hi as i am a new member and would like any help with my new puppy jake he is 15 weeks old black lab i was told by breeder to feed him 4 times a day but some say thats to much.he is on beta puppy food large breed also how long should i walk him 15 mns a day x 2 i dont have a clue any help would be great is he to young for dog training classes.we have three kids all under 12 who cant wait to get him out walkies he is a great we lad and sits on comand when told and loves kids to bits all happy .thank you sam
Re: how much food does my 15 week lab need Hi Sam I'm new to this site and to puppy ownership, too, but can tell you what we're doing with our pup. Breagh is just under 4 months now. We fed her 4 times daily up to 3 months, then adjusted this to 3 times a day, mainly for our convenience, but also because she could manage with slightly larger meals by then. We were feeding her on Purina Beta (with goats milk for the first couple of weeks) as this is what the breeder used but, because she was very itchy, we took advice and changed her to James Wellbeloved puppy kibble. We moisten this slightly with water. JWB is more expensive, but she's doing extremely well on it and needs slightly less quantity than the Beta - she has also stopped being itchy. I use the feeding guidelines on the packet as a starting point then adjust it as necessary so she doesn't get too fat or lose weight. She has around 410g of kibble a day divided into the 3 meals (plus quite a lot of treats for training etc). I've also found using an anti-gorge bowl helps to slow down her eating - she still gets hiccups but doesn't belch like she did! I believe the accepted rule for exercise is 5 minutes a day for every month - so 20 minutes at 4 months but that's "human-led" exercise. Breagh has lots more than 15 - 20 mins each day but its puppy-led, that is to say, she can stop, sniff, roll, play in a puddle etc as she chooses. Her "hard training" is only a few minutes here and there within this. We are careful that she doesn't jump or struggle on steep ground etc so she doesn't hurt her legs/growing bones. I can heartily recommend you read the many articles and links on this site - I've learned such a lot that way. I also have Pippa's books Right Start/Grade One which are fabulous resources as regards training and general approaches. Our pup is due to start general obedience classes in 3 - 4 weeks' time. Good luck with your pup!
Re: how much food does my 15 week lab need Hi Sam, and welcome to the forum. Kitty has given you some great information. There is also a 'puppy section' on the main website which you might find useful. My three and a half month puppy is on three meals each day, and we drop down to two meals somewhere between five and six months. The main thing is to avoid diahorrea which can be triggered if you give too much in one go. That is why we divide the meals into several portions. Check out your local classes and ask what age they take puppies from as it can vary from class to class. You can find a list of trainers here APDT Pippa
Re: how much food does my 15 week lab need thanks to all replys we have cut down to 3 meals a day and are doing one 15 mns walk hopefully this will be ok anyone who knows diffrent please advise he likes to walk when having a pee is this normal any way he is loads of fun and we all love him to bits many thanks to all sam
