free feeding your first baby with a new baby in the house

[mnemonikos82]

Hello again all, Ive got another question.

We'll be getting a new puppy here in 5 Weeks and i'm unsure what to do about food. Our first baby, Staley, was very finicky as a puppy and dealt with some billiaries. Due to that and some bad skin we eventually got him on natural balance and he loves it. We used to feed him on a schedule but due to work schedules we started to fill the bowl at night ago he could eat while we were asleep since he was too busy watching us in the morning to eat. This eventually morphed into full on free feeding and its been great, he's at a great weight for his frame.

With the new puppy i'm very concerned about feeding the puppy the same food. The manufacturers claim that its for puppies too but comments on here have made me question that due too the fat and protein content which need to be high for a growing puppy.

So my question is two fold. First, do I need to get a different food for the puppy? It would be nice if they were fed the same thing if only for convenience. But if not how do I go about letting Staley free feed but keep the puppy out of Staley's food? Any ideas would be fantastic. Here is a link to his current food. **** Van Patten's Natural Balance L.I.D. Limited Ingredient Diets Lamb Meal & Brown Rice Formula Large Breed Bites For Dogs and Puppies

[Emoore]

The Natural Balance you posted doesn't look like it would be bad for puppies. With a cal/phos minimum of 1% and .8%, I doubt the max is over 1.4 or 1.5%. You could call or e-mail the company to be sure.

That said, most of us who have more than one dog do not free feed.

[Courtney]

I do not free feed for the following reasons:

-like to know exactly how much is being fed
-weight management
-better idea of when mine will poop
-if a meal is skipped...I want to know..maybe there's a health concern

[MaggieRoseLee]

Originally Posted by Courtney

I do not free feed for the following reasons:

-like to know exactly how much is being fed
-weight management
-better idea of when mine will poop
-if a meal is skipped...I want to know..maybe there's a health concern

I'm exactly like Courtney, no free feeding.

And since you have a few weeks to change your feeding schedule BEFORE you get a puppy, I would do so now.

I have a crazy work schedule that changes every 4 weeks! So I just change my dogs schedule too and you know what? They do just fine.

In fact I even feed 3 times a day when I work nights, with the evening meal broken up into 2 smaller meals. It's calories in and exercise that matter. But I need to know WHEN they eat and how much (and why free feeding isn't ideal).

You'll need to know what and how much the puppy is eating and it's equally important for your older dog. So coming up with a new routine that works now will make adding the new puppy smoother later on.

If your current dog doesn't eat when you put down the bowl, and wanders off, just take up the food until the next meal. MANY of our GSD's are picky eaters so you may have some of that going on. Some tips to get these dogs to eat right away are on Pup doesn't want to eat (picky eater?)

[BlackGSD]

Some dogs just aren't into eating more than once a day. If your current dog doesn't want to eat breakfast, just feed him at bedtime when the puppy is crated and can't get to his food.

However, if your current dog sees the puppy eating 2 or 3 times a day, he may decide he doesn't want to miss out. He may start wanting to eat in the morning too.

Personally, I wouldn't feed a puppy that food(unless I HAD to) as it is pretty low in protien and fat. But it probably won't hurt him if you do. Though I would not feed "large bites" to a baby puppy.

[Zisso]

I don't free feed either for the same reasons posted above.

I monitor everything involving my dogs, from food, to poop, to exercise and training, even their play together is closely monitored. That way I know exactly what is going on with each dog and can quickly address any issues that may crop up.

[spidermilk]

When I dogsit I put away anything of value- food & toys. I also feed each dog in a separate area where they can't see each other. I don't want one dog eyeing down the other or any dog to feel like they need to protect their food.

Normally there is only one dog in the house, but I still feed on a schedule. My first sign that my dog might be sick is him refusing to eat. I want to know if he is hungry. Plus for training purposes I can get him hungry which makes him SO EAGER to work for treats.