# opinions on free feeding wanted



## DozerDogg (Jun 8, 2007)

Hello,

Well as the title suggests I would like to hear the pros and cons of free feeding (keeping their food dish full and available 24/7). We do this and have done so with every dog I have ever owned in my life. Personally I don't see any problems with it but I am a novice nutritionist at best, adequate at the most.
I would appreciate any help you have to offer. Thanks in advance.


Chris, Jenny, Buster, Dozer and Shyloh.


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## Shaina (Oct 28, 2007)

Growing up, my family's dogs always had free access to food and we never had a problem with obesity or with a dog becoming a picky eater, or whatever other maladies that free-feeding is supposed to produce. Then again, those dogs were farm dogs who received an enormous amount of exercise and who weren't prone to gorging themselves.

My current dog would likely eat until her made her self sick, vomit, and continue eating. Even if that weren't the case, I don't really care for leaving food out all the time for sanitary purposes...it's dry kibble, but our apartment's small and the whole place would smell like a pet store. Not to mention the risk of mold or whatever else when she slurps half her water bowl into her food bowl (she's a bit of a pig sometimes).

Basically, free feeding's fine in certain circumstances, but my feeling is that you can't really go wrong with limited food access for the sake of your dog's health (eg. mine gets offered a set amount of food twice a day, for ~20 minutes each time...the only time she's left any unfinished was right after her spay). You can essentially nip obesity in the bud, and you are immediately aware if you dog goes off her food so you can be on the lookout for any other symptoms of something more serious. 

Also (and I'm totally stating the obvious here), free-feeding only works for dry food: if you plan on feeding anything else, or mixing in anything else, then it's really not even an option.


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## Anela (Sep 8, 2007)

I've had dogs for the past 17 years, and I never free feed. That said, there may be a need for it, if the vet indicates one.

Dogs and their cousin (wolves) are not constant eaters. Their system is not built for so much food. They are used to eating in stages, not constantly like a cow. 

Free feeding can cause all sorts of problems, obesity, arthritis due to obesity, internal problems, etc. It can also cause problems with house training issues.

All three of my dogs eat every 12 hours. If they don't eat everything in less than 10 minutes, the food gets taken away, and they wait until next time.

Anela


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## DozerDogg (Jun 8, 2007)

Right now the three of them eat a little over 4 cups of food a day. Sometimes we may fill their bowl again at the end of the day but they usually don't gorge themselves. They usually drink 2 large bowls of water a day also. Am I really doing harm to them? That is the last thing in the world I would do to my dogs, or cats for that matter. Is there some sign or another that I could watch for?


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## lovemygreys (Jan 20, 2007)

The only benefit to free feeding is human convenience. Lots of drawbacks. Here's a few:
- Change in eating habits can be the first sign of illness
- Scheduled time for food in, generally means a scheduled time for poo out.
- We take our dogs to run very regularly and I want to know how much they've eaten and when before vigorous exercise, or even a moderate stroll.
- Resource control

I never free fed with only one dog and I'd never do it with multiple dogs. With multiple dogs you may not notice a dog is not eating until they are underweight -whether it's because they're sick or other dogs are bogarting the food. Fights can occur over food. If food is refilled after it's gone (rather than free feeding one set amount per day), obesity can result.

I wouldn't say free feeding harms a dog....it works for some people and some packs. Its just not something I do or think is an ideal feeding regimine.


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## GreatDaneMom (Sep 21, 2007)

anela, you really cant use wolves as a comparison. the difference is wolves have access to food all the time, all they have to do is kill it. that WOULD imply free feeding is the way to go.
i personally hate the comparison of dogs and wolves because they ARE SO different. ANYWHO! i dont free feed. it leaves room for too many problems like obesity, and in danes, bloat. my dane chloe would eat till she exploded if she could. there is no way i could ever free feed her. my other dane lexi was free fed by the breeder, but has changed due to chloe not being able to be free fed.


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## Annamarie (Oct 14, 2007)

if you're dog is not obese, a picky eater, etc, free feeding is in general ok for dogs. i did it for years with my other low maintenance dogs and they never had any issues.


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## DozerDogg (Jun 8, 2007)

It doesn't seem to be a problem so far, as I said they are all within a healthy range weight wise for their build and so far no serious illness but I know that doesn't mean that they are not being harmed. I am trying to explain all this to my wife but she thinks it's somehow cruel to feed only at certain times.

Now my Grandmother has a 96lb. Basset Hound that is free fed but of course he is extremely obese although you can't convince her of that, all to his detriment.


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## MagicToller (Jan 4, 2007)

Greys said it best: the pro's are associated with human convenience.


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## SpudFan (Oct 8, 2007)

One thing that has not been raised with regards to free feeding is the benefits for pottenialy aggresive breeds where you want to remove all sources of competition. 

The one thing that bothers me with this thread is that there is a lot of judgement passed on assumption. If you will be free feeding use a bit of common sense and observe how your dog will handle it. Also ensure that your food is adequatly stored etc

I have multiple dogs that have been free fed for many years and are in fantastic condition. They always have fresh water and kibble available. They also get given bones and suplements on a regular basis. My dogs have no food issues that I have seen in many others.


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## DozerDogg (Jun 8, 2007)

MagicToller said:


> Greys said it best: the pro's are associated with human convenience.


Nice, so I am being selfish because it's more conveinent? Your opinion is just that yours but don't make me out to be lazy and uncaring. I would and will do anything in my power for my dogs. I simply wanted to know what the big argument was all about, and if I was convinced that I was harming them I would change to scheduled feedings.


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## GreatDaneMom (Sep 21, 2007)

basically it all boils down to the dog really....if YOUR dog does well on it, GREAT! if you have multiple dogs, make sure they ALL do well on it. if they look a bit tubby, maybe you should maybe some schedualed feeding is in order. my personal choice is to feed meals because im terrified of bloat. by my feeding them i know how much they are eating and how fast, and i know how much they are drinking with it. so i dont worry SO much, dont think i dont worry about it at all though, its still a lot, im very anal about it. but with my feeding i can watch over it and help try to prevent it.


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## Renoman (Mar 20, 2007)

I have always found that a scheduled feeding time/amount worked best for me as well as my dogs. This way I was able to keep track of when/how much they ate and monitor their weight accordingly. 

As puppies, maintaining a consistent feeding schedule made bathroom breaks easier to determine which made house training much easier. 

I continue to feed on a schedule with a measured amount. This way I can monitor weight and adjust food amounts accordingly for each dog.


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## Shaina (Oct 28, 2007)

SpudFan said:


> The one thing that bothers me with this thread is that there is a lot of judgement passed on assumption.


That is true of any forum, and a great deal of real-life interactions. Unless every person who makes a post covers every contingency, assumptions get made. Then again, if every possible detail was included, all the posts would be novellas and wouldn't get read 

Anyway the OP asked for general opinions and people responded with personal experiences, which is the basis for their assumption.


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## DozerDogg (Jun 8, 2007)

I am sorry to get angry but I love my dogs like they're my arms and legs! I would truly be lost without them and want them to ;ive forever, but barring that as long and happily as possible. I hear that larger dogs have shorter lifespans than smaller ones so I worry about losing them way too soon. Sorry, corny I guess.


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## MegaMuttMom (Sep 15, 2007)

I free feed my cat and wish she would gain weight. The cat I had before would have eaten herself to an obese death. My dog could probably free feed well. He isn't terribly food oriented and eats relatively slowly. My step father always free fed his dogs and they did great. I think it is really a matter of opinion and personal to each pet. You can tell if a pet is off their food by how often you have to fill the bowl. Like I often say, if it's not broke, why fix it?


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## GreatDaneMom (Sep 21, 2007)

MegaMuttMom said:


> I free feed my cat and wish she would gain weight.


ugh, my cat was like that. he was so skinny, hes a tiny cat to begin with but since i wormed him 2 months ago, hes getting tubby lol. i think hes put on a lb or 2. i think hes probably around 5lbs now.

no one is saying you dont love your dogs.... i promise. people are just trying to give you what THEY think is the best information they can provide you with, most being real life experiences. like i said, my dog would eat herself to death if i tried to free feed her. im not saying you shouldnt, but thats what MY dog would do. by telling you that, all i want you to know is that, yes, there ARE dogs who dont do well free feeding. thats all.


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## nrhareiner (Dec 6, 2006)

I have free fed for over 30 years. That adds up too, with my personal dogs and foster dogs, over the years to well over 100 dogs. I have never had a single dog with a problem. Not one over waight or a picky eater or anything. They eat when they are hungery.

Heidi


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## lovemygreys (Jan 20, 2007)

DozerDogg said:


> Nice, so I am being selfish because it's more conveinent? Your opinion is just that yours but don't make me out to be lazy and uncaring. I would and will do anything in my power for my dogs. I simply wanted to know what the big argument was all about, and if I was convinced that I was harming them I would change to scheduled feedings.



Uh....no one used the words lazy or uncaring or selfish. Most people free feed b/c it's more convenient to leave food out than to establish feeding times. In fact, I very carefully worded my response as to be NON-judgemental. People do what works best for their dogs and their lifestyle. But, since you asked for OUR opinions, I offered MINE. And that is, there are far too many drawbacks and really no benefits to free feeding - other than human convenience.

Personally, I love feeding time with my dogs. Some people see it as a chore, I don't. I know *immediately* if someone goes off their food. Some of our dogs get meds they take with meals. Just lots of benefits with scheduled feeding times. Again, MY opinion.


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## xxxlisaxxx (Oct 15, 2007)

GreatDaneMom said:


> basically it all boils down to the dog really....if YOUR dog does well on it, GREAT! if you have multiple dogs, make sure they ALL do well on it.


Well said. Not sure if i am picking this up right tho!! but does free feed mean when their bowl is empty you re-fill it????? As far as my version of free feeding is, a full bowl of kibble is put down in the morning for my 2 year old cocker and if its finished within minutes or within hours, thats the lot, I dont re-fill again and i dont pick it up after a certain time if its not finished. 

At the moment I have stopped this as I have a 15 week old pup and he is fed 3 times a day as I think this is so important so my cocker now gets his meal in three stages now as if I just free fed my older one the pup im sure would get his mouthful without me looking every so often, so until the pup is alot older and gets over the "savage" stage I am monitoring feeding times. Sorry if i have got it totally wrong.


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## Cooper's Mama (Sep 23, 2007)

If it works for you, great! When we first brought Cooper home, we did not free feed because he literally INHALED his food. I think that while he was at the shelter, you ate what you could get and I think alot of them shared food bowls, so he ate as fast as he could. After a while he realized that no one else was eating his food, he relaxed and slowed down. Now, we free feed and it's perfectly fine for him. I never completely fill his dish, just a little under half way and sometimes he doesn't even eat all that. He's not a big eater, he just grazes when he feels like it. He's a healthy 53 pounds and he does get people food, but we've cut way back on it because he was getting a little chunky, which is totally our fault. It has nothing to do with leaving his food out all the time. It was for a while that he was getting more people food than dog food (even though his food was out) and when I realized that, we cut WAY back on people food. He now eats more dog food than anything, but he does get some people food.


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## SpudFan (Oct 8, 2007)

For me free feeding means food and water is available 24 x 7. The dogs always have access to food and water and thus can always eat as much or as little as they want. The only exception to this is when they are given bones which are always supervised.


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## Priss and Pedro's Mama (Nov 4, 2007)

I free fed Priss when she was younger. I basically thought that was just how it was done. She ended up a chubby 35lbs instead of a trim 28.5 that she maintains now. She also ended up diabetic from my ignorance (at least partly). With her being on insulin, I have to monitor her food closely so we feed 3x a day. Am and pm meals with a noon time snack at her lowest glucose time. Pedro will be on the same schedule simply because I'm too lazy to have 2 different feeding schedules LOL! The cats are free fed but self regulate. They mostly eat when I feed the dogs, but if I try to take up their bowls they stage LOUD protests


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## MagicToller (Jan 4, 2007)

> Nice, so I am being selfish because it's more conveinent? Your opinion is just that yours but don't make me out to be lazy and uncaring. I would and will do anything in my power for my dogs. I simply wanted to know what the big argument was all about, and if I was convinced that I was harming them I would change to scheduled feedings.


Somehow, I don't remember the words "lazy" or "selfish" being used to describe your situation.. if you're going to jump to conclusions on what people say, I guess you're headed for alot of upsets :/

I was simply trying to say that *I* thought, since you did ask for outside opinion, that free feeding only really benefits the owner - this didn't have to mean I'm calling you a lazy, selfish person who doesn't care about their dogs.. just that free feeding is faster and less stressful.

I've just had a way of training and living with dogs that keeps everything a fun game that encourages them to work and be challenged and stimulated by everything in their surroundings. Feeding, playtime, stepping outside the door; all require something, be it a simple sit or a heel-pattern. It's created incredible bonds and happy, healthy dogs to live with - but I also believe that dogs are unique, and circumstances apply. If free-feeding is working for you, wonderful.


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## Anela (Sep 8, 2007)

_anela, you really cant use wolves as a comparison. the difference is wolves have access to food all the time, all they have to do is kill it. that WOULD imply free feeding is the way to go._

I agree that wolves have _access_ to constant food, but they don't kill constantly. They do have their failures when looking for a meal.

As for comparing dogs with wolves, how can one not make this? Scientifically, wolves are the domestic dogs closest cousin. If you look at a film of a wolf pack and have more than one dog (I've got three) you instantly see behavior that is similar.

Anela


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## SpudFan (Oct 8, 2007)

Anela said:


> _anela, you really cant use wolves as a comparison. the difference is wolves have access to food all the time, all they have to do is kill it. that WOULD imply free feeding is the way to go._
> 
> I agree that wolves have _access_ to constant food, but they don't kill constantly. They do have their failures when looking for a meal.
> 
> ...


Last time I checked I didn't see the great big dog bowl from the sky mysteriously appearing in front of the wolf for 5 to 10 minutes and then disappearing. The reality of wild animals is that they often do not eat. When they do they often gorge themselves as well as they may not be eating something else for a while. Interestingly they do not seem to be very concerned about bloat or 3 meals a day.

I'm also pretty sure they are not crate trained either, also live under much harsher conditions and generally have a much shorter life expectancy.

Whilst there are genetic relationships between wild dogs, wolves, hyenas and a myriad of other creatures they typically have not been domesticated and lead a very different existence. This point however seems to be lost on a lot of people.

I'm sorry but I am of the opinion that whilst there are some similarities it is general more of a romantic notion on the owners behalf as they would not want to subject their dear darling pet to the rigors of what the wild, undomesticated animals endure. Adding to this I see very little relationship between many canine breads and the wolf or wild dog.


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## KumoES (Nov 20, 2007)

It is my personal opinion that scheduled meals are actually more of a convenience factor for owners than free feeding is. With free feeding, you need to check the bowl often to make sure the kibble hasn't gotten wet, and to check the levels to see if it's time to add more. Bathroom times are also more likely to come in the middle of the day when owners are usually not home.

I free feed kumo. He probably eats close to 5 cups of food a day, and about 1 cup at a time. His defecation schedule is still perfectly regular as he does most of his eating at night. That means 2 poops in the morning, and 1 around noon-2pm. I had absolutely no problems house training him, and in fact he *never* defecated in the house. We had piddle accidents, but dang if he didn't let us know straight off the bat that he needed to go outside to poop. He's not at all fat, and he doesn't beg for food as much as my previous dogs, who were schedule-fed, did. 

My cats, however, are all schedule fed because they'd turn into foot-stools with tails if I left food out all the time, *and* I have a post-diabetic who cannot eat dry food.


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## Harmonybear (Oct 24, 2007)

We free fed Luna for about 3 weeks because she had been sick, and the vet told us to. I think that for some toy breeds (especially toy puppies and the horribly undersized "teacup" dogs), this is the way to go. Two, or sometimes even three, meals a day might induce hypoglycemia in some of those breeds. Feeding five or six small meals a day isn't really that practical for all owners, and during Luna's sick phase, she even needed meals during the night - a total of 8 meals a day. She never overate that entire time, so it was MUCH easier just to make sure to have food available 24/7. Even now, although we aren't free feeding, if we hear her stomach growling during the night we'll give her more food to keep her from getting sick in the morning.

IMO, it really does depend on the individual dog. Some dogs would do great on either plan. Others will only thrive on free feeding, while many will eat themselves to death if they have access to food all day. A lot of being a responsible dog owner is being flexible enough to do what's best for your dog.


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## SpudFan (Oct 8, 2007)

Harmonybear said:


> IMO, it really does depend on the individual dog. Some dogs would do great on either plan. Others will only thrive on free feeding, while many will eat themselves to death if they have access to food all day. A lot of being a responsible dog owner is being flexible enough to do what's best for your dog.


I suspect that the dogs background will also have a big impact on how susceptible they are to being free-fed. To illustrate I would expect a dog that was always raised around food to be less likely to overeat then a rescue that has had prior bad experiences.


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## KumoES (Nov 20, 2007)

I definitely agree about the background. My two previous pound pups would have eaten until they exploded, whereas my current guy whom I got at 9 wks old eats only when he's hungry.


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## bluesbarby (Apr 10, 2007)

I use scheduled feedings. That way I can manipulate training sessions. Riley is much more receptive to learning a new command if he's hungry. I also don't want him having to go to the bathroom in the middle of the day since I'm not there.
Everyone I know who free feeds has an overweight dog. Especially beagle owners. I'm not saying those on the forums do though. Most people on the forums are the cream of the crop when it comes to dog owners and make sure their dogs get sufficient exercise. However, the average dog owner does not.


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## SpudFan (Oct 8, 2007)

bluesbarby said:


> I use scheduled feedings. That way I can manipulate training sessions. Riley is much more receptive to learning a new command if he's hungry. I also don't want him having to go to the bathroom in the middle of the day since I'm not there.
> Everyone I know who free feeds has an overweight dog. Especially beagle owners. I'm not saying those on the forums do though. Most people on the forums are the cream of the crop when it comes to dog owners and make sure their dogs get sufficient exercise. However, the average dog owner does not.


Im sorry I just have a moral issue with using hunger as a motivator. The flip side of the coin is all the dogs that I have seen that are fed on a shedule have some sort of food anxiety. Guess we see different experiences.

I wonder how people would take it if the school system used food as a motivator? Maybe only feed the kids if they did well in their classes?


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## Twinney (Nov 4, 2007)

I free feed my dogs, and they are all fine. I like it, because then when I'm not home I don't have to _attempt_ to have my parents feed the dogs on the schedule, then have it all messed up. I feed the dogs after I get home from school, or arond 2:00 on weekends, and they are fed once a day, enough to last them the rest of the day. 

None of my dogs are overweight, or obese, and I really enjoy not having to go out and dump their food, just to refill it later. When they have their food with them all the time, they can eat when they are hungry, and don't have to wait until it's time to eat. 

The only bad thing about it would be how when at night it can attract rodents like mice and rats, and larger animals, like minks and *****. People in the city with indoor dogs don't have such a problem, but for people who live in small towns, like I do, and people who live in the country, that could be a larger problem that what it could be. 
We have only had 2 minks, a possum, and a **** (that never bothered anyone) out here.


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## GreatDaneMom (Sep 21, 2007)

my real main reason for NOT free feeding is because i have danes and im petrified of bloat. the way my Chloe inhales her food, i just couldnt free feed her. as it is i put 2 big balls in her food so she has to eat around them and takes longer to eat. Now, my newest dane Lexi was free fed. Shes too overweight. Shes now on a schedual now that shes with me, and not eating as much and exercising more so we can get weight off of her. I dont need her developing any joint problems due to being overweight, danes are already prone to too much as it is!........... on the flip side, i think if i had something like a poo thing (i dont know, all the little poo dogs, im not good with small breeds, i only know large and giant lol) i would probably free feed and just watch their weight. but then again, ive never had a small dog, im a giant breed only LOL, so i cant be sure on that!


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