Free feeding

[POWERSCOL]

After doing a search on this and reading a lot of posts - whats wrong with free feeding (food always available) if anything? I am a bit confused

I free feed Emma Purina One large beed puppy food. I may switch over to Perina Pro Plan large breed puppy that the local co-op carries, rather than dealing with small bags at Wally World.

All of my past and current vets have said free feeding is OK as long as the pup does not become fat. Emma at 12 weeks is eating a little more than 4 cups a day at her leisure. She doubled her weight at 11 weeks and is probably doing it again if not more - we weigh next week ay 14 weeks. She drings like a horse though - close to a quart, and possibly then some.

I have done all of my dogs this way up to about 1 year then usually do a 2x schedule to maintain proper weight.

Emma seems to be doing fine at 13 weeks (time fly's) and the vet is happy with her progress. I did try Chicken Soup LBP with her but after a week of diarrhea I put her on the Purina One and it cleared up within a day or so.

Am I missing something? Trying to learn.

Thanks

[Lin]

First, its incredibly rare for a free fed animal to not be overweight. I know its possible, but doesn't happen in most situations. Usually what happens is the owner (or possibly even the vet) doesn't know what ideal weight is, and thinks their overweight or even obese dog is fine.

When free feeding its more difficult to determine exactly how much your pet is eating and when. Its also more difficult to schedule bathroom breaks. Being able to notice immediately when something has changed in eating or bathroom habits can catch health concerns faster.

Feeding time can also be a great training time with your dog. You can ask for manners such as sitting and waiting to be released before they're able to eat. Some people use NILF techniques. Food is a great motivator, and you're tossing out that possibility to use feeding times as easy routine training sessions every day when you free feed. Its also more difficult to motivate the dog for training with treats when they're free fed, trainers recommend that the food be picked up a couple hours prior to a training session to ensure the dog has some appetite for the training treats.

[qbchottu]

Do not free feed! Loads of problems arise with free feeding...dog's food drive diminishes - makes training more difficult, contributes to obesity/overweight dogs, stools are less predictable, encourage picky eating...

4 cups??? That's a lot of food. Of course she is drinking a lot of water - Purina is not a high quality food and dehydrating so dogs drink a lot. Remember to feed in a sustained and steady manner...keep the pups very lean to minimize risks to developing joints.

[Caitydid255]

It depends on the dog. I could never do this. Freyja would eat until she was too fat to walk, she would them figure out how to roll to her dish and eat more. My parents collie on the other hand is free fed mainly because he is such a slow eater. It seems like more dogs would gorge themselves if given the chance.

[Thesilentone]

I've never free fed my dogs and do not believe in it. It's a bad habit to continue as the dogs will always expect there to be food in their bowl and it's good to pick up the bowls if they're on a set feeding time to discourage them for that as well. It's good to start with feeding times when at a very young age, even if they eat three times a day. And what's already been said; your dog can easily become overweight and morbidly obese if you do not watch their food intake.

[Stosh]

Another NO vote! I tried free feeding a picky eater and it only made things worse. Put down the food, give the pup 20 mins to eat then pick it up. Do this 3 times a day. My dog missed several meals then decided he'd better eat while he had the chance. Now that's he's 3 yrs old, he eats breakfast and dinner on time each day, no muss no fuss. My dog is a very active working dog so he needs two meals and this has stopped all the picking, pouting, I'll eat when you put something better in the bowl attitude. He's become a self- regulating eater meaning he stops when he's had enough even if there's some left.

[llombardo]

I kinda free feed. In the morning I fill both bowls half way up, which equals about 6 cups or so. They all eat, but they don't gobble down their food or fight over it. When I leave if there is food in those bowls, it is still in there when I come home. They do not eat if I'm not home, I did not train them to do this, they just do. I give them the same amount at night and they pick at it. If they are hungry they all have told me so at one point or another and I give them some more. My oldest dog is 8.5 years old and weighs 51 pounds, which is exactly what she has weighed since she was about 2. My GSD is far from over weight, she is very lean and weighs 68 pounds. My golden is a solid dog and not an over eater either. They don't even gobble down raw when they get it....it takes them 20 minutes to eat meat that don't have bones in it. They just don't feel then need to rush or gobble it down, because they know its there or it will be shortly. They definitely do a good job of self regulating, but I understand that not all dogs do. They also poop 1-2 times a day and poop times are at 6am and 6pm...they never poop at any other time(unless they aren't feeling well and we are all feeling well at the moment).

[doggiedad]

i frree fed my last GSD and he never over ate. in the begining
you may have to watch closely. once the pup gets use to having
food available 24/7 or whatever your schedule is he may mellow out.
with my last pup i would feed him and then leave a bowl of kibble
available. maybe it depends on the dog but i think if they're use to
having food available they're going to get use to it and not over eat.

[volcano]

I am a huge NO. I feed raw and thatd be gross. Plus the feeding ritual is important in the dog understanding who is the pack leader. I guess it depends on your goals. if you want a dog to fulfill yourself then its a different point of view from fulfilling the dog. Fre feeding does not fulfill the dog at all, just makes them fat. Kinda like throwing your 8 year old in a room witha book.

[AngVi]

I feed a morning meal, then I add dry kibble to the bowl whenever it is empty.
My dogs are not aggressive with food at all. I will put my hand in the bowl usually very day while they are eating, which is in the same bowl. Sometimes i will pull one away or pick up the bowl during a meal. I would never want to ever worry. My girl is very thin, she grazes all day
My vet tells me she will just be on the thin side and that's ok. People always ask if she gets fed enough, which really bothers me because of course I take care of her.
My boy is a much larger frame and is the same weight as her. He is solid muscle, and he goes to
The bowl, eats what he wants and walks away...he doesn't empty it.
They will get dinner too.
So I guess you should do what works for you. My pups are 9 months for the girl and the boy 4 1/2 months. When I want to do training I have "treats that they love"


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