Does your dog ask for more? Do you give it to him? (lab, vet)

[no kudzu]

Toby is 6 lb maltese. food bag says l/3 cup twice a day but sometimes he scratches in his metal pan and scoots it around on the floor. I know he is asking for more. Also have 15 lb bichon who gets 2/3 cup twice a day but she doesn't always finish her portion and Toby gets into it.

am I feeding him enough? Nature's variety no grain Instinct-cause Bichon has skin problems.

[subject2change]

I would go by the weight and appearance of the dog, not the package recommendation, or his insistence that you're starving him. If you can feel his ribs without pressing down a lot, and his tummy is nicely tucked in, he's a good weight and you could increase just a little and see how he does, but he's probably a greedy boy who will still swear he never gets enough to eat.

[Va-Cat]

Originally Posted by subject2change

I would go by the weight and appearance of the dog, not the package recommendation, or his insistence that you're starving him. If you can feel his ribs without pressing down a lot, and his tummy is nicely tucked in, he's a good weight and you could increase just a little and see how he does, but he's probably a greedy boy who will still swear he never gets enough to eat.

Agree with the above. Exercise level, your dog's energy level and a lot of other things go into whether your dog is getting enough to eat. Its best to go by look and feel.

As to whether our dogs ask for more....Kohla and Gator would feed until they exploded if I left them to regulate their own food levels. Sammie is more dainty and we could actually free feed her if it wasn't for the other two.

[foxywench]

agreed, i NEVER go by the bag.
i go by how the dog looks, does he look like hes a good weight and maintaining that weight, if so ive got my amounts right.

if the dog looks slim or is loosing weight up the food, overweight down on the food and up on the excersize, just right keep it where it is...
if hes acting hungry bt weight wise maintaining at a good weight i wouldnt fed more food instead if "keep him busy" (many dogs arechow hounds and even more are boredome eaters) try breaking it up into smaller but more frequnt meals or giving him part of his meal in a treat toy like a kong (so he has to work for it), and if that doesnt work try giving him a good raw bone to knaw on, or raw carrot sor greenbeans as a snack, (low in calories high in fiber, makes him feel fuller wihtout worry of the weight ) carrot and greenbeans shouldnt agrivate a skin condition, but start slow if doing veggies, dogs dont realy need them.

i free feed mine, its always worked for me...
but if Dozer was begging for etras, he wouldnt get any, hes a good weight and growing nicely...
jasper and ruby are naturally on the slim side (ther built like sight hounds) so if they were scratching for more id give them more if they wanted it...
but right now everyone maintains themselves at their own happy level so i dont put much thought into it otherwise lol.

[Mar0]

only once in a while does my toby beg for extra food like that...if he does, i give him some leftover green beans or carrots or even a bit of crispy iceberg lettuce. something low-cal but still food...it usually does the trick.

[TabulaRasa]

My dog will signal for more water when he's out, and I obviously don't withhold water. He doesn't request more food, though.

[tarragon]

I have a lab and she would eat, eat, eat if I let her. She's just right with her weight. I think that you should stick with the daily recommended allowance for your dog.

[Summerz]

A Vet once said, sometimes it's not really the food they want sometimes but the action, a **little treat can go a long way and they will be happy they got it..

[brightdoglover]

One of my dogs will very loudly bounce the water dish around if it's empty.
Not-so-little Benny would eat anything- when he was rescued, he weighed about 60 pounds, and is now a somewhat flubby 35. He has stolen food from my blind diabetic dog. He has no shame.
I concur with the others who suggest taking the dog's health cues, not food-seeking behavior.
With my first two puppies, I free-fed. Kiko got rotund, Kona stayed sleek and lean, so I started feeding them supervised in separate dishes, with some treat (gravy, etc.) on the bottom. Kiko quickly learned to plow his food with his nose to get right to the treat. Kona started shoving his dish under the couch or under a rug or something, to hide it for later. I took up Kona's dish when he wasn't eating it, put it up on a shelf. Eventually he'd sit,look up and the dish, and bark.
They were both very smart boys and trained me very well.

[Fontucky]

I learned to ignore her plaintive looks. Eventually her stomach shrunk and she would feel full on less food. Thus, her weight loss from obese to healthy.