Feeding and Training My Dog

Question
I have a dog that is just a little bigger than the dog off of Men In Black 1 and 2 with Will Smith, or off of Breaking All The Rule wit Jamie Fox, i think it was called a Pug, or something like that. Its not a Pug, but it is a little bigger than one. If you have ever looked on one of those dog balls that are the same as those tennis balls, you will see one with a Labador and one with a smaller puppy, well he is about the same size. Well my question is, how do i know if i am feeding my dog enough food. We usually feed him at 12pm and 6 or 8pm. In otherwords, we usually just feed him 2 times a day. And his feeding usually consists of a packet or can of Ol'Roy, Pedigree, or Mighty Dog.

Is a can of dog food about the same amount as a packet of dog food. By the way, he doesn't eat dry dog food, or the moist kind of dog food, mostly just those packets.

Also most of the time i don't get up before 10 or 11am, so i just feed him at 12pm and 6 or 8pm, around the same time that i eat.

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Also can you tell me how to get my dog not to pee on the floor now and then. Since its summer time over here, it makes it kind of difficult to have him to go out in case he needs to use it. I don't want to have to discipline him, since i don't like having to do that.

Answer
Hello,

I've never seen the movies you've described, and I have no idea what you're talking about as far as tennis balls. I don't know what breed of dog you own. It really doesn't matter though, feed your dog the amount recommended on the package of whatever brand of dog food you've chosen.

Feeding a dog goes by the dog's weight and age. A young dog should be fed more in volume than an older dog, because they are usually more active. If your dog isn't over weight, then you're probably feeding it the right amount. If you are unsure, ask your veterinarian.

It's best to feed a dog twice a day, so keep on doing that. Dry food is better for dogs than canned or moist foods.  If you plan on switching the kind of food you're feeding your dog, do it very slowly, over a period of about a week. If you change a dog's diet too quickly it can cause diarrhea.

Regarding your other problem of the dog peeing on the floor, you must train your dog. That doesn't mean hitting the dog, yelling at it or punishing it in any way.  It takes consistency and patience, and you will see results in a little time. Here is a web site that should help, go to:
http://www.canismajor.com/dog/hsetrain.html

Until your dog is not reliably house trained you can't let the dog have the run of your home. It should be contained in a crate whenever you can't be supervising it.

Best of luck,

Patti