'Free' feeding..

wrknnwf

Active member
Did with all the other dogs I've had except my Newfs. The only pro I can think of is convenience. I didn't have to worry about being home to feed the dogs at a certain time. But sometimes, I appreciate having an legit excuse to go home.

But, I changed for several reasons...

1. Control of puppy growth rate.
2. Prevention of bloat.
3. Training purposes.
4. Prevention of food borne illness.

And the biggest reason...

4. Leadership. Control of an important resource.
 
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Boris'Mom

New member
We free feed Boris. He gets 3 cups of dry food after his walk plus an "appetizer" treat. He eats the treat right away but usually leaves the food for later. If he's eaten his food before his other walk he gets another round of dry + treat. If not he gets a treat. He rarely eats both bowls of food in a day unless he's gotten very excited or had an unusual amount of exercise.
 

Liisa

New member
We did with the Tibetans. But they are so unmotivated by food, that if we put the food down and took it back up after a certain amount of time - well, they would never have eaten. That was until we got Khabo - the rescue tibetan. That boy would eat his and then his sisters. We were able to train Pari that when the food went down, she had to eat then. It took a while, but she got it.
 

Peanut

New member
Yes. I do. Have with my last/current 5 dogs. Other than the "nothing in life is free" theory, I don't know why not? It as worked GREAT for us! I have NEVER had a goobler, overweight or food aggressive dog while doing this. I know the pros say different...but it WORKS for us.
 
Snuffles in his old home was free fed. Problem was, I think he starved since he does not like plain dry food, then gorges. And like Jane said, I think that could be a cause of bloat.

Jane also says " 4. Leadership. Control of an important resource.". Never thought of that, but meal time is one time Snuffles really obeys :)
 

angie j

New member
I free feed
Advantages:
* Dogs DONT gulp because they eat at leasure, when they are hungry
* Dogs dont have food agression because they eat from a common bowl, often at different times, and so are not competing for their 'share'
* Dogs dont feel the need to 'fill up' while theres food 'on the ground' and learn to regulate a healthy feeding amount.. they stabalize at a healthy weight
*I never have to 'worry' about being late and the gang going hungry

4. Leadership. Control of an important resource.
lol... make no mistake... I control: RAW meals, the peanut butter jar, sardines and homemade liver treats.... Noone mistakes who is the 'Almight' in the pack ;)

Angie J
 
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Baloo

New member
Good to know it is okay...I free feed and was worried it might be detrimental to their health. Neither one of the boys is a gulper...food will sit out for ages with them slowly grazing. And Angie, you are so right about food aggression....non existent. I don't know if this is any co-relation...but I have free fed all my dogs over the years and none have been chewers. Could be luck....could be something else.
 

KodysGrandma

New member
Over 30 years we have had about 45 rescues and we free fed all. Sometimes it took a couple of weeks for the "old" ones to convince the "young one" that it would always be there and s/he didn't have to gulp and hurry. Now they are so casual that I have to pick it up at night or they will eat at 3 AM leading to poops at 3:15 AM which I don't like picking up at 7 AM. So when we go to bed, any bowls with food still in them go behind closed doors.

Likewise we control the treats and for the Newf the beans, salmon, yogurt etc. that he gets special. Has worked for us and we have only had 1 Miss Piggy (Keeshond). She lies with her paws around the bowl and eats from the far side just in case someone else might be interested in that particular bowl (there are 7 for the 13 dogs)
 

ozzysma

New member
i free fed ozzy before stevie came to join us. he is so not "food motivated" and had always been very skinny. once i switched to orijen i had to make sure he was not eating too much so i had to make sure he only got 4 cups over the day. when stevie (big gluton) come to join us we have proper meals and i have to put something on ozzys food so he eats it right away. both eat only 3 cups each of the orijen.
 

Erika

New member
Only Greta has free food in her crate.she likes to snack throughout the day.......the others dnt bother it as long as its on her blanket in the crate
 

R Taft

Active member
Used to free feed, until hubby brought working Australian kelpies into our life, twenty years ago....................They will just keep eating and eating and more eating, untill they could possibly explode :lol:.
Aslo now we feed Raw, so it is a different system................Mind you they always have a raw bone to chew on.
 

Ivoryudx

New member
Advantages:
* Dogs DONT gulp because they eat at leasure, when they are hungry
* Dogs dont have food agression because they eat from a common bowl, often at different times, and so are not competing for their 'share'
* Dogs dont feel the need to 'fill up' while theres food 'on the ground' and learn to regulate a healthy feeding amount.. they stabalize at a healthy weight
*I never have to 'worry' about being late and the gang going hungry
Please be careful that what works for one household/group of dogs, will not work for all.

Some dogs will still gulp even if they are free fed. They just walk by, grab a bite and keep going.

'Real' food aggression will not get better with free feeding, it will actually get worse. Free feeding a dog with real food aggression reinforces that he is in control of the food and there will be hell to pay if something or someone not of his liking is near his bowl even if he's not hungry. Free feeding can actually cause other dogs to not eat at all, even if its not 'noticed' to be a battle. Free feeding can also lead to picky eaters. Been there myself, and paid that price for years to come later.

While free feeding works for a lot of dogs, it will not work for all and there is absolutely no way to know with mutliple dogs who is getting what amount. If one gets ill it takes longer to notice which one went off its food.

The Leadership/Control of the resource doesn't matter to many dogs, but there are some who take it very seriously. Controling all food, is a good way to establish leadership in a subtle non-confrontational way and takes the pressure off all levels of multiple dogs. Not to mention that it provides a great training opportunity!

JMO,
 

Ginny

New member
If I free-fed, my Newfs would be overweight...definitely NOT the way I'd go.

Hopefully, your walks before and after eating are not strenuous. Many recommend (but no one knows for sure) rest before and after feeding to avoid bloat.
 

angie j

New member
Please be careful that what works for one household/group of dogs, will not work for all.

1) 'Real' food aggression will not get better with free feeding, it will actually get worse.

2) there is absolutely no way to know with mutliple dogs who is getting what amount. If one gets ill it takes longer to notice which one went off its food.,
1) True!

2) If you free feed it is essential that you monitor the overall health of the dogs as routine, as it IS important to be aware of each dogs health, although a dog that has gone off food will surely be showing other signs of illness as well; Being aware is important.
 

Baloo

New member
My vet loves my dogs.....we are there at least once a month for weight checks and looks over....doesn't cost me a thing. (God bless him) When I fill the bowls in the morning, one eats and then the other, so I do have an idea of how much they get. Then the bowls get filled again and they basically graze.........cow like.
 

Lori

New member
Ginny, exactly what I was thinking regarding walking, eating and bloat. I always remember hearing to wait to feed one hour before and two hours after exercising. What might be strenuous to one dog, isn't to another. I always wait even with walking just to be safe.
 

Mrs Beblo

New member
To each his / her own. Buford has always just had food in his dish. Sometimes I come home from work & it's empty, but most times there's still food in there.
He doesn't gulp, doesn't care if his friends come over & snack, some days he's hungrier than others.
I think it's all what works for US!
~ Personally, I always worry about schedules! What happens if we're late coming home from work etc.
 

zennewf

New member
I've had only one newf who could be free fed. Most of them are too food-oriented and overeat. It was nice and convenient. And I liked she was picking the amount that was right for her instead of vice versa.
 
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