lab who's 9 and the new edition lab is about 6 months old. All of them sleep in our bedroom. This is the first pup we've had that we didn't crate at night much after the first month since she did a good job not peeing on the floor (and my wife says I love the pup way more than any other one that may be true). The pup usually sleeps on our bed.

For the past 3 weeks or so she wakes up around 430am basically jumps and lays on my wife, sometimes whines, because she wants to eat. She goes to the wife because she generally was the one who woke up first around 6am and fed all three dogs. When you tell her "no" she stops and almost always comes back attempting to be fed. I realize saying no over and over may just be the solution, wife has a hard time with that. If the pup eats and goes outside to pee it takes ten minutes and we can go back to bed til 6.

The pups feeding routine has been eating around 6am, noon, 5pm. To try to solve the 430am issue I first fed her more at the 5pm feeding figuring she wasn't getting enough food, that didn't help. We then upped the amount we fed her each feeding, that didn't help.

The pup isn't too skinny and isn't chubby. When I feel her body I'd say she's right on the money leaning towards having a little too much meat on the ribs but not a lot. Also she is a very petite lab and I'm wondering if that could be a reason she needs to eat more often for some metabolism reason.

[Ufatz]

Well, you put most of us in an untenable position-if we tell you the truth you'll hate us forever and if we don't you'll think we don't care about your new pup.

So here's what I think. You are spoiling the puppy. It HAS been done before! Ha Ha Ha.

But, put the dog out of the room if it bugs you at 0430. You are feeding a six month old dog too often and (probably) too much. You put it out-they'll eat it.

You have to TAKE control of this rascal.....despite your wife's affection for the dog. When it is well mannered and trim and obedient she'll love it even more.

They eat like locusts! I've often wanted to try an experiment wherein you slit open a 50-lib. bag of food and let the dog go at it. How long do you think it would take a young lab to quit eating?

Now let's wait for the dog experts to pitch in and help you.

[nofishfisherman]

I'd just take the dog out of your room and close the door if it wakes up at 4:30 wanting food. It won't starve to death.

Sounds like the dog will eat whenever it can. You want to get them on the schedule that you choose. If you want to feed them at 6am everyday then thats what you should do and ignore them when they want food at other times of the day.

[CaptainMusky]

Is it maybe a competition issue with the other two dogs wanting to eat earlier because she doesn't get enough?

[bobberineyes]

Are they on a cheaper food with lots of fillers since you have three to feed Leech L?

[leechlake]

no they are on premium food.

Ufatz, I'm completely open to your thoughts and I always think those away from the "heart strings" are more spot on than some 47 year old guy like me who likes snuggling with a cute puppy.

[Todd Caswell]

Between the dog and it's master ( or masters) someone has to be in charge and it might as well be you, and right now fido is in charge. We have NEVER done 3 times a day feedings, doesn't fit into our sched. We feed at 6 AM and 5 PM even with puppy's, and have raised 9 in the past 14 years. Dogs run on scheduals and right now your puppy is running on hers not yours, if she gets up at 4:30 and you feed her at 4:30 bingo she wins, next time she does this have a crate handy, tell her quiet and put her in the crate until "your" normal feeding time, might take a few day but trust me she will get used to "your" schedual..

[Pinusbanksiana]

Between the dog and it's master ( or masters) someone has to be in charge and it might as well be you, and right now fido is in charge. We have NEVER done 3 times a day feedings, doesn't fit into our sched. We feed at 6 AM and 5 PM even with puppy's, and have raised 9 in the past 14 years. Dogs run on scheduals and right now your puppy is running on hers not yours, if she gets up at 4:30 and you feed her at 4:30 bingo she wins, next time she does this have a crate handy, tell her quiet and put her in the crate until "your" normal feeding time, might take a few day but trust me she will get used to "your" schedual..

I was thinking the exact same thing. Only thing different here is that I would have a bark collar on the dog once it is in the crate.

[BLACKJACK]

Who's training who?? I agree with the crate idea, only I'd have it in a different room so you can shut the door. The pup will learn in a hurry that whining at 4:30 means banishment.