Hello! I am new to posting, but not new to reading all of your very informative posts! We have a 9 week old black lab puppy who LOVES to eat. We feed her 3 times a day, a heaping 1/3 cup (based on recommendations on Blue Diamond dog food bag). However, every time she eats it's like it is the first time she has ever seen food in her life and she just scarfs it down in a very short amount of time. She appears to have enough energy, possibly too much She is a little over 13 pounds or 5.9 kg and with treats and feedings, she is eating 1 1/3 to 1 1/2 cups of food each day. She is quite active, plays a lot with our older lab and us, does several minutes of training each day (just to give you an idea of her "schedule"). Also, she is doing quite well with her potty training and the only time we have a mess is a potty in the floor sometime in the middle of the night. She sleeps with my daughter, not in a crate, and probably won't crate her at night. Thank you for any insight.
Bella ( who is celebrating her 2nd birthday on Wednesday ) started out on 3 cups of her food as per instructions from her breeder and just like your pup would scoff it down in seconds . What we found helpful was giving her meals in a puzzle feeder or her Kong wobbler , which slows down how quickly they eat by making them work harder for it , apparently this also helps make them feel "full " . From what I have read labs in particular have a faulty POMC gene that regulates the proteins that help switch off hunger after a meal Therefore slowing down how quickly they consume their meals , for want of a better way of explaining things , can help as it gives their brains time to catch up with their stomachs . One good thing about your pup always feeling hungry is that she will be easier to train using food as a motivator !!So look on the bright side lol
Welcome to the never ending world of Lab feeding! Even after scoffing his meals Bailey will always find room for treats! And if I am eating then it is like he has never been fed, not ever ever ever before in his life! Bailey is now 16 months old and is raw fed. When he was fed on kibble he was a grazer and the only time he would eat it in one sitting was if there was chicken or something else mixed in with it, but since swapping to raw he eats all in one go, but still probably not as quickly as some labs do. I always say it's a Lab thing, the never been fed before (my previous lab was the same!).
My yellow Lab turned 5 in April, and he STILL eats like he hasn't eaten in a week! I actually fill his bowl with water until his food is just floating, otherwise he chokes himself! A guideline we use for our Guide Dog pups is that if you look at your pup from directly above she has a visible waist (not an hourglass, but there must be a waist between her ribcage and her hips), and you can't see her ribs, but you can feel them with a little gentle pressure.
A faulty gene? That's interesting... I don't think my two's brains have ever caught up with their stomachs, particularly Tuppence's!
I asked this question when Tatze was 12 weeks old. The vet said 'no, in fact she's a little chubby - be careful or you'll easily over feed her, Labs are always hungry'. Lesson learned - and, yes - she's always hungry. I never give her titbits and this helps her weight and it also manages her expectations. There is no 'asking' at all when we are eating and outside meals or training times.
If she eats too quickly it would be worth investing in a snuffle mat or kong feeder or puzzle feeder. It really helps slow them down as well as tires them out. Labs are renowned to be greedy dogs.
All my dogs love the snuffle mat. W&S sniff the kibble out and eat it daintily. Squidge picks up the mat, flings it upside down then eats the kibble off the floor
I have to work harder at keeping Wispa slim and always monitor their food. Although their treat ration is usually about the same, Tuppence has a bit more kibble than Wispa, but always seems to burn it off. She's slighter and lighter than Wispa, but perhaps that's because she's working type, rather than show. They're currently sitting beside me to let me know it's nearly supper time! (Not until nearer 5pm, girls!)
Cooper (now 3 years old) started out at 8 weeks + on three cups of large breed puppy food. You are giving her 1-1/2 cups of food. She is probably hungry, but check with your vet re food and how much.
Another article. I swear my BIL has this too. http://www.cam.ac.uk/research/news/...lp-explain-why-labradors-are-prone-to-obesity
Today Mollie is having a bladder scan and can't eat before she goes at 9:45am. So I haven't fed either of them and I'll feed Tatze when we get home. Interestingly neither of them is making a fuss about this!
You just can't make generalisations like that, though. Every puppy is different. Every food is different. There is no way of saying what weight, or volume, of food is appropriate for one puppy, based on another. The only way to do it is by looking at the puppy's condition and adjusting the food accordingly.
