What is your four/five month puppy feeding schedule? How does that tie in with poo-times (sorry to be graphic) - particularly at night? Do you walk in order to get puppy to poo? Finally, do you alter food quantities as part of schedule e.g. more food at morning meals?
My 4.5 month old puppy does not poo particularly regularly even though fed on a strict timetable! He also needs to poo in the night (although is learning to hold it thanks to crate). Is there a schedule that works best for puppies that need to poo in the night?
When younger there was so much night-pooing (much more than day) that we brought his last feed right back to 3.30. It did help but we are still having issues with night-poos! Or at least the need... As I see it there are two things we need to think about...
1) how to make sure he poos on last outing at night so can go longer at night - his last poo is usually between 6 and 8 and he does nothing at his 10.30 outing as he is sleepy and uncooperative
2) what is optimum feeding schedule? Logic 1, last feed early so plenty of time to eliminate before bed (that is the route we have been following). Logic 2, last feed late so it doesn't need to 'follow through' until later in the morning next day...
Generally (and it isn't fixed really) our puppy follows this schedule:
6 am poo (instant)
7 am breakfast
8-9 poo
10-11 walk and poo (usually diarrhoea - only when zooming around/on walks)
11.30 lunch
NOTHING BETWEEN LUNCH AND SUPPER
3.30 supper
6-8pm poo
8pm onwards - sleepy, no poo
(IF TAKEN ON WALK AROUND 9/10 there might be another poo but never if just in garden)
So we are being woken up anywhere between 4 and 6 am and now know (see other posts!) that this is because he needs a poo. What would you alter to make this a little later and/or less urgent?
One interesting thing is that our puppy is not ravenous at breakfast time. Really enjoys food but not barking to eat at 7. Can happily wait until 8 for breakfast, despite not having eaten since 3.30 the day before!
Sorry for poo detail. I can't help but think that people who have looked after lots of puppies must have some experience with this and what works best for most dogs. Like teachers knowing kids through exposure to volumes of kids, surely people who have looked after many puppies begin to recognise optimum patterns? Or perhaps something is glaringly obvious from what we are doing?
Any help/ advice / experience much appreciated.
Thank you!
My 4.5 month old puppy does not poo particularly regularly even though fed on a strict timetable! He also needs to poo in the night (although is learning to hold it thanks to crate). Is there a schedule that works best for puppies that need to poo in the night?
When younger there was so much night-pooing (much more than day) that we brought his last feed right back to 3.30. It did help but we are still having issues with night-poos! Or at least the need... As I see it there are two things we need to think about...
1) how to make sure he poos on last outing at night so can go longer at night - his last poo is usually between 6 and 8 and he does nothing at his 10.30 outing as he is sleepy and uncooperative
2) what is optimum feeding schedule? Logic 1, last feed early so plenty of time to eliminate before bed (that is the route we have been following). Logic 2, last feed late so it doesn't need to 'follow through' until later in the morning next day...
Generally (and it isn't fixed really) our puppy follows this schedule:
6 am poo (instant)
7 am breakfast
8-9 poo
10-11 walk and poo (usually diarrhoea - only when zooming around/on walks)
11.30 lunch
NOTHING BETWEEN LUNCH AND SUPPER
3.30 supper
6-8pm poo
8pm onwards - sleepy, no poo
(IF TAKEN ON WALK AROUND 9/10 there might be another poo but never if just in garden)
So we are being woken up anywhere between 4 and 6 am and now know (see other posts!) that this is because he needs a poo. What would you alter to make this a little later and/or less urgent?
One interesting thing is that our puppy is not ravenous at breakfast time. Really enjoys food but not barking to eat at 7. Can happily wait until 8 for breakfast, despite not having eaten since 3.30 the day before!
Sorry for poo detail. I can't help but think that people who have looked after lots of puppies must have some experience with this and what works best for most dogs. Like teachers knowing kids through exposure to volumes of kids, surely people who have looked after many puppies begin to recognise optimum patterns? Or perhaps something is glaringly obvious from what we are doing?
Any help/ advice / experience much appreciated.
Thank you!
. I think that Romanian dogs must be nocturnal creatures. It has taken me ages to house train him with his poos. One thing that I did find was that any kind of hard material like a bone or bull's pizzle would cause him to poo at night. Presumably it irritated his bowels. I also think that he may have been punished in a previous home and was being secretive with his poos in order to avoid humans and poos.