constant available food

Veltish · 08-06-2007, 07:19 PM

just wondering on everyones thoughts about having food always in the bowl. my parents have the self feeder thing for thier golden retreiver. they've alwas fed thier dogs like this and ive never seen anything wrong with it.

INFO ON THIS?

RonE · 08-06-2007, 07:27 PM

It's called free-feeding. It's works for some dogs, but never for one of mine.

I've had dogs (beagle, lab, Plott hound) that would just eat until they died.

It makes it very difficult to see just how much they are actually eating. Sudden changes in eating habits are one of the vet-visit triggers. How ya gonna know if you're free-feeding?

Dogs who are free-fed tend to be very leisurely, sometimes even picky, eaters. My dogs go places and do things. They can't stay home all day and pick at their food.

Once-a-day feeding and free feeding are the extremes that work well for a few, but most adult dogs do better with two scheduled, limited-time-opportunity feedings each day.

tirluc · 08-07-2007, 08:03 AM

mine get a certain amount fed in the a.m. and then in the p.m. ....however, that being said, if they don't eat their morning feed (never have that problem w/ night time feedings) then it stays on the floor for them to "pick at" thru-out the day while they are home.....what isn't eaten by night feedings is just added to their feeding then.....since my boy doesn't go w/ me when i leave w/ the girls, the dishes (w/ food) have to be picked up as he is the only one of the clan that won't stay out of other dishes.....

Purplex15 · 08-07-2007, 08:17 AM

bad bad bad. im really not an advocate for it at all. woman brought her two dogs in for boarding this week (shep mix and rat terr) both were extremely overweight (the rat terrier looks like a chih, is only 5 or 6 and has already had knee and hip surgury). she saYS she free feeds all day. she says she feels bad only feeding them 2 times a day, that they are STARVING! if a dog knows its feeding regimine it will nomrally eat fine. i know many dogs that dont like eating breakfast, but will normally pick if it is left out (which is fine as it is still getting the correct serving size for the day). no free feeding

darlin · 08-07-2007, 02:13 PM

I think it depends on the dog. I have four, and they get a a.m. feeding and then have the free feeding dish for the rest of the day. My shelter dog brought girardia into the house so i have to feed them chicken and rice every morning. the rest of the day they use the free feeder. None of my dogs are overweight or food aggressive, i feed them next to each other and no problems. I have always done a.m wet feedings and used the free feeding method with every dog i've ever had. But i have a friend that tried free feeding with her dog and it ate till he was sick. So it's a case of trial and error

EXBCMC · 08-07-2007, 02:51 PM

Our one lab would eat til she pops. The other would nibble at it. My daughter has two young labs that free feed and they are in prime shape, but she exercises them regularly.

Curbside Prophet · 08-07-2007, 02:58 PM

Have you ever tried to train a free fed dog? Enough said.

nrhareiner · 08-07-2007, 03:42 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Curbside Prophet

Have you ever tried to train a free fed dog? Enough said.

Yep and have never had a problem. Not with any of the hunting dogs nor with the 2 I am training now.

Heidi

darlin · 08-07-2007, 05:21 PM

I'm confused what does free feeding have to do with training a dog? Are you talking about basic obedience training or something more?

FilleBelle · 08-07-2007, 05:48 PM

I think a lot of us here tend to use a lure method of training, in which treats play a big part. If a dog has access to food all day, there is never a time when he is truly treat motivated.

Also, free feeding makes it difficult to practice NILIF, a technique a lot of us use for basic doggie manners.

Veltish · 08-07-2007, 11:10 PM

i disagree with it eing harder to train them. my parents dog is VERY well trained ..and is free fed. he's also in perfect shape and doesnt have any special excersize. i think it just depends on how you bring them up. if you feed them at certain times each day and then all the sudden give them available food 24/7 of course they will eat and eat and eat and eat. that's a given.

RonE · 08-08-2007, 05:48 AM

There's no forum rule that says you have to accept the advice you've asked for, but try to remember that you did ask.

Veltish · 08-08-2007, 01:42 PM

i know. i was just stating my opinion towards someone elses opinion.

i thought up another reason its good to feed at certain times. when you free feed its harder to switch dogs over to a different food. and theres more of a chance of upsetting the dogs stomach. Also, when you have puppies its harder when you free feed because you really cant monitor when its going to be time to poop...and when you feed at certain times you know generally when they will have to go and its helps a little with the potty training

right now we kind of do a half/half thing with the pups. we leave the dish out all of the time but we fill it in the morning all the way and thats it. they eat at different times every day. but dont have unlimited amounts of food.

Curbside Prophet · 08-08-2007, 03:48 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Veltish

i disagree with it eing harder to train them.

Anecdotal evidence doesn't prove the point that it's just as easy to train a free fed dog as a non-free fed dog. Nor did I suggest a dog can't be trained without food. They can, but it's more challenging.

The common dog handler has little or no dog training knowledge. If training is more challenging, the possibility of failure becomes more likely. And failure to train a dog is the first step in a dog ending up in a shelter. A food motivated dog, however, is easy to train, and his chances of success increase with each rewarded behavior.

I can train a dog without food too, but I've found the results to be immediate and long standing starting with food rewards. This suggests to me that food is a valued resource to dogs and a great motivator.

I have enough evidence volunteering at a shelter that free fed dogs are not food motivated. Maybe 1 in 10 shelter dogs is food motivated. Perhaps that's the reason they're in the shelter to begin with?

Training is all about what the dog's motivations are. Food is at the top of the list...it is possibly the most valued resource for companion dogs. So why wouldn't I want to control their most valued resource and use it as a tool in training?

valleyview1955 · 08-10-2007, 10:40 AM

All of my dogs would eat until they were sick if I free fed. I also have two dogs on thyroid meds that they need to take twice a day with their food. feeding twice a day works for me, it may not for others. Plus, I know EXACTLY how much they ate and when if a medical emergency arises.

I think some people can free feed, but I do not. My friend used to have 8 dogs when she lived on a farm in Texas, and she free fed her dogs.

I don't think that you can go from feeding twice a day to free feeding. I can't imagine the outcome of that. But you can go the opposite way and stop free feeding to going to two meals a day.

The kennel dogs get fed twice a day, but since some of them pick or do not eat much, we take up their food when they finish it, or the at the next feeding time. It also allows us to find out who is eating and who isn't. Plus, with feeding twice a day in the kennels, it is less mess to clean up if they soil the inside of the run.

My dogs eat everything in their bowls, and I can make them wait for their food or do some simple, quick obedience when the food comes out. Plus, I think it is a wee bit funny to watch the drool on my dogs when it is feeding time. Thank you Pavlov!

-Adrienne

tracknut · 08-10-2007, 11:02 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by valleyview1955

I don't think that you can go from feeding twice a day to free feeding. I can't imagine the outcome of that. But you can go the opposite way and stop free feeding to going to two meals a day.

We went from 2 meals/day to free feeding without any incident. But I agree, from the inputs on this thread it seems to depend on the particular dog.

Dave

Ginny01OT · 08-10-2007, 05:54 PM

American dogs--like Americans, have a problem with being overweight. I will not free food because I don't want my dog to get overweight as he ages.

rayww · 08-11-2007, 04:20 AM

For me I will feed him twice a day, but i have to keep the bowl down all the time . I keep track of the amount given per day. So , i can know how's my dog eating like .
If i free feeding , my dog tend to eat and stop , after that come back again .

GreyhoundGirl · 08-11-2007, 07:27 PM

My views on the matter... See thread

http://www.dogforums.com/5-dog-food-...e-feeding.html (Negative effects of free feeding...)

I would never free feed... Especially with a feeder, because they're usually plastic, which is breeding ground for bacteria on the dogs food. Because not only is plastic the worst bowl, but the food sits in there for a particularly long time. In this heat that food would go bad in a heart beat!

EDIT: and it IS harder to train a free fed dog. Much, much harder to train. Especially if you have a low-drive dog because they won't be as "is" to toys. Training a free fed hound would be near impossible!

nrhareiner · 08-11-2007, 08:02 PM

It depends on the dog and the invoroment. I have free fed dogs for over 25 years and trained everyone of them. Not one has been over waight or hard to train. You can not generalize it does not work.

Heidi