What is Transitional Feeding?
Transitional feeding is the practice of incrementally moving (forward or backward) your Habibi Bear pup’s feeding schedule in 10 minute increments every other day to ease them into a new feeding time, in this case, the end of Daylight savings time. Transitional feeding can also be used if you have a change in your schedule and your pup will be eating at a different time than they have been used to. We like to use a ten day transitional schedule so when the clocks move back, our precious puppies will be in sync with the clock adjustment.How this works: On October 26th, instead of an 8am / 5pm feeding time, you will delay feeding by ten minutes, every other day as follows.
- Day 1 10/26 Thursday 8:10am 5:10pm
- Day 3 10/28 Saturday 8:20am 5:20pm
- Day 5 10/30 Monday 8:30am 5:30pm
- Day 7 11/1 Wednesday 8:40am 5:40pm
- Day 9 11/3 Friday 8:50am 5:50pm
On Day 10, feed at 9am and at 5pm as normal. This schedule works for other pets as well, as they are more aligned to the natural light of days rather than our human artificially imposed times. Perhaps over the last few weeks, as the morning light has changed and evening comes rather quickly, your Habibi Bear puppy is sleeping more or at different times than normal. That too, is normal, as dogs, evolutionarily speaking, are den animals, and it is natural that they use less energy during the darker, shorter days. By using this type of schedule, you can manage your puppies stress level, which means:
- Less whining
- Less clinging
- Less acting out
- Less destructive chewing
Lower stress levels also mean better immune function as well as a more confident pup, which is always our objective. Here at Habibi Bear, home of the Original Teddy Bear puppy dog, we are always on the lookout for ways to give you the tools you need to keep your pup happy and healthy. Have any questions or comments? Drop us a line in the comments below or slide into our DM’s. We are always here for you, cheering you on!