Proper weight and hungry boy

M

MiracleMan

Forums Novice
Hi everyone! First post on here but I browse quite a bit.

I have a question surrounding Cooper. He's 6 1/2 months old, 16 inches tall and weighs 22 lbs. (big boy) I currently give him 1/2 cup kibble in the morning and another 1/2 cup for dinner. I supplement this with treats and some raw here and there. Based on the 'feel and look' test I've read about here, he seems spot on. Washed him yesterday and could see his hour-glass shape from above and nice raised belly and ribs feel right. He gets regular exercise and is very athletic. However he seems hungry all the time and when I do feed him he devours it before I can close the bag. :smile2:

Is this normal for a puppy? Am I possibly not feeding him enough to avoid him being overweight?

Thanks!
 
Dickens is a big pup who has been given a cup-and-a-half of good-quality kibble since the age of three months; I haven't increased it as he's gotten older, and I think it's right where it needs to be. He seems to be doing well on it; he's very trim, and he isn't food obsessed. He gets treats during the course of the day, but these are fairly small things, like thin slices of beef jerky or pork rinds. He also gets about two ounces of raw beef per day. You could probably up your pup's food by about a half cup without it doing him any harm.
 
Jody is 16" and 20lbs. He's not underweight, just long and lanky. I also feed him 1 cup a day. If your dog is of correct weight then I don't recommend upping his food intake. You can slow down his eating by flooding his food with water or getting a slow feeding bowl. Good luck!:smile2:
 
my pup is 6 mos 1/2. weighs 22-23 lbs and 17 1/2 inches tall :yes: I feed him 3/4th twice a day and he still acts hungry. Honestly, it depends on your dog and we will never feed all the same. I was orig feeding him 1/2 cup twice a day, but when we went to the vet for his 1st check up/ 2nd shot they told me to feed him 2/3rd or 3/4ths. we did 2/3rd for a while but he was starving and ribs were extremely exposed, so we switched to 3/4ths. To be honest, my mom thinks we should still be feeding him more until I told her how much we feed him. If you're unsure, schedule a vet appointment and ask.
 
Hi and welcome.

It isn't unusual for them to act starving all the time - I swear Shelties are worse than labs.

I'm a firm believer in encouraging young shelties to work for their food. It is a great activity for them, teaches them to slow down and they do enjoy it. The best thing is a treat dispenser of some sort for their kibble. I just posted the same info on another thread so excuse me for being lazy but I'll give you the link rather than type it out again. http://www.sheltieforums.com/showthread.php?t=18885

You can also add vegies to his meal, or pre-soak the kibble to add some bulk. Remember dogs guts were designed to be able to eat a huge meal and then go days without eating. And if he's eating that fast the kibble hasn't had time to expand in his stomach so he probably barely notices he's eaten. If he's is looking fine I wouldn't feed more - he'll probably still act like he's starving and Shelties are very prone to over-eating.
 
All my sheltie act like they are starving just ask them. I am convinced a couple of them would eat the entire bag in one sitting if I let them.

Birch is 16 3/4" and 27lbs and he eats 1.5cups plus and is incrediblly super active. So if your pups weight is good sounds like he is getting the right amount.
 
Sca varies from hungry to I am starving and dying feeeeeeed me! He is so food obsessed that I have to let him check the lane prior to racing flyball for stray strands of food someone might have missed (I have seen him almost go end over end for a single 1/4" strand of chicken) So your guy sounds normal :yes:
 
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