Puppies, unlike older dogs, don't have fat reserves. Therefore, they can't go longer than 12 hours without food. This is particularly true for toy breeds that are prone to hypoglycemia (a drop in blood sugar), which can lead to serious complications. Puppies are also more susceptible to dehydration than older dogs.
6–12 weeks: Growing pups should be fed puppy food, a diet specially formulated to meet the nutritional needs for normal development. Feeding adult food will rob your puppy of important nutrients. Four feedings a day are usually adequate to meet nutritional demands.
Puppies younger than eight weeks shouldn't go more than five hours without eating. Generally, puppies over two months old can't go longer than 12 hours without food.
The average, healthy 8-week-old puppy can handle not eating for 8 hours before you need to step in. Try enticing your puppy with food that offers a tempting smell. Dogs have much fewer tastebuds than humans, meaning their joy with food isn't tied to the taste.
10 to 12 Weeks
That doesn't mean you can leave for a full day yet; instead, puppies should be alone for no more than two hours. Even then, accidents are very likely to occur. Using baby gates to keep the pup in a safety-proofed kitchen or somewhere with hard floors (and not carpet) will make cleanup much easier.
Remember, dogs and especially puppies need to urinate often. As a guideline, new puppies up to 10 weeks old typically can't hold their bladder for more than an hour. Dogs between 10 to 12 weeks old can usually hold it for around two hours.
According to the American Kennel Club, puppies younger than 10 weeks cannot be left alone for more than an hour. From 3-6 months, they should not be left longer than their age in months (for example, 3-month-old puppies cannot be alone for longer than 3 hours).
Puppies, unlike older dogs, don't have fat reserves. Therefore, they can't go longer than 12 hours without food. This is particularly true for toy breeds that are prone to hypoglycemia (a drop in blood sugar), which can lead to serious complications. Puppies are also more susceptible to dehydration than older dogs.
If your dog goes more than 48–72 hours without eating anything at all, you should at least call your vet to inform them of the situation. A healthy adult dog can go a few days without a meal if she absolutely has to, but if you have a puppy, adult dog with a known medical condition, or a senior dog call sooner.
Puppies should eat three times a day from weaning through four to six months, if possible. After six months, twice-a-day feedings are fine. But if you're not able to feed your pup three times a day, don't worry. Buffington says puppies can adapt.
Puppies Less than 6 Months Old
Most puppies are fully weaned from mother's milk between six and eight weeks. Once weaned, puppies should get three scheduled feedings a day.
No Food or Water Before Bed
Don't feed your puppy in the three hours before bedtime, and do your best to withhold water for the last hour or so. This should elongate the time he sleeps through the night.
Pseudo-anorexia is another type which is when your dog is hungry and really wants to eat, goes to the food bowl, but can't eat due to a difficulty chewing or swallowing. If your dog stops eating for a day or two, but is otherwise active and alert, then it's ok to keep a close eye on them initially.
Getting the timing right. On average, puppies will poop between 5 to 30 minutes after eating.
You should be able to feel individual ribs, but not see the definition of each rib. This is a good rule of thumb. If you don't feel his ribs, it means you're overfeeding him. If you see visible ribs, then your dog is truly hungry and needs more food.
It may seem like your dog is hungry, but if they are getting regular meals, they likely aren't starving. They just want to eat, much like humans eat when we're not really hungry. But just because they want those table scraps doesn't mean they should have them. That's where portion control comes in.
Don't leave food out for your dog to graze on — take it back within 10 minutes if it hasn't been eaten to help cement the idea of mealtimes. Use your dog's kibble as treats, and only offer meals for short periods of time. This leaves your dog no choice but to eat their food and hopefully get used to it.
Most puppies can sleep for approximately seven hours without needing a bathroom break. If your puppy does wake you up in the night, don't make a big deal of it; otherwise, they will think it is time to play and won't want to go back to sleep.
Typically, dogs between 7-16 weeks can sleep 6-8 hours, but they still need to take a potty break at night. So if your dog wakes up at night, it means it needs to pee. Do not play or pay attention to it during this time.
10-12 weeks – A puppy will sleep about 18-20 hours per day. 14-16 weeks – A puppy will sleep about 18 hours per day. 16-18 weeks – This is a critical time in your pup's development. It's a critical time for them to learn their feeding schedule, socialization, and basic training to name a few.
Use a puppy-safe area
Create a space where your puppy will feel safe in. Use an exercise pen or crate, or even cordon off a section of your house with baby gates. Fill the space with their favourite toys and blankets so they know it isn't a punishment, but rather a place they can go to relax.
Putting your puppy in their playpen is a great idea if you work from home, as it gives them a safe area to relax or play while you get some work done. This is especially important for preventing separation anxiety if you work primarily from home.