May 27, 2020
Puppy getting up in middle of the night
Full Question:
Our 4 mo. old puppy, a hybrid-giant schnauzer x standard poodle- has been getting up in the middle (1am, 4am) of the night very thirsty. I give her water and take her out. She pees and poops We take the water and food bowls up at around 9pm and take her out for "last call". Any suggestion?Thank you
Cindy's Answer:
May I ask what kind of feeding schedule you have her on and what type of food she's eating?
User Response:
Science diet, large breed, puppy. We put down 1 cup in morning....she rarely eats right away. We leave bowl down. She picks until gone. Then will fill w/ approx. another 1 3/4 cups. We leave it down and she usually finishes by 8pm or so. Water bowl is down most of the time.
Cindy's Answer:
I'm not a fan of free feeding dogs or puppies, for a number of reasons. I like to use food for training rewards and a dog that can graze all day typically doesn't value food like a dog that has set meals.
I like my dogs and pups to eat on a schedule, which also means they eliminate on a schedule. By 4 months my puppies are usually on two meals a day, they get 15 minutes to eat in the morning and if they don't I pick it up. They are then offered a meal at dinner time, which at our house is around 5 or 6 PM. Same thing, 15 minutes and if you don't eat then you have to wait til breakfast. Letting a puppy eat from the morning til 8 PM doesn't create a schedule for pooping that works for me :) I don't want to get up in the middle of the night if I don't have to.
She may be thirsty from eating dry food all day too, if you must feed kibble I always recommend soaking it for a half hour or so with hot water. That way it rehydrates and the dog won't be so desperately thirsty in the middle of the night.
Dogs have a short digestive tract and they do best when the eat a meal and then go a period of time without food, that is the way they are designed. Horses are trickle feeders and need to eat a little bit all day to be their healthiest, it's not ideal for dogs.
If you would decide to put her on a feeding schedule you should be prepared for a couple of days where she may not eat as much because she's used to just free feeding. I find the owners often have a harder time with this than the dog :)
Just some ideas for you which may long term make things easier for all of you. .
I like my dogs and pups to eat on a schedule, which also means they eliminate on a schedule. By 4 months my puppies are usually on two meals a day, they get 15 minutes to eat in the morning and if they don't I pick it up. They are then offered a meal at dinner time, which at our house is around 5 or 6 PM. Same thing, 15 minutes and if you don't eat then you have to wait til breakfast. Letting a puppy eat from the morning til 8 PM doesn't create a schedule for pooping that works for me :) I don't want to get up in the middle of the night if I don't have to.
She may be thirsty from eating dry food all day too, if you must feed kibble I always recommend soaking it for a half hour or so with hot water. That way it rehydrates and the dog won't be so desperately thirsty in the middle of the night.
Dogs have a short digestive tract and they do best when the eat a meal and then go a period of time without food, that is the way they are designed. Horses are trickle feeders and need to eat a little bit all day to be their healthiest, it's not ideal for dogs.
If you would decide to put her on a feeding schedule you should be prepared for a couple of days where she may not eat as much because she's used to just free feeding. I find the owners often have a harder time with this than the dog :)
Just some ideas for you which may long term make things easier for all of you. .
User Response:
Cindy,Really appreciate the good advice and your time. We are going to implement immediacy (schedule, 15 min. and hot water with the food ) with Tess (pup). My wife and I are learning so much as thing are so much different than back in the day from the harsh corrections, etc. (we are in our 60's). Tess is wonderfully smart and we really want to do the best for her and us. Another thing we are intensely working on is not eating wood chips, rocks, turkey poop, etc. Therefore she is on leash virtually always. We are indicating "yuck" or "leave it" and then trying our best to redirect and mark and reward. My wife has also done a good job of teaching her to "drop it" and we hope to integrate that as well.
Take care and thanks again,
Mike
Mike
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