Puppy Meal Times

[RosieAndCharlie]

I'd be grateful for some advice on the best meal times for my 4 month old lab. After a few lovely weeks of sleeping until 6.30, she's needed to go out at 5.30 every morning this week which is getting painful!

I thought I might try moving the time of her last feed to see if it stops her needing to go out early, but am confused by what I've read online.

Half the sites seem to suggest I should feed her earlier in the evening at about 17.00 ish so its all been digested by bedtime (although then I'd be worried about her waking up starving!) and the other half suggest pushing it later.

At the moment I'm feeding her three times a day, at about 6.45, 13.00 and 19.30.

Thanks very much.

I've got a four month old lab. I feed her at 7.00 am, 1.00pm and 6.00pm roughly depending on what's happening. If she's up very early on the weekend then I'll let her out then put her back in her crate with a kong.

Push the last meal back 30 min at a time to see if it helps.

I would aim for the evening meal to be earlier. Generally dogs get used to their feeding times and her breakfast is early so she shouldn't be waking up starving. We did last meal at 5.30pm.

When the fourth meal is dropped, I advise my puppy owners to drop the late night feed and push the afternoon feed back a bit - so my pups would be fed at about 6.00am, midday and at about 5.5.30pm.

They are hungry in the morning, but not uncomfortably so. Mostly they are able to go through the night without needing a poo on this schedule.