Hi All- I am looking for some advice. We have a Rough Collie Pup that is 4 months old. Up until recently she has been very good, just the usual puppy nipping etc. She has started being aggressive at feeding time, jumping, barking, yipping and she will not listen to any commands, sit, settle, stay. No way. She is not having any of it she just wants her food. She was also a slow eater now she is GULPING her food down so fast. We can't seem to control her and yelling at her makes it worse, she then starts to bite harder and jump and yip more. ANY advice would be so appreciated. We love her dearly and just want her to be a good dog.
I'm sure that this is behaviour that she will grow out of. She is a little young yet to have learned a solid sit and wait. (This is a game that you could be working on in less exciting circumstances, using treats or toys as rewards). I would be inclined to separate the preparation and the giving of her food. Does she have a crate or a puppy pen, preferably in a different room? If so, I would put her in her crate while I was getting her meal ready, and feed her in there, - at least for the time being. If you don't use a crate, maybe a baby gate or a closed door would do. I don't like to see puppies overweight, but do you think it is possible that she might be gulping her food because she is getting too hungry? You could try increasing her ration if she isn't fat.
Thank you so much for your reply and great suggestions! She is not overweight and seems hungry all of the time. We are feeding her 2x's a day as the breeder instructed as per the chart on the puppy food, 3 cups per day. Perhaps we will try to increase it some to see if it makes a difference.
At four to six months, I would still be feeding three times a day. I feed my adults twice daily for life.
I agree with @CaroleC about feeding three times a day, changing to twice a day as adults. What are you feeding your pup? Charts on dog food are only a guide - an average amount for an average size dog - but all dogs are different and need the amounts to suit themselves, not the amount that the chart says.
I do worry about bloat with Collies so we didn't want to over feed. Does anyone have some insight on this? We are feeding the Puppy Purina Pro-Plan. Any information would be much appreciated.
I do not know anything about Puppy Purina Pro-Plan and I cannot find it on DogFoodAdvisor - just the Purina Puppy Chow, although no doubt others will be able to advise you about it. I really do not know anything about dog food as I am a raw feeder, which is why I looked on the DogFoodAdvisor site As you are worried about over-feeding, I would suggest dividing her total daily amount into three meals and not two, and adding just a little more to each feed. That way she should not be so hungry that she gulps her food down and should also give you a guide as to whether she is or is not getting enough to eat or, in fact, she is hungry because she has gone too long between meals.
Thank you so much, we have added an additional feeding to her day. Hopefully her behavior will change. We chose Purina Pro Plan puppy food because they are one company that are always doing trials/research on their products. They are also one of the top pet food companies in the US. Here is a photo of our beautiful baby.
Dividing her total daily feed x3 should actually help to reduce the chance of bloating. My elder Beagle was raised on ProPlan Puppy. He arrived with half a bag of it, but I swapped him onto a grain-free kibble. It is hard remember exactly why, (he is 11 1/2 now), but I do remember that we had a couple of vet visits for a runny bum, so I'm guessing that would have been the main reason. Your girl is beautiful, what do you call her?
Sadly bloat can happen even if things are done correctly. Lean dogs were found to be at higher risk than overweight dogs. https://www.vin.com/apputil/content/defaultadv1.aspx?meta=Generic&pId=11165&id=3848657 I added water to the dry food just before feeding I never fed dry alone.