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I feed twice a day with adults more frequently if a young puppy. That means there is also about a 12 hr fast between dinner and breakfast. Food is gone within minutes of the bowls going down and my releasing them to eat.I have 2 dogs.
Feeding this way allows me to know if a dog is not feeling well and not eating well,gets them on a pooping schedule, makes sure both get the proper amount of food and allows training and on going training to happen.They have to sit and wait until I release them to eat.Sometimes I give the release word right away other times I drag it out and even leave the room to do something.They never know which it will be.Really helps reinforce the leave it command.
Other benefits are we do not get ants or other bugs going after their food.I do have a pet door so if I had food sitting in dog bowls 24/7 it could attract raccoons , rats what ever to come in the door for a snack.I also know what my dogs are eating is fresh so am never tossing out food.
I do have a couple friends that leave food out all the time and sad to say their dogs are overweight as some dogs will over eat.
Our dog, a pit bull, would have eaten himself into oblivion. We had to be strict about feeding times and amounts. My in-laws have always had either Labradors or golden retrievers, and they were the same way. Unfortunately, the in-laws are so soft-hearted (and maybe weak-minded) that all their dogs have ended up overweight.
Our friends, however, had two whippets, and those dogs could not have been less interested in food. They would get a couple of bowls of kibble in the morning, and most of it would still be there at night. That would never have happened at my house. So it does depend largely on the dog.
I free feed mine from a single tower feeder - I have three 50-60 pound mutts. They eat a breakfast and a dinner, they have an established order of who eats 1st, 2nd, and 3rd, but we have never had a food issue between the dogs. Normally they will grab a couple bites once or twice during the day - not really eating, more like a snack. I feed a high protein Salmon based kibble with no grains. They do get a small amount of raw meat every morning - they have to work for that though. All three are quite trim and in good health. We walk them a couple miles in the morning, and then some 10 minute walks during the day (potty and leg stretch), with a final potty walk about 9 pm. I suspect the activity level ICW a good quality kibble sort of self regulates their eating/eating volume.
My daughter also free feeds, but she uses a corn based cheap dog food, and when my dogs visit, they way over eat - like kids eating sugar cereal!
What I have read in most books and vets seem to indicate a specific feeding time with a specific volume of food is preferred, although that perspective seems to be changing lately.
I think if you don't have a highly food focused breed (or dog), or feed cheap highly flavored kibble, free feeding works great, and the dogs regulate their eating to their exercise pattern. If you do have a dog that will just eat and eat and eat, well then, I think you are forced to a feeding schedule with food volume managed by you.
Yeah, sometimes my pup will go through 6 to 8 cups a day, and then today really isn't interested, same bowl out from this morning. It concerned me at first and then husband pointed out that teenage boys are the same way, and while I know it's not the same thing, but I think it's similar.
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Fixed feeding times. 4 labradoodles. My dogs do therapy, obedience and agility work (different dogs different activity) so we have a schedule. I like fixed times because if a dog isn't eating all of his portion I can watch to see if there is a health issue. Also, I do not like leaving food out (pests). My dogs thrive on routine and feeding time with 4 big dogs provides additional training opportunities. I don't believe in grazing type of feeding. I feed a grain free, high quality kibble so you don't have to feed as much because there is much less fillers. You'll find various experts telling why one method over the other is better on each side. Do your research and decide what's best for your pup.
I have never understood taking it away at a certain time unless the dog must be on a strict poop schedule.
I feed the same time every evening, and sometimes she saves some for later. She has to have controlled portions; my other dog could eat as she pleased since she didn't get overweight.
Of course PUPPIES need a lot of food to grow! I had a skinny puppy and people yelled at me I was like I am TRYING to keep up, but her growth spurts!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! NObody likes a skinny puppy ......
I do not free feed nor do I advocate free feeding- for multiple reasons. We also do not have set feeding times; a.m. feeding is between 4:30 - 9:30 and p.m. feeding is 5-7.
Providing food and teaching your dog to wait until you release them is a very gentle and effective way of putting yourself in charge of resources, in this case food, and teaching impulse control. You lose this benefit when you free feed. I don't want my dogs thinking this is a self-serve restaurant. Food is a specific resource that comes from me.
I want to know how much my dogs eat. If you free-feed you have no idea which dog is eating how much. For instance, one of the ways a dog tells you that it is ill is when it stops eating. How would you know this unless you were able to monitor how much your dog is eating?
My dogs eat what I give them, and I adjust daily based on activity level. If they didn't eat what I gave them I would cut back on the food because that would indicate I am feeding too much food. The weight/food feeding guidelines on bags of food are only a rough guideline, not a mandate.
Dogs evolved with a feast or famine diet. There was a kill and they ate for a day or two then went without eating until they scavenged or made another kill. This idea of feeding a dog once or twice a day like clockwork is a new idea. I am not saying that anyone should starve their dogs, but barring health issues or toy dogs, it won't hurt a dog to skip a meal, and for too many dogs, it would be a good thing if they did skip a meal.
My dogs are lean and healthy. Someone seeing them might think they are too thin, but they are perfect weight for their activity level. I keep my girl on the thin side because she is developing hip issues so I don't want to add on any additional weight to stress the hips.
Many people have a rather unhealthy concept of healthy weight both in humans and dogs. I would say that easily 75% of the dogs we work with are overweight to one degree or another. That is sad, and I think that free-feeding can contribute to a dog being overweight.
I do both. During hunting season when my dogs are working there is something available throughout the day to eat. Lots of it because they gun through some serious calories. Lots of eggs, offal mash, kibble, vegetable scrap- a lot of stuff.
Off season they go to a twice a day feeding, standard kibble and wild game bits.
Fixed feeding times here. Mine would eat themselves into oblivion if I free fed. Also I've usually had multiple dogs so free feeding wasn't really an option.
I'd take the "recommended" feeding amounts with a grain of salt. Usually, I ended up feeding less than what was recommended to keep my dogs at the appropriate weight. I wouldn't worry about how much a dog is eating as long as bones aren't sticking out or the vet isn't concerned about the weight.
Generally, people tend to overfeed rather than underfeed (not saying the OP is doing this, it's just an observation).
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