Pros And Cons Of Free Feeding

[persephone]

I think free-feeding takes away a bonding chance/experience ;)

each time we feed our dog - we get a chance to give teh dog something it wants, in return for a behaviour ..we also usually pour praise on the dog ..and teh dog learns that WE are the providers of the good stuff

Just leaving a bowlful on the floor does nothing.....except teach otherwise well fed dogs to snack ....

[Danois]

I think free-feeding takes away a bonding chance/experience

each time we feed our dog - we get a chance to give teh dog something it wants, in return for a behaviour ..we also usually pour praise on the dog ..and teh dog learns that WE are the providers of the good stuff

Just leaving a bowlful on the floor does nothing.....except teach otherwise well fed dogs to snack ....

Except if you have a dog that does not eat well

Although I free feed there is still meal times i.e come dinner time I'll top the bowl up or add something like sardines and my dog waits in the doorway until he is released and if I don't say it exactly and look at him when I do he does not move.

He does not guard his food and will move away from his bowl if he is asked to.

I just make sure there is a 'bonding chance' somewhere else in our day

Edited January 9, 2011 by Danois

[Loopy Lola]

I free feed my dogs ( I GSD and a Wolfy x ) in that they have free access to good quality biscuit all day and fresh water . In the morning they have any of the kids left over breakfast cereal etc and sometimes a bone . They get their meat and any dinner leftovers in the evening and will always sit and wait etc .

My dogs are not greedy and have never guarded food or bones ......they will happily share all food and eat from the same bowl .

I don't like dogs resource guarding food as we have alot of children and foster dogs in our home . It is the way we have always fed our dogs over the past 30 years and works well for us .

My dogs are now both over 6 years old and will happily share their food with foster dogs and pups too . They have never been overweight and and are in the house with me and the kids all day without me worrying about them stalking the little ones for food .

[OSoSwift]

For those that do free feed, what would happen if your dog needed a GA??? You would have no idea when they had last eaten and how much. I would have thought that could cause complications??

Mine have set meals and eat in seperate rooms or crates or dog runs.

[~Anne~]

I could never free feed, not with Pugs!

[Loopy Lola]

If they were sick enough to need to go to the vet ( unless being run over by a car ) they would have gone off their food way before the vet visit , it would be one of the first things that would tell me they were sick ........... I still know roughly how much they have eaten as I put the biscuit in the bowl in the laundry and see how much has gone throughout the course of the day .

[crazy beagle lady]

;) same with evil beagles!

I could never free feed, not with Pugs!

[Pretty Miss Emma]

I haven't ever free fed my dogs. But if I had I could potentially see a problem with it now. Emma is diabetic, so therefore I need to know that she has eaten all her food and exactly how much. And now with another dog in the house, I need to know that she hasn't eaten the other dogs food. So when I put her food down I need her to finish it now, this is also because she has an insulin injection with each meal and if she doesn't eat her whole meal within a reasonable time after the injection she can go hypo (not good!!!).

So I could imagine had she been free fed and then been expected to move on to our current regime there could have been many problems, possibly involving trips to the vet because she could be in a coma from a hypo.

I agree with a lot of what others have said as to why it is not good to free feed, but this is just another take on it. Emma's diabetes took us by suprise, you can't predict and plan for it to happen it sort of just does sometimes over a very short period!

[dasha]

I used to free feed my working kelpie pup.

The amount of food that she needed was too great to be able to give it to her in designated feed times.

It actually made her less food possesive. There was plenty there, no need to guard it.

She was free fed Advance active and even then people still said she was thin. Too much running and a high metabolism.and too busy to eat.

I don't free feed now though as there is too many dogs and they are all gutses and one Border would prob bloat, and the others would just get fat as they are lazier now.

Free feeding suits some dogs. If they are not bolters and are a good weight then I see no problem if that how people want to feed their dogs..Horses for courses. If a dog eats too much that it gets fat, then free feeding is not good for that dog. If a dog is a grazer then it is not likely to gorge or eat oo much so free feeding is fine for that dog.

If a dog needed a GA in an emergency, just let the vet know it MAY have eaten something but if it is not a guts it prob didn't..as it was just doing something else that's why it had an accident. Just means a different anaesthetic may be used. Or they can make it spew first if it is not a life threatening thing.

[Starkehre]

I do not free feed, but also sympathise and understand those that may need to.

Just out of a genuine curiosity, for those that do free feed, do any of you compete with these dogs in any dog sport disciplines or conformation? Or are these free feeders all pets only.

Please understand that I do not mean anything judgemental, negative or derogatory by this, genuine curiosity.

I ask because I do not think I personally would be able to get the work I like from my dogs if I free fed them. I do use food for training sometimes and play drive other times. I also use competative drive, so not always food, but still think they would lack the spark and interest it takes to get my desired response and keenness.

I personally like my dogs to always be hungry and guts their food (within reason). I have never had an issue with bloat or any other digestive problems. They are fed just enough food to keep them at the weight I want, no more. I could not bear to free feed. It is important to me to know exactly what my dogs have eaten at all times.

I want my dogs to look at me as their source of everything they need and want.

Edited January 10, 2011 by dyzney

[stormie]

I'm in no way having a go, but just trying to work something out.

For those who free feed due to having picky eaters, I don't understand why having food available helps? If they became hungry at say 11am and had a little pick, then again at say 2pm and picked again, surely if they were hungry at these times and no food was available, come dinner time they'd be uber hungry?

[sheena]

My active (tho not so active in this weather) BC gets her main meal at night & in the mornings she gets her raw meaty bone for breakfast AFTER she has been for a good run & has done some training. She also gets training treats during the day. I am sure if I let her free feed, even though she is not a guts, I am sure she would get fat & would have little interest in training if she wasn't just a little bit hungry. I am sure if I were to graze all day, then I would get fat (fatter) & lazy so the same would apply to my dog

[poodlefan]

I'm in no way having a go, but just trying to work something out.

For those who free feed due to having picky eaters, I don't understand why having food available helps? If they became hungry at say 11am and had a little pick, then again at say 2pm and picked again, surely if they were hungry at these times and no food was available, come dinner time they'd be uber hungry?

Speaking from experience, it can be very difficult to get enough food into some dogs in set meal times.. they simply don't eat enough. For a single dog in this situation, free feeding is an option. I'd not suggest it be a good idea for multiple dogs generally.

[dasha]

I used to compete mine in agility when she was free fed. She still worked for food or a toy or anything. She is a guts for food. (all mine are except the new one)

People used to say I need to feed her more as she was too thin. I said she's got 20 kg food at home she can help herself to, she was just burning it up to quick.

When she ate she would only be grabbing a few mouthfuls at a time then be off doing something.

[Aussienot]

Doesn't free feeding contribute to eating issues? Normally the sight and smell of food is a trigger for appetite. If the dog can see and smell food all the time, the trigger becomes exhausted. The dog loses the ability to tell when he is hungry. The appetite and food disconnection can cause under or over eating.

At least, I think I learned that at somewhere. I've never been in a situation where free feeding was the only way to keep a dog at a healthy weight.

[Loopy Lola]

I do not free feed, but also sympathise and understand those that may need to.

Just out of a genuine curiosity, for those that do free feed, do any of you compete with these dogs in any dog sport disciplines or conformation? Or are these free feeders all pets only.

Please understand that I do not mean anything judgemental, negative or derogatory by this, genuine curiosity.

I ask because I do not think I personally would be able to get the work I like from my dogs if I free fed them. I do use food for training sometimes and play drive other times. I also use competative drive, so not always food, but still think they would lack the spark and interest it takes to get my desired response and keenness.

I personally like my dogs to always be hungry and guts their food (within reason). I have never had an issue with bloat or any other digestive problems. They are fed just enough food to keep them at the weight I want, no more. I could not bear to free feed. It is important to me to know exactly what my dogs have eaten at all times.

I want my dogs to look at me as their source of everything they need and want.

My dogs will still work/train for food Dyzney , just has to be a higher value food than the kibble .......Lola the GSD will also do anything I want for a food ,toy reward or general praise .........the wolfy x can be more stubborn .....not interested in toys but will just about turn himself inside out for cheese, liver treats , polony etc .

ETA ......for those that think their dogs would be obese .......I have found the opposite if you start off young ..........they will regulate their intake by themselves .

Most dietitions will tell you that the only way to lose weight and keep it off is to eat several small meals a day and exercise ...........when you eat just one larger meal a day your body tends to go into starvation mode and hold onto every last calorie .

Edited January 11, 2011 by Loopy Lola

[anniek]

I have a friend who free feeds her two greys. It's a PITA when I look after them as they won't bloody eat!

My guys are used to "food down - eat - all over". Her greys tend to starve for a couple of days when they're here as if they don't eat within 10 minutes that's it til next time.

[Danois]

I'm in no way having a go, but just trying to work something out.

For those who free feed due to having picky eaters, I don't understand why having food available helps? If they became hungry at say 11am and had a little pick, then again at say 2pm and picked again, surely if they were hungry at these times and no food was available, come dinner time they'd be uber hungry?

I'm in no way having a go, but just trying to work something out.

For those who free feed due to having picky eaters, I don't understand why having food available helps? If they became hungry at say 11am and had a little pick, then again at say 2pm and picked again, surely if they were hungry at these times and no food was available, come dinner time they'd be uber hungry?

Speaking from experience, it can be very difficult to get enough food into some dogs in set meal times.. they simply don't eat enough. For a single dog in this situation, free feeding is an option. I'd not suggest it be a good idea for multiple dogs generally.

That's the problem I had - even if he'd skipped a meal (or 2), he still would not eat a big meal following that - he'd eat a normal size meal if that so we were constantly going backwards.

If I am training him at home then he will respond to rewards but I tend to use high value which he does not get otherwise i.e. maccas meat patties but as soon as I put him into the ring or at obedience training, he has no interested in food due to everything going on around him but he will still work so I rely on praise as the reward.

[Starkehre]

I do not free feed, but also sympathise and understand those that may need to.

Just out of a genuine curiosity, for those that do free feed, do any of you compete with these dogs in any dog sport disciplines or conformation? Or are these free feeders all pets only.

Please understand that I do not mean anything judgemental, negative or derogatory by this, genuine curiosity.

I ask because I do not think I personally would be able to get the work I like from my dogs if I free fed them. I do use food for training sometimes and play drive other times. I also use competative drive, so not always food, but still think they would lack the spark and interest it takes to get my desired response and keenness.

I personally like my dogs to always be hungry and guts their food (within reason). I have never had an issue with bloat or any other digestive problems. They are fed just enough food to keep them at the weight I want, no more. I could not bear to free feed. It is important to me to know exactly what my dogs have eaten at all times.

I want my dogs to look at me as their source of everything they need and want.

My dogs will still work/train for food Dyzney , just has to be a higher value food than the kibble .......Lola the GSD will also do anything I want for a food ,toy reward or general praise .........the wolfy x can be more stubborn .....not interested in toys but will just about turn himself inside out for cheese, liver treats , polony etc .

ETA ......for those that think their dogs would be obese .......I have found the opposite if you start off young ..........they will regulate their intake by themselves .

Most dietitions will tell you that the only way to lose weight and keep it off is to eat several small meals a day and exercise ...........when you eat just one larger meal a day your body tends to go into starvation mode and hold onto every last calorie .

Thanks for your input LL and Danois

Edited January 11, 2011 by dyzney