I'm 'cruel' to my dogs. Their food bowl goes down and comes back up in 5 minutes. Whatever they leave they forfeit. Their next chance to eat is the next day... at dinner time.

Don't swap foods every few weeks. If he's eating it and in good condition, stick with it. I'd upgrade from Purina One personally, but that's your call. When he gets hungry enough he'll eat.

Some dogs take a few days or a week to get used to this, especially if they've been free-fed. I think it's a lot easier in my house because of having multiple dogs. There's always that possibility that uneaten food might be poached, so everybody is quick to munch.

 

That's how I am with halo. Feel better knowing I'm not the only one

Sent from Petguide.com Free App

 

Thanks so much for the opinion! What do you feed yours and how much?


Sent from Petguide.com Free App

 

No, it's not cruel - it is a learning process for him. Dogs can safely fast for a few days, so no harm done if he has to wait until the next day for his meal. I bet he'll catch on very fast!

 

Absolutely, get him on a feeding schedule.
I definitely would switch his food from that not so good one. Dog probably eats it when hunger hits him, because he doesn't like it.
You can see why that is not a good food here:
Purina One SmartBlend Dog Food | Review and Rating

 

What everyone else said! If they don't eat when you give them the chance pick the bowl up and try again later. Not cruel. In the wild wolves eat when they get the chance. Dog's bodies are built for that. Of course we feed them daily, but they don't need to know that!

I also suggest switching foods! Purina is not a very healthy brand at all. There are a lot of great foods out there. I personally feed Orijen but as many can tell you, that's just one option out of many.

 

I feed Purina EN (veterinary diet) mixed with either 4Health Salmon or Kirkland adult with some raw chicken thighs, but if I only had a single dog I'd probably look into some other foods. It's just not financially possible for me to dole out 26 cups of food a day from a $50+ bag.

Personally, I reckon high levels of Purina are good foods. I LOVE their Sport (I use it during the busy season to keep good weight on my girls). Savor & Vet lines are good. One and below are pretty scuzzy, and Dog Chow is the nutritional equivalent of cardbord with a sprinkle of vitamins.

 

I mix the 4Health Healthy Weight with the 4Health Salmon (grain free) and feed each dog a little over a cup twice a day. Food goes down for about 10 minutes and then bowls go in the sink until their evening meal. They pretty much always eat every bite. I do mix about a tablespoon of canned food in also just to give them something different to taste.

When you are first trying to get him to do this, make their food so irresistible that can't help but eat it all. I did this by adding cottage cheese to the dry. For some reason, dogs love cottage cheese

 

switch brands. free feeding has worked for me in the past.
going to the bathroom was no problem. a dog can adjust
to any schedule.

 

No food for a day then he gets a morning meal and an evening. Problem solved.

 

I agree. Put it down and after a set time up it goes. Normally, my pup is a chow hound. Always ready to eat (even if he just finished). However, he went through a phase last week where he was more interested in keeping up with things and didn't just immediately eat his bowl of food until it was gone. He wandered off so I just went over and picked up his bowl and set it on the counter. He was quite aghast. I waited a bit and put it back down. He scarfed it up and has never wandered away from it again!

 

My two oldest dogs used to free feed, but when we got Riley he would eat all the food. Kaleb would do the same thing if we free fed. I just put the bowls down in the morning and once they are done eating they get picked up. When they get hungry enough they will eat.

Kaleb gets fed twice a day.

 

My dogs get breakfast and dinner. The oldest is a freakin' chow hound... literally. She is waiting in her crate for her meal before you're even done scooping it out of the bag. The other, well, let's just say he's more polite. And yes, he had about two months of on-and-off days where he just wouldn't eat. He got at most 30 minutes to eat, usually 15. If he didn't eat it, the bowl went in the fridge and was older dog's meal next mealtime. After the two months or so he did get with the program and eats more often than not. We have found that he prefers certain flavors over others.

 

I have a roaming 2 year old and a 6 month old that's just starting to crawl. Dog food goes down for 10 minutes, right after human breakfast and again right before human dinner. If it's not eaten in 10 minutes, it gets picked up, period, end of story. Yann, my newest adoption, was used to having free food, but he learned what meal time was within a couple days, no issues

~*~*~*~
Furbabies:
Sofie Rose born 08/2012
Yann von Erzengel born 02/2006

 

Free feeding can be a problem in multi-dog households or those with young children.

I would pick the food up after 10-15 minutes. No healthy dog will starve itself.

I agree about going to a higher quality kibble Purina isn't a very good brand, sorry. For kibble, I liked Orijen or Acana, but I feed raw now and will never go back to kibble.