New Puppy!

[boredomkillz]

Hey guys!

I recently got a 9 week old Cavalier King Charles Spaniel. Her name is Bella and she has been awesome. My only problem is regarding what schedule I should follow.

I'm not very good with timing and I don't know when its to soon or to early to do anything with a puppy, sometimes she so cute its so distracting!

I know that a growing puppy should be fed 3 times a day, but most of the time she ignores at least 1 meal.

What schedule should I follow for my little Bella? What has worked for everyone else? Are three meals really necessary?

Extra question, what is a good time to stop allowing access to water at night for my pup?

I want to shrink every possibility of my pup going to the bathroom in the middle of the night. I know its not possible, but I would at least like to try.

Thanks!

[Aussienot]

From eight to sixteen weeks, I would offer three small meals a day. Her stomach is really small and her digestive system is not fully developed. Little bits of food will be more readily digested than a large meal. If the puppy does not eat one of the meals, you may be offering too much at one time. So cut back on the portions, but maintain the three meals frequency.

After sixteen weeks (about four months) you can probably cut back to two slightly larger meals. Make sure the puppy is not putting on weight, but provide just enough for steady growth. Cavies are prone to weight problems, so err on the side of skinny while Bella is young. Actually, err on the side of skinny for her whole life.

I would remove access to water one hour before bedtime. Make sure the puppy actually toilets before bed. Don't put the puppy out, go out with her.

The general rule of thumb is that the puppy can hold urine for one hour for every month of life, plus one. So it would be reasonable to expect about three hours. If you puppy sleeps soundly, you might get five or six pee free hours at nine weeks. So getting up in the middle of the night is part of the deal with having a puppy.

Make any nighttime toilets very low key. Don't talk much, don't give her much eye contact and only praise a little when she does toilet. Then straight back to bed. You don't want her to learn to wake you up in the middle of the night just for companionship.

Her ability to hold will increase rapidly as she ages. Some puppies learn to sleep through the night pretty quickly (lucky owners!) but these will also be early risers, so don't plan on sleeping in for a while.

Cavaliers are a lovely breed and usually have a charming nature. You must be very happy with your pup.