Meals or Free Feeding? 04/17/2011
Why I prefer to feed meals: 1. I like to use meals as a barometer of how my dog is feeling. My pug, Wilson, inhales his food and has never missed a meal. If he refused a meal that would be a red flag and a clear indication he may not be feeling well. 2. For puppies especially, input equals output. This helps immensely with house training. Puppies usually need a trip to their toilet area within an hour of eating a meal.This greatly increases your chances of predicting when your puppy will go therefore giving you the opportunity to take your dog to the appropriate area for elimination and setting you and them up for success. 3. An opportunity to reinforce behaviour you like. Free feeding is just that, giving your dog meals, for free. Take advantage of mealtime and use a portion of their food to practice training and reinforce behaviours you like. 4. Boarding your puppy will be a lot easier if they eat meals. If the boarding facility is 'cage-free', it is unlikely that the facility will be able to leave your dogs food out all day as another dog may eat it first. 5. Would you like to take your dog out for the day? It's easier to know that they ate breakfast than worry about them being hungry throughout the day. 6. If your dogs food is always available and you have given your dog a little bit of this and that, then it is more likely your dog will learn to hold out for something yummier. This can create a finicky eater. It's very important that your dogs diet consists primarily of their dog food as it is the most nutritionally balanced part of their diet. 7. OBESITY! The never ending bowl of food or the doggie buffet. Just like us, dogs need portion control otherwise, they will become obese and unhealthy. If you are filling up the bowl every time it is empty then you may end up with an obese dog. Follow the guidelines that come with each bag of food. Teaching your dog to eat meals is easy to do. First figure out how much food your dog eats in a day. Then depending on your dogs age divide that into two or three meals. Puppies up to 6 months eat three meals a day (breakfast, lunch and dinner). After 6 months, it is ok to switch to two meals per day (breakfast and dinner). Put a measured portion down for each meal. Leave the food down for 30 minutes and then take it away. If your dog is used to 'free feeding' then make sure you let them know the food is down and encourage them to eat. You can add a couple of tablespoons of hot tap water to it, if it is dry kibble and let it soak for a minute. Sometimes this makes the food more palatable and gets the dogs going. Remove the food after 30 minutes and then put it down at the next scheduled meal time. Please only feed meals with a healthy puppy / dog. If your veterinarian has recommended free feeding due to a medical condition then follow your vet's advice. Add Comment |
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