--- title: "How To Encourage Healthy Feeding Habits in Your Pup" id: "202843" type: "post" slug: "how-to-encourage-healthy-feeding-habits-in-your-pup" published_at: "2021-10-07T14:00:00+00:00" modified_at: "2021-10-07T14:00:00+00:00" url: "https://houstonpetland.com/2021/10/07/how-to-encourage-healthy-feeding-habits-in-your-pup/" markdown_url: "https://houstonpetland.com/2021/10/07/how-to-encourage-healthy-feeding-habits-in-your-pup.md" excerpt: "Feeding your pet with a healthy diet has many benefits in the short run as well as the distant future. A great diet keeps your pet in top shape and protects them from a range of chronic ailments. Your pet’s..." taxonomy_category: - "Community" --- [Home](https://houstonpetland.com/) / [Blog](https://houstonpetland.com/blog/) / **How To Encourage Healthy Feeding Habits in Your Pup** [Community](https://houstonpetland.com/category/petland/) # How To Encourage Healthy Feeding Habits in Your Pup October 7, 2021 · 3 min read · [cosmick](https://houstonpetland.com/author/cosmick/) [Stay connected via Google News Follow Us For The Latest Pet Updates and Guides.](https://www.google.com/preferences/source?q=houstonpetland.com) Feeding your pet with a healthy diet has many benefits in the short run as well as the distant future. A great diet keeps your pet in top shape and protects them from a range of chronic ailments. Your pet’s diet extends beyond what you give them at mealtimes. It is a sum total of all the treats, table scraps, random food tosses, and of course, the main meals too. Proper feeding is essential to ensuring that your pet lives a long, healthy life. This is why encouraging healthy feeding habits is essential. And here are 4 tips to do just this: 1. **Establish a Routine** Pups love routine, it gives them something to look forward to. Creating a routine for their meals especially gives them the pleasure of anticipating something that they love. It also helps you accurately anticipate bowel movements. On average, dogs do best with two meals daily: one in the morning and the other in the evening. Maintaining a routine could also help you detect if your pet falls ill, such as when they skip a meal. Enjoying this read? You'll love our puppies. Adorable, vet-checked pups looking for their forever homes — available now. [Meet our puppies](https://houstonpetland.com/puppies-for-sale/) Similarly, snacks in between meals aren’t the best idea, this might encourage obesity. 1. **Measure Out Food** Since you see your pet every single day, it’s easy to not observe that they are gaining excess weight. Typically, your pup’s feed would come with recommendations from the maker. Since you’re feeding twice a day, divide up the daily recommended amount into two and use a measuring cup to confirm accuracy. Ideally, you should be feeding your pooch roughly the same amount of food both times during the day. Measuring out food helps control the calories that they consume as well. If your pup is very active, you can increase calorie intake based on your vet’s guidance, same goes for if you have a laid-back pup. 1. **Avoid Table Feeding** Sometimes it is hard to resist those big brown eyes looking up at you while you eat. You might be tempted to give them a piece of your food or feed your pup scraps from the table. However, this doesn’t do your pup any good. Rather, it encourages overeating, and shortly after, your pup might begin to add weight excessively. If you absolutely cannot fight the temptation to feed table scraps, ensure that you’re feeding them healthy foods. Rice cakes or raw carrots are ideal. Still reading? Our puppies are waiting. Healthy, happy pups ready to meet their families — see who's available today. [Meet our puppies](https://houstonpetland.com/puppies-for-sale/) Another practical tip is to feed your pup before eating your food so that he is content and less tempted to beg. 1. **Slow Down Eating by Making Mealtimes Interactive** Some pups practically wolf down their meals. This act in itself might not seem all that much of a terrible act, but it might negatively impact your pup’s health in the long run. Fast eating implies less chewing and swallowing lots of air. This would lead to a regularly bloated belly and over time, the stomach walls would start to thin out and could even tear. Some mechanisms that may help reduce speed rating include: - Using a slow feeder bowl — just ensure that your pup can reach the food easily. - Snuffle mats — this also boosts mental stimulation and helps them tap into their natural foraging instinct since they have to search for their kibble. - Reducing meal size and increasing frequency. You can use an auto feeder for this. Encouraging healthy eating habits should begin as early as possible. [Stay connected via Google News Follow Us For The Latest Pet Updates and Guides.](https://www.google.com/preferences/source?q=houstonpetland.com) Available Now## If you loved this, you'll *love our puppies* Meet the happy, healthy pups ready to join your family today — browse the whole litter below. 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Get ready because you’re not just taking home a bundle of furry joy.… March 27, 2025 ``` Petland Katy 434 Google reviews Write a review Posted on Google Genesis Gonzalez Trustindex verifies that the original source of the review is Google. My husband and I went to Petland on Saturday to simply look at the puppies and we ended up falling in love with one so much that we brought her home with us. Jennifer made the process of taking her home super easy and smooth, she answered every question we asked and was very knowledgeable about everything! Posted on Google ume rubab Trustindex verifies that the original source of the review is Google. it was really nice their all the animal were so cute !! The puppy’s and kittens were adorable !!❤️ Posted on Google Leslie Rivera Trustindex verifies that the original source of the review is Google. Went to Petland to just browse around and ended up falling in love with our Maltipoo, her fur color and the eyes captivated me. Anthony our counselor, was very informative and friendly. I would greatly recommend this pet store. Can’t wait to start this new journey with our puppy. Posted on Google 12.xndrik Trustindex verifies that the original source of the review is Google. recently adopted a cavapool and Christopher helped us out a lot. He was helpfull, respectful , and walked us through the whole process. It was an amazing experience 10/10. Posted on Google Chris M Trustindex verifies that the original source of the review is Google. Best place to work PUPPIES!!!! Posted on Google MIGUEL MOLINA Trustindex verifies that the original source of the review is Google. Great time. I was looking around with my family and Chris helped us out found a new family member. Great place to greet and play with dogs. Posted on Google David Almanza Trustindex verifies that the original source of the review is Google. We visited Petland today and had an incredible experience choosing our new furry family member — a miniature Goldendoodle! From the moment we walked in, Christopher made us feel welcome, informed, and supported throughout the entire process. He was extremely knowledgeable about the breed, answered all our questions with patience, and never made us feel rushed. You could genuinely tell he cared about both the pets and the people. His friendly attitude and professionalism made the whole experience smooth and enjoyable. We left Petland not just with a puppy, but with total confidence that we were prepared for this new journey — all thanks to Christopher. If you're thinking about getting a pet and want a helpful, knowledgeable guide, ask for Christopher. He made our day. Highly recommend - 10/10! Posted on Google Diana Perez Trustindex verifies that the original source of the review is Google. Kalese and Chris were phenomenal and so attentive. They made me feel so welcome and so happy to be finally going home with our baby ```