My vet's advice was to not free feed, he said it was one of the many causes of obesity, especially in the Sheltie's that tend to have thyroid issues that have not yet been diagnosed and as we all know, once the weight is on it's a real _____ to take off. This happened in Bambi's case, she topped out at one point at 38 pounds and was only 15", I really wasn't feeding her lots, had her tested and discovered she had thyroid issues, once on meds, the weight started coming down. His suggestion was to set the food bowl down and give her 10-15 minutes to eat, then take the bowl up. If she doesn't eat it all, no problem, she will not starve, but after a couple of days, she is made to understand that I am the one to control the bowl and when you put it down, she will eat. Of course, it was easier for me to work this way then most of you with your bigger packs, I only had one baby and didn't have to worry about any one trying to "share" her dinner. Of course she was a bit of a slower and dainty eater because there was no one else there to challenge her.
Demand feeding, your thoughts.
- Thread starter Laddie's Mom
- Start date
tofu pup
Moderator
No, he won't. He may be hungry for a few hours, especially before he twigs to the idea that he needs to eat now or the food goes away. But be sure as beans will not starve.
I agree with this.
Cindy
Premium Member
Since he stopped the puppy free feed thing, gavin gets fed twice a day.
He knows when it's time
Also makes him glad when I leave for work (that's breakfast time)!
Seriously, there has only been 1 time when the food wasn't gone in less than a minute..and then I knew he wasn't feeling well
He knows when it's time
Also makes him glad when I leave for work (that's breakfast time)!
Seriously, there has only been 1 time when the food wasn't gone in less than a minute..and then I knew he wasn't feeling well
I have never been a fan of free feeding. I feed the dogs measured amounts, with a measuring cup, 2 times daily. It allows me to see if I have a problem starting, if I need to increase or decrease, eases house training and to control their weight. I find free fed dogs tend to pick at their food which makes it difficult to be able to plan activities for them since exercise and feeding should never be closely set together. Once they are housebroken, I vary up the times of day so that they do not demand their food. While usually it is approximately 7 am and 5 pm, it can be 8 am and 6:30 - 7:00 pm or 3:30 - 4:00 pm. This allows me to do things without having to worry about the dogs fretting because it is past dinner or me fretting because I want to go to a restaurant with friends but the dogs need to be fed at a certain time. With Tinsel being a thyroid dog, it also allows me to get his pills into him within the guidelines set out by Dr. Dodds. That would be hard to do if he was use to picking at food whenever he wanted.
Fasb's Owner
Forums Enthusiast
Fasb's first owners "free fed" him for six years. They simply filled the bowl when it was empty, and let him eat when he was hungry. So far as I know, they didn't keep track of how much they put in the bowl, or how much he ate a day. They just let him do as he wanted. Surprisingly, he didn't get fat. Nor did he develop any nutritional or behavorial issues from that.
When he was six, he got tapeworms and, after taking the medication, developed some sort of depression (?) or reaction. No idea what really happened. His owner took him to several vets, but never got any useful diagnosis. He just stopped eating, didn't have much energy, and wouldn't interact with them. He'd go outside for walks. As soon as he came in, he headed for an isolated corner of the basement). To get him to eat, they had to handfeed him and coax him to eat (getting him to eat 1/2 cup) of dry food took 20-45 min). Fortunately, after about six weeks, he perked up and went back to his normal routine. Haven't had any problems since.
By the time we got him, he was trained to wait for someone to put food out. So I kept that pattern up. I'm not really opposed to free feeding, but I don't see any advantage to it either. I look upon meal times as bonding time. I kinda enjoy just spending a few minutes with him, especially now that he's older and starting to show his age. And, being with him while he eats gives me a pretty good idea of what he's eating, how much, and how hungry he is. If he's slow to eat, I'd just as soon know about it, since he normally wolfs down what I put out.
IMO, there's just too many advantages to eating on a schedule.
Interestingly, I do leave food out for him on the rare occasions we can't be around at his normal AM/PM feeding time. If we're going to be late, I fill the bowl and leave it out for him. Interestingly, he still usually waits for me to come home and sit with him. He will eat without me, though, so I expect he'd eat rather than go hungry, if it came to that.
When he was six, he got tapeworms and, after taking the medication, developed some sort of depression (?) or reaction. No idea what really happened. His owner took him to several vets, but never got any useful diagnosis. He just stopped eating, didn't have much energy, and wouldn't interact with them. He'd go outside for walks. As soon as he came in, he headed for an isolated corner of the basement). To get him to eat, they had to handfeed him and coax him to eat (getting him to eat 1/2 cup) of dry food took 20-45 min). Fortunately, after about six weeks, he perked up and went back to his normal routine. Haven't had any problems since.
By the time we got him, he was trained to wait for someone to put food out. So I kept that pattern up. I'm not really opposed to free feeding, but I don't see any advantage to it either. I look upon meal times as bonding time. I kinda enjoy just spending a few minutes with him, especially now that he's older and starting to show his age. And, being with him while he eats gives me a pretty good idea of what he's eating, how much, and how hungry he is. If he's slow to eat, I'd just as soon know about it, since he normally wolfs down what I put out.
IMO, there's just too many advantages to eating on a schedule.
Interestingly, I do leave food out for him on the rare occasions we can't be around at his normal AM/PM feeding time. If we're going to be late, I fill the bowl and leave it out for him. Interestingly, he still usually waits for me to come home and sit with him. He will eat without me, though, so I expect he'd eat rather than go hungry, if it came to that.
BarbV
Forums Celebrity
My opinion is that it depends on the environment and the dog.
First of all...with more than one dog, free feeding is just not possible. You just can't keep an open dish available for a food hound to scoop up the remains for a slower eater.
I currently have to feed my dogs in two separate rooms. Bacca likes to nibble, though he is learning that if he nibbles too long his dish is taken away. Indy will attack his bowl, and if possible will attack Bacca's bowl if I forget to pick it up.
If you only have one dog, then free feeding is fine. But you still don't want to go over their daily food limit on any given day.
I've mixed minds here. I hate that my dogs have ME to such a schedule that they expect food at 6 am and 4 p.m. exactly. But I do like that they are predictable.
It really comes down to your own lifestyle. So I would say...go with what feels right for you
First of all...with more than one dog, free feeding is just not possible. You just can't keep an open dish available for a food hound to scoop up the remains for a slower eater.
I currently have to feed my dogs in two separate rooms. Bacca likes to nibble, though he is learning that if he nibbles too long his dish is taken away. Indy will attack his bowl, and if possible will attack Bacca's bowl if I forget to pick it up.
If you only have one dog, then free feeding is fine. But you still don't want to go over their daily food limit on any given day.
I've mixed minds here. I hate that my dogs have ME to such a schedule that they expect food at 6 am and 4 p.m. exactly. But I do like that they are predictable.
It really comes down to your own lifestyle. So I would say...go with what feels right for you
My cats are free fed behind a barrier baby gate where the dogs can't get to it -- dogs nope. I always did 2 times a day. However, with the shepherd chance of bloating we do 3 smaller meals. I work from home so that is not really an issue. With 3 dogs and 2 cats it would be impossible.
Not sure about theory, but my dogs have always had mealtimes -- but I have nearly always had multiple dogs.
Not sure about theory, but my dogs have always had mealtimes -- but I have nearly always had multiple dogs.
SheepOfBlue
Premium Member
Free feeding Sca would involve a dump truck pouring food in the bowl 
That said in addition to the good reasons given, a bowl of food attracts pests.
That said in addition to the good reasons given, a bowl of food attracts pests.
Emmasmom
Forums Sage
Hamish and Noah I used to be able to leave the day's food down and they would eat it over the day. With my three now, I can't. They inhale it so that they can get to each other's dishes to check out for any residue.