Questions about puppy feeding......

[mindonmatter]

How many times a day does everyone feed their puppy? And how much do you feed them, and what's their age and weight?

I have a almost 11 week old Staffy(SBT), and I think he may need more food. He is about 7 pounds, and I'm feeding him a little more than a 1/3 cup, 3 times a day. This is the recommended amount on the back of the bag of Innova and other dog foods. However, he doesn't have that normaly pudgy puppy look. He's not terribly skinny, but it seems like there should be more mass to him. He's very active and I think he's burning off more than he eats.

Any thoughts? Should I start feeding him a fouth time during the day, or increase the amount he eats and keep him at 3 times a day?

Thanks for any input.

Here's a pic of him:

[Fish]

Well Mind, you have a Staffy so you can't compair them with the way a pitty would look (not that you are) But you pup looks good to me. Not to skinny but not to chubby either, I think he looks good. Your feeding him a good food so he dosn't need as much as he would need if you were feeding him a cheap brand. I am no expert, but you will get some good advice in this forum.

[D]

Ive got a 9.5 week old pit and I just leave food in his plate all day.he eats when he wants to.he weighs about 11 pounds and is a nice lookin dog.

[jmann4]

Sounds like he's getting enough food. You may want to try feeding a fourth time, but if he starts to get pugy I'd drop it back down to three.

Your pup is gorgeous! Staffy's rock!

[concreterose]

I love that puppy He looks fine!

[pocketpit]

You're puppy looks great at the weight he is and is sounds like you are feeding him appropriately. A dog at the proper weight will have a waistline when viewed from above but should not have hip bones, spine or other body parts protruding. The ribs are sometimes slightly visible. They should have a slight layer of fat on them but still be easily felt. I feed my dogs based on looks and activity level for the day. That goes for adult dogs, a puppy can afford to be a little pudgy early on but be careful not to over do it. It can add un needed stress on growing bones and developing joints.

[mindonmatter]

Thanks for the replies. Maybe he is getting enough, I don't know. But all the pics I see of other SBT pups are very pudgy, he's a lot skinnier. And he's ALWAYS hungry.

At first I tried just always leaving food in his bowl and let him eat what he wanted, but one day he ate like 2 cups at once and could barely pick himself up off the floor he was so full. He looked like he was about to give birth, LOL.

I think I'll start feeding him a 4th time and see how that goes. He's absolutely starving as it is, having to wait 5-6 hours to eat.