Free Feeding vs. Scheduled Feeding Dogs
The debate between free feeding and scheduled feeding dogs has gone on for decades, and many pet professionals have very strong opinions on both sides. Personally, I think it depends on your dog’s needs and your schedule. Yes, I’ll probably receive hate mail for recommending free feeding, but if done correctly, it is safe and works for some dogs.
What is Free Feeding and Scheduled Feeding?
Free feeding means pouring your dog’s daily ration of food into his bowl once daily. Lately, free feeding has earned a terrible reputation because it’s been misunderstood by pet owners and most certainly contributed to dog obesity. Plus, not all dogs can be free fed.
Scheduled feeding means feeding your dog’s recommended amount of food at predetermined times of the day. Most dogs are fed in the mornings and afternoons, but puppies should be fed 3-4 times a day, depending on age and size. In general, I would say most younger dogs need scheduled meals, as they’ll likely gobble up all the food poured into their bowl.
Dog Feeding Recommendations
Here are a couple of dog feeding recommendations on when free feeding or scheduled feeding works best. While a pet owner’s schedule is taken into consideration, when to feed your dog really depends on your dog.
Only Feed Recommended Daily Amount of Food
This is a big one, and the single reason free feeding has earned such a horrible reputation. Depending on your dog, you may need to split his recommended food amount into scheduled meals.
Free Feeding
When free feeding, many pet owners erroneously top off their dog’s food bowl throughout the day, which adds a ton of unneeded calories that causes canine obesity. Instead, look on the side of your dog’s bag of dog food to find his recommended daily amount of food for his weight. Every morning, pour your dog’s recommended amount of food into his bowl, and he’ll likely graze on it throughout the day.
Scheduled Feeding
If you notice your dog’s daily recommended amount of food is gone by mid-afternoon or he instantly gobbles it up as food hits the bowl, you may want to split this amount into halves and feed in the morning and night. No one wants to go to bed hungry, so if this happens, your dog should be fed scheduled meals.
Feeding Large Breed Dogs
For the most part, large breed dogs and puppies eat a lot of kibble throughout the day, so scheduled feedings are recommended. Some giant breeds of dogs require 6-10 cups per day, so never free feed this large amount, especially if your dog gobbles up his food. Inhaling this large amount of food not only is painful, but can also cause gastric dilatation volvulus (GDV), which occurs when a dog’s stomach fills with food, fluid or air, and expands like a massive balloon. If untreated immediately, GDV will quickly result in death.
For large dogs and puppies that require a lot of food, some pet owners feed them several times a day by splitting their daily meals into 3-4 portions. These portions can easily be poured into a food dispensing toy, frozen with a bit of canned food in Kongs for quick midday snacks and served along with morning and afternoon scheduled meal times.
Feeding Tips for Multiple Dog Households
Scheduled feedings are best when two or more dogs live in the household. When free feeding two dogs, pet owners are unaware how much food each dog is consuming. Plus, one free fed dog usually eats most of the food while the other free fed dog is left hungry–that’s not fair and can be harmful for both dogs. If both dogs eat different diets, free feeding opens up opportunities for the other dog to eat prescription food not intended for him, which can also cause harm. On another note, when feeding multiple dogs during scheduled feeding times, observe all dogs eating to ensure one dog doesn’t bully the another dog for his food and all dogs are eating their food. When a dog doesn’t eat his meal, this usually indicates illness, so keep an eye out during meal times.
Feeding Puppies
As mentioned before, puppies need to eat more often, so scheduled feedings are recommended. Follow your veterinarian’s feeding schedule recommendations.
Canned Food
Skip canned food for free fed dogs. Canned dog food will start growing bacteria quickly. Now, I’m not saying you shouldn’t give your dog canned food; just give him a dollop in the evening as a special treat, but don’t leave it out. Scheduled fed dogs will probably gobble up canned food, and it’s a great way to encourage free fed dogs to eat on schedule. 🙂
Not Recommended For Cooked or Raw Diets
While this is common sense, I thought it should be mentioned. Leaving raw or cooked food out all day is not only harmful for your dog, but for you too. All raw or cooked meals should be fed during scheduled meal times.
