Couple Puppy Questions

Q: My puppy is now 12 weeks old. I was giving her 1/4 cup food 2x day. Should I stay with this measurement or give her more ? Also when sitting on lap she jumps up and tries biting at face. I have repeatedly told her NO but not sure how to really get the message across. Biting is a real issue right now.

A: I can only give you a guestimate since I don't know how much she weighs. 1/4 cup 2x a day of a premium dry puppy food would be about right for 5 lbs. There are a few guidelines of adequate consumption that are just as important as the actual volume of food eaten. Allow your puppy to eat whatever it wants in about 5 minutes or so. Keep in mind your puppy's appetite will vary during the day, and day to day, just like us. Leaving dry food available as nibble food is a good idea unless you have other pets that might take advantage too often. Your puppy's attitude will generally tell you if he is eating enough: if he eats regularly, eliminates normally, plays energetically for a while and then sleeps things can't be to bad. For the biting issue, if the primary problem is when she is in your lap then the direct way to deal with that is she cannot sit there. Alternatives to that would be to use a short leash and she can sit there but she can't get up and turn around, she will learn her new place with a little time and second would be turn apply an immediate reprimand and put her down and she can't get back up for at least an hour. Go to the Forum Q&A and type "biting" in the search box to review other members questions and their answers.