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I know twice/day is probably ideal, but is once a day OK?  We adopted a boxer several months ago, and are having trouble getting/keeping her on a good eating schedule.  My husband and I both work outside the home, so some days she’s left for up to 8 hours during the day.  I was thinking/hoping that this may help with the potty routine/times.

Thanks! 

Jessica

Feeding dogs twice a day is what most owners choose to do. However, I have yet to find any rules or research that indicates feeding has to be done this way. Some owners may choose to feed their dog more often or leave food out so that it is available to their dog all day. And some owners choose to feed their dog once per day.  If your dog is an adult, one feeding per day should be fine. Dogs that are still growing however need multiple feedings per day in order to meet their nutritional needs.

If your Boxer is a full grown adult dog one feeding per day should be sufficient. However, the most important aspect her in regard to her elimination behavior is going to be consistency and making sure you feed her at the same time each day. What goes in must come out and if she is fed the same food at the same time each day, a schedule will develop. Also, different dog foods will effect how often your dog needs to go to the bathroom. Also, remember that dogs need access to fresh, clean water at all times. Do not restrict her access to water.

Many dogs are left for 8 hours a day or more while the owners are at work. That is the way it was in my family while I was growing up and many dogs do fine with this schedule. However, 8 hours is a long time to go without an opportunity to go to the bathroom and I am assuming that your dog has had accidents or you probably wouldn’t be asking the question. There are steps that you can take to meet her need to go to the bathroom without coming home to a mess in your house.

First of all, if your dog is having accidents in the house or going to the bathroom more often that you feel it is appropriate see your veterinarian in order to rule out any physical cause for the problem. If a medical reason for the issue has been ruled out than try the following tips. I would also suggest discussing what dog food and feeding schedule is best for your dog.

The best thing to do is to provide your dog with an opportunity to go to the bathroom while you are gone.

• If you have a fenced yard put in a Doggie door that will give her access to the outside while you are away.
• If you live in an apartment with a balcony or fenced porch I suggest putting a doggie door in there and putting pee pads on the balcony and teaching her to go to the bathroom on peepads.
• If your dog must remain inside then I suggest having a designated area for her to go to the bathroom when you are away. When dogs are being potty trained what they are actually doing is developing a preference to go to the bathroom on a certain surface. Use this to your advantage by teaching her to go on pee pads or some other surface that will be easy for her to use and for you to clean up.
• Keep a record of your dog’s schedule. Write down anything she eats and the time as well as when she goes to the bathroom. Having this information will allow you to determine if there is a difference in her schedule on the days she has accidents and the days she doesn’t.
• Hire a dog walker or take her to day care. This is really a great choice if it’s financially possible. Not only will it ensure that your dog has a bathroom break while you are gone, but it will also get her some much needed exercise which is essential for an active dog like a boxer.
• Make sure your dog is potty trained in the first place. Since your dog was recently adopted it is possible that she wasn’t potty trained in the first place or that she needs a refresher course. In this case you want to keep your dog on as consistent schedule as possible. If it is at all possible I recommend having someone come and take her out to potty at least once during the day while your gone for a month or two while you work on potty train her. Then reward her when she potty’s outside. The rewarded behavior of going to the bathroom outside will increase.

What not to do if your pet has an accident:

• Don’t punish her for it. Unless you catch her in the act it will have no effect and punishment rarely works anyway because it is usually not applied correctly.
• Don’t put her in a smaller kennel. Yes it is true that dogs don’t like to eliminate where they sleep, eat, etc. However, there is no research that supports the ideas that if your dog is having accidents she’s  in a space that is too big or that putting her in a smaller kennel will teach her to “hold it”. Regardless of species, when you gotta go, you gotta go, no matter where you are.

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