Ayo 6 months

[JayCee]

I'm so glad to hear you say this Patty:
"When I said that I don't feel that they should look like adults I'm referring to their demeanour. In my opinion a class of puppies should be distinguishable from a class of older dogs."

I was under a lot of pressure to put a chain on my little lad so that I could 'make him behave' in the ring. I refused - to me he was a puppy, with little or no concentration - and there was way too many interesting things going on around to be more than slightly interested in me! And as he has got older he is settling without the need of 'force'. So hopefully as he matures into full adulthood, his behaviour will match.

As to weight, being then a single dog for his first 7 months he was a very light eater and I could not get an extra gram of weight on him - and even now that he has a 'brother' he still will not eat extra rations. I also think that its self limiting - he wouldn't be able to run as fast if he was carrying extra weight!

[tanza]

@Patty:

No dog should carry too much fat but puppies do need enough to allow them to grow and to cope with set-backs, in my opinion. There is a difference between too much and not enough. Nobody is criticising Ayo - only responding to the request for an opinion. He is certainly a lovely boy.

Photographs can be misleading I agree.

Maya - you seem to have misunderstood what I said - I didn't say that the puppies are not happy in the ring but only described how I like to see them when I judge.
When I said that I don't feel that they should look like adults I'm referring to their demeanour. In my opinion a class of puppies should be distinguishable from a class of older dogs.

Much like my post Patty… and totally agree... puppies need to carry a bit extra....
And also agree that it is very easy to "over train" a puppy for the ring... and take the fun out of it.... We always joke here with puppy classes when the judges says "take them around" .... answer... "Well we will give it a shot!".... and moving the class as a group is again another adventure in itself!

[dmey]

Jaycee- "As to weight, being then a single dog for his first 7 months he was a very light eater and I could not get an extra gram of weight on him - and even now that he has a 'brother' he still will not eat extra rations. I also think that its self limiting - he wouldn't be able to run as fast if he was carrying extra weight!"

Thats exactly how Ayo is, he is a very light eater, thats why I asked because I never know if he is eating enough or not, since it vaires with the brand of food and everything its hard to tell wether he is getting the right amount. Since he is helathy I go by him, he eats as much as he wants.. I leave it for about 25 minutes, then I remove.. He is eating about half a cup twice day, sometimes he eats more, sometimes less. I dont know if I should feed only once a day now, and also "should I switch to adult food already?
Thanks everyone for all the comments and info….

[MDSPHOTO]

That is one handsome man!!

[tanza]

I feed twice a day…. puppies (over 5 months) and adults. I think they do better with the meals split into two.

And for me, I change to regular adult food some place around 4 to 6 months depending on when I run out of the puppy food on hand.

[Janneke]

Handsome pup! I think he looks good

[renaultf1]

@tanza:

I feed twice a day…. puppies (over 5 months) and adults. I think they do better with the meals split into two.

And for me, I change to regular adult food some place around 4 to 6 months depending on when I run out of the puppy food on hand.

Last year when Aaliyah was 6 mos I switched her feeding to 2 times a day (same as my 2 adults, Ruby & Brando) - 1.5 cups split between the 2 meals (some treats in between feedings) and put her on adult food at 1 year.

This year with my pup Ozzy, he's a pickier eater so he has been on adult Instinct since he arrived at my house (5 months old). I feed him twice a day (1 cup morning, 1 cup evening, and busy buddies with kibble in between) - seems like a lot, but he still could stand to gain a pound or 2.

Trying to develop good eating habits with a picky eater isn't easy - baby steppin' here. :rolleyes:

[tanza]

For sure with that, developing good eating habits….. My OJ was a horrible eater.... until he was 4yrs old. He always looked like he could use a pound or two.... Some days he would eat, some he would not.... and on the days he didn't want to eat, food was taken away after 10 minutes until the next meal time..... So I hear you with "baby steps"....ggg

[Patty]

Away from Basenjis but still relevant to the previous posts - my Karabas was an extremely picky eater and spent most of her first year on raw eggs! I didn't make an issue of it with her (although worried myself sick!!) and she eventually turned out as an excellent eater. She was the runt of the litter and not a show bitch but turned out beautifully - enough to get Best Bitch at Crufts (no tickets) and beaten very rarely in her classes at other shows.

[dmey]

I am not going to worry abput it then. He gets twice day, when he is eating well he eats about 1/2 cup in morning with a little more at night and I will switch to adult once this one is over which will be about anohter month or month and ahalf,… Thanks for all the info and comments!!

[lvoss]

If he is a thin boy then I would hold off on switching to adult food. I have a couple that have essentially been on puppy food all their lives. There are some adult kibbles for "small breeds" or "performance" foods that are similar to puppy food so they are high in calories for dogs that need more calories.

[dmey]

Thanks, right now he is eating eukanuba puppy small bites. Maybe I can get a type that has more calories. This one has very high protein.

[Maya]

You could try mixing some raw or cooked meats into the food too. And oils are great for increasing weight and overall condition, i give them to all of mine (including the horses!) in their food, just a bit of olive oil

Maya has never been a fussy eater thankfully, she is a stomach on legs!! But my pug Delilah had a terrible appetite til she was about 2 years old. The breeder kept saying that if she didnt eat after an hour take the bowl away, she wont starve etc etc etc. But after two days of her not eating a thing i gave in and hand fed her some bits of chicken! It was a nightmare getting weight on her, but suddenly overnight one day she just decided that she loved food and now has a fantastic appetite!! Its very weird…!

[AndrewnShango]

He's VERY handsome. You should be proud of the little pup! How's life with him?

[dmey]

Thanks, I am proud. Life with him is very interesting.. I had a Great Dane for the past ten years, he recently passed away, and have to say, Living with Ayo, is completely different!! Basenji's are truly unique. Its challenging sometimes but once we both got the hang of each other its been great. He keeps the house clean, because I cant leave anything lying around and he keeps me " calm and assertive" to quote Cesar Millan,because the minute I get irritated he lets me know.. Honestly, I think I want to get another one!!!

[dmey]

I will try with the olive oil…