# Free feeding vs 1 full meal a day vs 2 half meals a day?



## counter (Feb 20, 2009)

Which is better for the dogs and why? We used to free feed before we started adding supplements/vitamins, so now we give 1 full portion/serving sized meal a day to both dogs. It's a mix of their dry food (3 cups), 2 chondroitin/glucosamine pills and 4 squirts of salmon oil, mixed in with half a can of wet food per dog. That's what they're getting every day. I was wondering if it would be better for them to have those portions split in half to receive 2 meals a day, or even go back to free feeding. Not really sure. When they free fed, they would only eat until full, and never overate. What do you do and/or think? 

Thanks in advance for the help!


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## ChancetheGSD (Dec 19, 2007)

I don't like the idea of free feeding even if a dog doesn't over eat. I like to know when one of my dogs is going off food (as it can be a first sign of something being wrong) and free feeding makes that almost impossible, especially if you have multiple dogs. Worse is the idea of one meal a day, Id hate to go 24 hours between meals and I can't imagine the feeling being any less painful for my dog. I do 2-3 meals a day, I just split up the portions. I can know how much my dog is eating, my dog is getting mulitple meals during the day to stay full and I'm sure the multiple meals feel better than one a day too. Know how you feel after a huge meal? It's not very comfortable and id also worry about any possiblity of bloat risk increasing by feeding one large meal at a time, have you ever soaked kibble and seen how big it swells up?!


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## roxy84 (Jun 23, 2007)

i agree. i wouldnt want to go 24 hrs between meals. though the evidence isnt clear cut, i, am also concerned with bloat and its relationship to large quantities of food being eateng all at once. i feed 2x/day (7 am and 6 pm). i will never free feed. i think routine is important in assessing what kind of day my dog is having and mealtime is a big part of that.


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## LaRen616 (Mar 4, 2010)

I feed Sinister 2 1/2 cups of food at 5:30am and 2 1/2 cups of food at 5:30pm. After he is done eating I make him rest for 45min to an hour (dont want bloat)


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## Toffifay (Feb 10, 2007)

I believe feeding twice a day is healthier for the dogs than once a day. I think it's great that you are giving supplements, but of course, you can't leave salmon oil or canned food out to sit, because it goes rancid. That is one of the drawbacks..

One of my dogs will throw up bile and eat grass if her stomach is empty for too long. She would not be a happy camper if I made her wait 24 hours between feedings. 

I could NEVER free feed my dogs, lol, because they would eat themselves into oblivion! I see the appeal , though.


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## roxy84 (Jun 23, 2007)

i think i will add that if my dog was eating 5-6 cups/day of food, i would split the meals into 3 feedings (for the reasons oulined above regarding bloat).


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## Emoore (Oct 9, 2002)

We used to feed 2x/day but when we got Cash he would get overly hungry and vomit bile between the morning and evening feedings, so we switched it up to 3x/day.


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## Rerun (Feb 27, 2006)

2x's a day here.


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## Liesje (Mar 4, 2007)

All my dogs get a handful of kibble in the morning so they don't have an empty stomach all day (but not a meal, don't want them to have to poop and be uncomfortable). When I get home, all dogs get 2 cups, often scattered about the yard or house so they take some time "hunting" for it. Kenya and Coke don't get any more other than a handful for training or if we leave and have to crate them (they always get a small handful when crated). Nikon gets another cup before bed, he's bigger, young and still growing.

I don't use any supplements or toppers. My dogs all drink a lot of water and drink with their meal. They also belch when they're done so I know they're not bloating.


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## Dainerra (Nov 14, 2003)

I feed 2X a day as well. of course, I feed early enough that they go potty before I leave so they aren't holding it all day.

Agree completely with the reasons not to free feed. I like to know how much they are eating, if they are eating less or more than usual. It also makes it easier when you have to give medicine or supplements- you simply add them to the next meal.


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## Lilie (Feb 3, 2010)

2 x a day here. 5:30 am and again at 5:30 pm. I feel that if he does go off his feed, I'll know quicker - and be able to respond quicker. He gets a suprise or two in his kennel at night when he goes to bed. I keep him on a strict schedule. I have other animals I feed as well, so being on a schedule (feed in the morning & evening) I have the opportunity to check everyone twice a day for any problems. We humans get in such a hurry sometimes we might over look a serious condition - and meal times gives us a point where we have to stop and pay attention.


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## LARHAGE (Jul 24, 2006)

I feed my dogs twice a day, after we feed and clean the horses the dogs eat between 6:00-6:30, they than go in empty horse stalls during the day while I work, this way they have the freedom to poop/pee while I'm gone as I work a 10 hour day 4 days a week, they also get a milk bone, bacon strip and a chewey like a pig ear or bully stick, and some times a raw beef bone, than in the evening when the horses are fed and put up the dogs get their second meal, usually just kibble with canned meat mixed in, at about 8:30. I keep my puppy locked in his crate an hour after he eats dinner, than he gets to play with the terriers till he's crated at 11:00.


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## IllinoisNative (Feb 2, 2010)

I have always fed twice a day. I don't like the idea of free feeding. I have two dogs and I need to know that one isn't eating more than the other, how much they are eating, if they don't have an appetite, etc. It's important for health reasons. The biggest indicator that something is wrong is if they don't eat. It happened with my Golden who had cancer. It also helps me know when they have to eliminate. My dogs have never had accidents since the were housetrained at 12 weeks. I also don't like them going 24 hours without eating.

I also like my dogs to know the food comes from me. I control it. I have them on a sit and stay. They aren't allowed to touch their food until I release them. It's about respect, IMO. I've never had a problem and my dogs were never picky eaters.

Now, allergies to their food is another story. That made me be picky. LOL!


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## 3ToesTonyismydog (Dec 27, 2009)

I feed twice a day also, but the AM feeding is smaller. I have read it several times, that it helps reduce the odds of getting bloat. This isn't the best site but they mention it could be a possible cause.

Bloat in Dogs


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## Andy-jr. (Mar 1, 2010)

2 x's a day here also. 7am and 7pm


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## EmilyK0429 (Dec 6, 2009)

2x's a day here as well. I am feeding 2 different foods, one to Meega and another to Benji, plus we are still working on our potty training with Benji.


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## Dnahjj (Oct 28, 2009)

We feed twice a day (5:30 AM & 5:30 PM). Both feedings do vary somewhat depending on our schedule for the day.


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## new_wind (Oct 24, 2008)

2 times a day here too.


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## Lola1969 (Mar 6, 2007)

I free feed. However, Ozzy is an only dog and pretty much eats half in the morning and half in the evening.


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## ken k (Apr 3, 2006)

feeding Max once a day, he has epi and its easier to manage his weight, the other 2, once a day also, at night before bed time


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## counter (Feb 20, 2009)

Thanks for all of your replies!

We used to free feed to save time, because with my job and our large family, we don't have a lot of it. My logic behind it was also to allow our dogs to always be able to eat without having to ask, because unless they're starving, they DON'T ask. They just tough it out until we feed them. If I'm hungry, I want food to always be available, so I felt the same way about my dogs. They never once in 2 years skipped a meal. And the more exercise they got, the more they'd eat. They averaged 1 meal a day each, but on high exercise days they would eat 2. I would check their bowls multiple times a day to see if they ate. After they both ate, I would shake their bowls to even/level the food, that way I'd be able to see when they eat again.

Anyways, these last few weeks they've been having some looser-than-normal stools. I blamed it on adding the TOTW to their blend of EVO, Orijen and CORE, and knew that anytime you add a new food, it takes time for their bodies to adjust. Well, their bodies were taking too long to adjust and I knew they weren't sick, but the stool was still loose. That's when I came on here to post this thread.

I have since, based on your replies, switched them to 2 meals a day each. Once at lunchtime inbetween 12-2 and again before we go to be at 11pm. Their stools have solidified right back up to normal (call me THE POOPMASTER!) and I'm extremely happy that I started this thread to realize that basically NONE OF YOU are freefeeding. We will stick with 2 meals a day, as I don't have time to do lots of tiny meals. When I'm at work during the week, my wife and kiddos get to feed the dogs, and I feed them at night and on the weekends/holidays. This is working out great all around for everyone!

Thanks again for helping me come to this decision. That's why I utilize this board so often: because of the quality responses I expect to receive (other than the 50/50 split in my salmon oil liquid vs fish oil softgels post! ha)!!!


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## dystopiamachine (Jul 8, 2010)

My GSD is 13 weeks so I feed him 3x/day, once at 7am, once at 1pm and once at 8pm. As he gets older I plan to feed him once at 9am and once at 9pm. His morning meal is simply given to him but I tend to make a game out of his lunch meal which involves finding his kibble/training with it as his treats. He loves it.


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## PaddyD (Jul 22, 2010)

I have been using free feeding with my now 1YO GSD. She has maintained a good weight: slender, fit, can't feel any ribs or hips ...... and good health and energy.


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## Wolfiesmom (Apr 10, 2010)

I feed 2x a day.


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## Cluemanti (Jun 25, 2010)

3x a day until 5-6 months when I plan to feed 2x a day.


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## Cluemanti (Jun 25, 2010)

Schedule is 6-630am first feeding, 1130-12 second, and 530-6pm final feeding for the day. Crate for 30-45 minutes after and potty time!


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## Zoeys mom (Jan 23, 2010)

For us it's twice a day. 1 and 1/2 cups each feeding at 8 and 5.


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## chocolat (May 23, 2010)

free feeding here and have done so for the past 8+ years
we had danes for awhile and never had a case of bloat. I really believe it is because we did free feed.

Our dogs werent raised as slaves to food and feed times, so they never act frantic to get food and none are overweight.

you can get an idea of who is eating and who isnt when you have house dogs, as you get a sense of how often you need to fill the bowl and if you arent having to fill it as normal then you know someone is off feed. Bring out some treats and see which one it is


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## roxy84 (Jun 23, 2007)

chocolat said:


> Our dogs werent raised as slaves to food and feed times, so they never act frantic to get food and none are overweight.


 
slaves to food and feed times

i believe its a simple matter of routine. i can tell alot about my dogs when i observe their behavior at the moment i am feeding them. i also know how much each one is eating per day rather than how much food is being consumed by the group as a whole.

i may or may not speak for others, but every GSD i know would be obese if food was left out all day for them.

i suppose kids are slaves to food and feed times unless they are allowed to eat all day any time they want??


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## Fafhrd (Dec 3, 2008)

I still feed Karloff three times per day, but in this hot weather he's sometimes not interested in his first meal. The first meal is small, the second slightly larger because I add a boiled egg, and the final meal is big with some table-scrap meat added. After a meal I always give him at least an hour and a half of rest before any hard exercise.


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## PaddyD (Jul 22, 2010)

*free feeding*

Already stated above but will state again. Free feeding works for me also. My GSD has been on it for several months. Food is available all day and she is slender and very healthy. I can tell how much she eats because I pay attention to how much I give her. It's not rocket science.


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## Courtney (Feb 12, 2010)

I also do not free feed. Ours is fed 3x's a day (17 weeks), however when the kids go back to school we will feed 2 x's. Currently he's fed at 6am, 12pm & 5pm. The same amount everyday broken into 3 meals. I also only leave his dish down for about 25min-if he doesn't eat it-I toss it. I can only think of maybe 4 times that has ever happened-he's happy to eat!


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## chocolat (May 23, 2010)

roxy84 said:


> slaves to food and feed times
> 
> 
> i may or may not speak for others, but every GSD i know would be obese if food was left out all day for them.
> ...


Your dogs would eat themselves fat because they panic and worry when they may eat next. It is a special bonding time for you..food is made into a big deal.
At our place you can eat when you want(kids and dogs) neither one worries when the next meal is coming and NONE of our kids or our dogs are fat..dh may be a little different story :blush:
here food is not associated with " its dinner time, its dinner, time I gotta eat, i gotta eat"
Perhaps, if you havent experienced the difference in a dog free fed vs fed on a schedule you may not understand what i mean by a slave to food and feed times.
Everyone must do what is best for them. This is what works for us


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## roxy84 (Jun 23, 2007)

chocolat said:


> Your dogs would eat themselves fat because they panic and worry when they may eat next.


that doesnt wash. all the dogs my parents had were free fed to start with. they all got fat because they did not have the impulse control to know when to stop. they werent worried about when their next meal would be. they became fit and healthy when they were fed the proper amount of food.

this is the case with many dogs. like most dogs and humans, they need to practice portion control and need assistance in doing so. even if given the proper daily amount in free feed form, many dogs would still lack the impulse control to stop when they are full. many of us prefer our dogs meals are seperated into at least two portions.

thanks for your attempt at dog pop psychology 101, but with all due respect, you are off on this. im glad it works for your dogs, but the whole "slaves to food and feed times" is simply not accurate, imo, regardless of you feeling that way.

also please dont attribute something to me that i never said or intimated. by saying "It is a special bonding time for you..food is made into a big deal" you put words in my mouth. i never said any such thing. i said it was part of a routine, which i believe is important for dogs to have. i said i can tell alot about my dogs behavior at meal times.

i eat at fairly regular intervals during the day. amazingly, knowing about when my next meal is coming makes me quite the opposite of getting anxious or feeling like i gotta eat, and i better do it fast.


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## GSDSunshine (Sep 7, 2009)

I agree with about 20% of what you are saying chocolat. 

If i were to feed my dog's meals intermittently (like I do with training) then he would become food obsessed. Never know when your next meal is coming and would scarf down every last morsel. 

This is different however from set meal times. My dog knows that when he wakes up he goes out to potty and then I pour a bowl of cereal for myself and feed him as well, there is no mad rush for the food at either meal....its expected....

When looking at the real world application and how most (maybe every) mammal operates. No one has a ready supply of food available at their disposal. Animals must forage, or hunt, or collect, or create their food. Unless they are infants they have to work for their food. Because dogs are domesticated they no longer have to "work" and hunt their prey items. it is similar to how humans have evolved. Humans didn't always have frozen dinners and grocery stores, they had to hunt animals and gather fruits and nuts in the wild..... If wasn't readily available to eat whenever they pleased. 

You might be lucky in that every one of your animals only eats out of their own bowl, and only eats enough to sustain them. Because the majority of animals will not. Ever see a large cat (panther, cheetah, lion) catch a huge prey item???? They gorge themselves on it. Free feeding is the equivalent of providing a huge kill everyday with no work... Some animals might only eat enough....but a lot will eat as much as they can. The amount of overweight free fed dogs and cats are witness to such a feat. 


I am also curious to see how you know how much everyone eats.... if you have 5 dogs of the same size (not saying you do, just a hypothetical) and everyone gets the same amount of food, unless you actively monitor the food bowls how would you know if Pup 1 ate 3 cups, Pup 2 ate 1 cup, pup 3 had none, and pup 4 and 5 both had 8 cups.

Sounds like pup 3 might be sick, and pups 4 and 5 are going to be getting a bit chunky. But unless you knew how much whey were eating, with set meal amounts at set meal times, how would you know that. All you see is the 20 cups eaten (4 cups each for 5 pups).


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## chocolat (May 23, 2010)

Guess we will have to agree to disagree. I have known literally hundreds of dogs that have been on free feeders and they arent fat. They were in different kennels using different feeds, so it wasnt due to quality or lack of quality of food.

My mom's dogs are fed certain meals twice a day, food is measured out exactly, those dogs spend their whole day scrounging for food and would eat themselves silly if given a chance. They came from a kennel that free fed. Their mom and dad werent fat and when they were babies they werent so obsessed with food either. They developed that at mom's.(she is not the type to get all excited at feed time and stir dogs up)

Why do you think your dogs would eat themselves silly without you to divvy up their food at each meal?

I am curious how many people here who portion their dog's feed at certain mealtimes, could leave a bag of feed open and what the results would be? Would your dogs all gorge themselves?
I can guarantee not one dog I own would gorge itself nor bat an eye if I opened a bag of dog food and left it on the floor for them to get to.

How do your dogs react when you are late getting them dinner/breakfast? Do they dance around and get all excited? Do you feel bad you are late? Do they eat their meals quickly? most people who portion feed give dogs a certain amount of time to eat. When fed portion meals, dogs tend to eat quickly, certainly could be a contributing factor to bloat, as rather than nibbling all day they eat bigger portions at meal times

I think if most folks answer honestly, we would tend to see portion fed dogs get excited at each mealtime..they look forward to it, are happy and excited about it which leads me to believe they are panicked(excited) over meal times. Come meal time I can guarantee their minds are on when the dog bowl is going down, not anything else(unless they have an obession that rates above feed in their world-like high drive ball dogs can)
To me, that obesseion is a form of slavery(and certainly the owner is a slave to feeding meals proper size and portion at each meal) Isnt it just easier and better to remove that whole scenario and have your dog responsible for his own feeding habits? Take away that stress, excitement whatever you want to call it. 


I guess your dog 101 exp is just different from mine.

I like that all my dogs are capable of making their own decisions when they are full and when they want to eat.


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## roxy84 (Jun 23, 2007)

chocolat said:


> Isnt it just easier and better to remove that whole scenario and have your dog responsible for his own feeding habits? .


no, because no matter what your personal experience is, i believe that a vast majority of dogs will not self regulate.

furthermore, you have decided that those who feed scheduled meals (which is a vast majority of us) have dogs who "go crazy" at meal times. much like Kira said, my dogs dont go crazy at meal times. they know when their meal times are, so they have no anxiety over when they are eating.


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## heatherr (Jun 5, 2010)

2 times a day, first feeding between 6-8am and then dinner at 5-7 pm


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## heatherr (Jun 5, 2010)

I always heard that cats are good self regulators of food, so I tried to free-feed my cats when I first got them. They got CHUBBY. Now I have a few friends that can free feed their cats, but mine get a big scoop in the morning, and pick at it all day so I can try and make sure they don't gain too much weight.

My pup doesn't get overly excited at meal time. He sits and watches and wags his tail. He doesn't always finish his entire bowl either.


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## Anja1Blue (Feb 27, 2008)

No way would I free feed - my two would eat themselves into oblivion, they are food nuts. My dogs do get excited at meal times (though I wouldn't say they go crazy) but that's because they are fed a raw diet (twice a day, CONSISTENT schedule)) and raw food, especially given the variety they get, has a very high value. If it works for you, and your dog honestly isn't overweight, then I see no reason for you to change - but I think for many of us it simply isn't workable.
________________________________________
Susan

Anja SchH3 GSD
Conor GSD
Blue BH WH T1 GSD - waiting at the Bridge


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## PupperLove (Apr 10, 2010)

I just like to know how much my dogs are eating so I don't do free feeding. I did free feeding with a dog in the past and he became finickey and would go days without eating at times- the food was always there for when he became "hungry" and we often had to throw food away. I also don't like the idea of having the food out because it seems to be less appealing to the dog when it gets stale after a day of sitting. Then there's the possibility of bugs.

I prefer to do 2-3 feedings per day because I don't like the idea of my dog feeling hungry. If I ate one meal per day I know that would be uncomfortable in my stomach, and I don't see why it would be different for an animal. So that's why I like do do multiple meals for my boys  It seems to be working very well. Both have great appetites and get excited for their meals. I have not yet had a problem with then "not liking" any type of kibblewhen I _did_ have that problem in the past with free feeding.


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## PaddyD (Jul 22, 2010)

*to free or not to free*

Dogs have been with us for millions of years and have proven to be extremely adaptable. If you free-feed and that works for you and your dog then GREAT! If you have your dog on a schedule and that works for you and your dog then GREAT! Trying to put forth your own way as 'the best way' is fruitless and frustrating. As long as the dog is happy and healthy (and you too), that is all that matters. My last dog ate on a 2x schedule, my current dog is free-fed. Both maintain(ed) a healthy weight and energy level and were/are happy dogs.


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## chocolat (May 23, 2010)

GSDSunshine said:


> I agree with about 20% of what you are saying chocolat.
> 
> I am also curious to see how you know how much everyone eats.... if you have 5 dogs of the same size (not saying you do, just a hypothetical) and everyone gets the same amount of food, unless you actively monitor the food bowls how would you know if Pup 1 ate 3 cups, Pup 2 ate 1 cup, pup 3 had none, and pup 4 and 5 both had 8 cups.
> 
> Sounds like pup 3 might be sick, and pups 4 and 5 are going to be getting a bit chunky. But unless you knew how much whey were eating, with set meal amounts at set meal times, how would you know that. All you see is the 20 cups eaten (4 cups each for 5 pups).


We use a 50lbs self feeder here in the house. we pour the bag of food in the feeder and dogs eat whenever they want. I have about 10 house dogs(they go in and out as they want and sometims some choose to sleep outside at night. My dogs range from 9 lbs up to shepherd size. I may not tell if someone didnt eat well today. You do have that part right, but dogs who arent eating usually have other symptoms..not as perky or maybe they arent interested in treats. At night, I read in bed and we have snack time, dogs who are allowed on the bed usually share some snacks with me, if they werent interested in snacks I would become concerned. If the bigger dogs werent active or seemed off i would be worried.
portioned diets do allow you to monitor exactly how much a dog is consuming and that can be beneficial in knowing if a dog is off feed.


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## Eva von Selah (May 7, 2010)

Eva gets her bowl filled twice a day, sometimes she eats it right away but mostly she waits until some later time. Sometimes she only ends up eating one bowl and from my observation it is directly related to her daily activity level. If it's really hot outside, she will chill all day and eat and then get active at night.


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## Mac's Mom (Jun 7, 2010)

PaddyD said:


> Dogs have been with us for millions of years and have proven to be extremely adaptable. If you free-feed and that works for you and your dog then GREAT! If you have your dog on a schedule and that works for you and your dog then GREAT! Trying to put forth your own way as 'the best way' is fruitless and frustrating. As long as the dog is happy and healthy (and you too), that is all that matters. My last dog ate on a 2x schedule, my current dog is free-fed. Both maintain(ed) a healthy weight and energy level and were/are happy dogs.


well said


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## jencyfergusion (Aug 2, 2010)

Hey I have a little and sweet puppy and also a big dog Bruno. I love both of them and taking so much care for both of them. I feed my puppy the nutritious food just once in a day and than after feed some other things which doesn't be harmful to him when he become hungry. I feed my Bruno twice in a day because he has enough digesting stamina and in between if he become hungry also feed him some other nutritious lighter foods.


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