I have a maltese/shihtzu 12 weeks.

I currently feed him one in the morning around 6am and then again around 6pm. Then I train for about 20min feeding him about 10 or more tiny pieces of dog jerky.

When he does eat he hardly eats any. He is tiny (3.5lbs) but he eats maybe 15 pices of his food. It's natural choice lamb and rice.

He currently poops between 3-4 times a day.

Can I instead just feed him once a day like at 3-4pm plus feed him treats during training? I feel like he would eat more cuz he'd be hungrier?

Thanks for any opinions/suggestions.

The problem with feeding puppies only once is that they are prone to hypoglycemia. When they're young, they have problems maintaining proper blood sugar levels. That's why puppies are often fed three times a day as opposed to two.

I would recommend against the once a day feeding. Perhaps feed him MORE often, with less food. If he's only 3 and half pounds he's not going to need a ton of food.

Have you considered changing his food?

well my problem too is that in the morning after he eats sometimes he needs to go twice but after 2 hours he can't go twice so ends up having an accident in his kennel shortly after we leave. We do walk him lots to try to get him to go but he can't.

I thought since I was training him at night too that it might be okay to do an afternoon and then at night with treats.

Isn't that kinda like twice a day?

at his age he should be fed four times a day.

What about if I feed him in the afternoon around 3pm and then again around 7pm? Is that okay? or must it be in the morning and night?

free feed from 3pm-7pm? plus treats at training.

 Quote: lovella lagdaan

We do walk him lots to try to get him to go but he can't.

Could you explain this?
Is he trying to go and can't or is he just not going?
How much water intake is there?
What kind of "treats" are you feeding him?

Ok he normally needs to poop twice after eating in the morning. But after 2 hours he can only go once most of the time. In about another hour or two I'm assuming he goes again..its in his kennel.

treats there are jerky treats from costco that I break into small pieces when training him.

My new thought is why not split the morning food in 1/2 and feed the other 1/2 at night. And in the afternoon feed a normal feeding that I normally would give at night? Does that make sense?

So 1/2 in the morning
normal in the afternoon
1/2 at night
+ treats at training

How does that sound?

 Quote: lovella lagdaan

What about if I feed him in the afternoon around 3pm and then again around 7pm? Is that okay? or must it be in the morning and night?

It's not just the amount you feed...it's how often. If you fast him for the whole day and then feed him only at night, you may end up with a hypogylcemic dog. Regular, spaced feedings are important.

Training treats don't count as core nutrition. Some people have good luck with training as a way of giving meals instead of using treats. I don't know if that would work...it depends on why your dog is being a shallow eater in the first place...again, have you tried a different food? I'm not familiar with the kibble you're feeding but some dogs really don't like those high in grains (and they're not good for them anyway). Also, on a different note...don't forget that puppies at that age don't need a ton of training, either. Don't know what you're doing on that score, but I thought I'd throw that in!

It's just a fact of having a puppy that the little ones need more frequent feedings. It doesn't last long so hang in there. Perhaps you could feed earlier in the am to give the "morning poo" a chance to make it's appearance before you leave.

When my Corgi was a pup, I had to work during a time I knew he would need to go. I had my friend/neighbor come in and let him out for me for awhile until he was old enough to go down to two feedings.

So is it okay that I split is morning meal in 1/2 and feed it to him at night? Then feed him an extra meal in the afternoon?

It's difficult to answer that without knowing the nutrition in the food your feeding...his energy requirements for growth...his activity level, his current physical condition, etc.

Without knowing all of that, I wouldn't want to venture a guess on how to change what you're doing, other than to caution you not to limit his meals to one per day. I've never had a small dog, so I'm not an expert or even familiar with their dietary needs. But a puppy is a puppy...and they need food for growth and well spaced out meals and proper nutrition. You don't want to accidentally underfeed.

Have you talked to your breeder about any of this?