We are very lucky to have just got a gorgeous 8-week whippet puppy. She's settling in wonderfully, already telling us when she wants to go out, sleeping through etc. However I wondered what everyone's routines were with feeding etc.?
Our 'routine' at the moment is:
Wake Up 6:30-7
Breakfast anytime between 7-8
Lunch 12-1
Afternoon meal 4-5
Dinner 7:30-8:30
I am sure when she gets older it'll hit 7:02 and she'll be like 'where's my breakfast ma'am', but I wanted to ask others if they have set routines or are more flexible, simply because my partner and I's lifestyle isn't always set in stone.
@thika We've always been flexible with meal times and our pup is completely fine with that. When she was younger and would wake up earlier, breakfast was around 6-7 a.m., now that she sleeps longer it's during/after our walk around 08:30 - 09:30. Lunch is around 2-3p.m. and dinner is around 7:30-8:30p.m.
@thika We had wake up between 6-8 depending on when she woke up.
6-8 AM Breakfast
Lots of training with treats and rations of kibble
Or
Lunch 12-14 PM (depending on if we once in a while don’t have the time to train at that time or we went to exhausting excursions so she wasn’t receptive of training)
Dinner at around 6-8 PM
Worked well for us and she learnt and explored a lot during those first weeks.
@thika I'm always on the side of staying flexible! This is both because I myself am not a stickler for strict schedules and I'm getting myself in deep shit if my dogs are going to be upset their meals are 5 minutes late. My pup's actual meal times are roughly (ranges):
7.30-10.30am - breakfast
11-3pm - lunch
5-8pm - dinner
She gets snacks for training etc before or between these times, and sometimes I split the meals up for engagement puzzles and toys so it's like lots of spontaneous snacks throughout the day that are also games. It not only helps me keep her engaged but also working for some of the food seems to raise the value of the food to her!
@thika Routine is bad for dogs in general. They will start to anticipate routines and it adds a lot of stress. Feeding at the same time is bad for their physical health, they will get sick and anxious if their feeding routine is disrupted.
