[Septi]

I understand it that one good way to feed a dog is to give it food twice a day, then hide the leftovers when the dog's done. I was under impression that water should be always available.

But after lurking a little on these forums I see that many people take up water also. So, what's your opinion on the subject? When do you give your dog food and water and when and why do you take it away?

 

[LilasMom]

Water is to be available at all times in my opinion. I think it is acceptable to take water up about 1 hour before bed though to prevent accidents.

I think the most common method of feeding is twice a day. My dog is supposed to get 4 ounces of raw food a day because of his weight so I give him 2 ounces in the morning and 2 ounces in the evening. His tummy has been upset recently though so I am switching to three times a day, so 1.3 ounces of food in am, 1.3 around noon, and 1.3 in pm.

 

[leahwyatt]

The idea is that your dog needs to eat at specific hours. We humans also need to do that but we are not as affected as dogs if we don't. So it is best that you take away his food to prevent other problems such as over obesity.

I also think that water should be available for your dog at all times. He won't drink very much because animals mostly take their water from food. But, it's best you give him water whenever he needs.

 

[Poly]

Once your dog is house-trained, fresh water should be available at all times. You should change the water twice a day or so to make sure it is fresh.

When we are house-training a puppy - or a rescue - we do remove the water a few hours before bedtime. This is to help the puppy or dog make it through the night. This is only for a short time until he or she can make it through the night without a potty-break.

 

[hamandeggs]

Food twice a day, and it's a measured amount so there are no leftovers to take up. If she didn't finish within 20 minutes I would take up the leftovers, though. Water is available at all times except when she's in her crate and overnight.

 

[hanksimon]

Water all the time. Food 3x a day for pups, 2x a day for seniors, and 1x - 2x a day for adults. Some breeds (Not Retrievers!!!) can free feed all day long with no ill effects. I think that Dobies and JRT, maybe GSD are some that are not always hungry.

 

[Septi]

Thanks for your answers

How do you find out how much does the dog need to eat? Also, my breed is (probably) a border collie, is there anything specific about their diet?

 

[hamandeggs]

Start with the recommendations on the bag and then see if your dog is looking too fat or too thin, or has loose stool (often indicates overfeeding). Adjust accordingly.

 

[Vicky88]

Holly gets fed twice a day, once in the morning and again at tea time, only time she isn't fed in the morning is if she isn't having an active day for some reason, like if she has hurt herself, Holly's water is always left down.

 

[Charis]

I feed once a day in the evening. Water is available at all times now. It was not when we were housetraining - I took it up right before bed.
How much to feed - as previously mentioned I started with the bag recommendations. You should be able to feel the ribs under a layer of tissue (not fat) but not see them. If you can't feel them the dog is overweight, if you can see them the dog is grossly underweight. Dogs should also have a "waist" of sorts.
Here is a link to a chart (has nothing to do with the products on the page - just the chart)
http://www.solidgoldnorthland.com/2011/03/31/holistique-blendz-food-for-the-overweight-dog/

 

[Septi]

Hm, he is asking for food more often than twice a day, and he will happily eat a lot. That helped to calm him down today, so I figured that maybe he was hungry and not wanting another walk. But hey, he does have a loose stool sometimes... I guess I'm doing it wrong I guess I should ask the vet to weight him (when we go to get a rabbies vaccination), so I can calculate, how much food does he need. I should mention though that while he is very furry (and that inhibits visual evaluation), his ribs, waist and pelvic bones can be very easily felt. My guess is he probably lost a lot of weight on the street, or maybe wasn't even fed enough before becoming astray.

However, I should mention that I'm more afraid to underfeed the dog than to overfeed him, because we have aggression issues.

 

[hamandeggs]

Most dogs are always hungry. Their claims of wanting more food are not to be trusted! Go by what you see and feel and see what your vet says and whether his stomach is in good shape. If you think he's too skinny, it's OK to give him more. The bag recommendations are just a good starting point.

If you want to weigh him at home, just weigh yourself, then weigh yourself holding him, and the difference is the weight of your pup.

Also: your dog isn't biting you because he's hungry! Dogs don't eat living people. That's a separate issue.

 

[Septi]

Most dogs are always hungry. Their claims of wanting more food are not to be trusted! Go by what you see and feel and see what your vet says and whether his stomach is in good shape. If you think he's too skinny, it's OK to give him more. The bag recommendations are just a good starting point.

If you want to weigh him at home, just weigh yourself, then weigh yourself holding him, and the difference is the weight of your pup.

I'll consider it... And great idea about weighing.

Also: your dog isn't biting you because he's hungry! Dogs don't eat living people. That's a separate issue.

I was under the impression that dogs are more likely to get angry when they are hungry.

 

[hamandeggs]

Hm...I've never heard that and don't think it makes much sense. Maybe if the dog is starving. But it sounds like your dog's biting is coming more from a place of fear, and even if it was "anger," overfeeding your dog will not keep him from biting you.

 

[Charis]

Never trust a dog telling you it is hungry - dogs will literally eat themselves to death if given opportunity. Just because he is willing/wanting to eat again - doesn't mean he needs to - it means he is food motivated which is good for your training and not for giving him more food.
Being hungry has nothing to do with biting you (unless your hand was in his food dish at which point it may a contributing factor but not the cause)

 

[KodiBarracuda]

I'm a bit backwards...

Food out all of the times, the dogs share their food bowl but mostly nibble through the day, a few kibbles here, a few there, and they are both a great weight.
BUT
Water only when they are outside. When we got Kodi we learned fast the vicious circle. He gets excited, he drinks all the water he can find, then he runs around and projectile vomits it back up. He doesn't do it often now, but we just got into the habit of having water outside so thats how it stayed, they share two big heated water bowls with the cats next to the door on the porch.

 

[Septi]

Never trust a dog telling you it is hungry - dogs will literally eat themselves to death if given opportunity.

Some part of me wants to hang this quote on the wall and point to it every time someone tells me I'm overfeeding the dog. His stool has finally normalized since I stopped allowing him to heat all he wants.