After not having a pet for a number of years my wife and I are now ready to adopt a dog from the local animal shelter. No table scraps will be fed to the dog, but I want to make sure that he/she gets enough nourishment but at the same time isn’t being overfed. The last dog I had was a standard German Shepard and there was a set amount of dry food I would feed him in the morning and again in the evening. I can’t remember the exact amount, perhaps it was a cup in the morning and a cup at night… but it may have actually been more or less than that.
While I will certainly ask the people at the animal shelter, and if I need to visit a vet I will certainly ask him/her, but walking through my neighborhood pet emporium this past weekend I saw some fancy dog watering and feeding devices for sale.
The waterer is simply an inverted water bottle connected to a water bowl, which I understand. The feeders, though, seem to come in two different types. In one type the food just flows into a dish so the dog could eat as much as they want all day long. The other type has an electronic gate that opens up at specified times and portions out a specific amount of feed to the dog from a storage container into the dish. That one seems pretty handy, but it is pretty costly too.
So, as far as feeding goes, I think I have 3 choices:
Buy a measuring scoop and scoop out the appropriate amount of food, based on the age and size of the dog, twice daily. (Cheapest solution)
Buy a “free feeder” system and let the dog eat as much as he wants. (Not quite as cheap as #1, but still not very costly)
Buy a fancy electronic dog feeder and not worry about it until the device needs to be restocked with food. (Expensive but easy solution for everyone involved)
**I guess my question is how do I know if my dog will self-regulate or are those free feeder gadgets just a bad idea in general? ** The dog will be a teenager and will be getting a good amount of exercise daily if that makes any difference.
As a bonus question, what about wet or canned food. I remember that I used to add warm water to the dry food and make a gravy for it… but I don’t know anybody else that still does that, although some people still feed a can of wet food to their dog once in a while. Is that really necessary for most dogs or can they live fine on dry food and water day in and day out?
I use a free feeder for dry food for my dog. He eats as much or as little as he wants. He also gets fed the occasional meat scraps and dog treats when we think of it. His weight is just where it should be. Most dogs do fine this way. I’d recomment using it, as it’s incredibly easy. If he does tend to overeat, you’ll find out soon enough and can then change to feeding him a measured amount. After all, animals in the wild don’t become fat if there’s an overabundance of food.
I think you need to wait to see what your dog is like. My dog would eat an entire bag of food in one day had she the chance. My brother’s dog leaves her food in the bowl all day, and only eats if she’s hungry and calm. My dog has been with me since she was 7 weeks, though, and bro’s dog was a baby from the shelter.
Both dogs get only dry food. No one has ever suggested they should have wet food. When mine was a wee pup I did have to put water on her food to make her eat it, but she got weaned off that pretty quick.
IMHO the “default” way to do it is to put your dog’s dry food down twice a day. Once you get to know her better, know her temperament, know her preferences and know how she fits in with the family schedule, then you can adjust as needed.
I don’t see why you appear to be making this so complicated.
First off though, you also haven’t really thought about quality of life for your animal either.
Yes a dog can get by on dried food, but is that necessarily going to make it contented?
I don’t get all mushy about my pets but I do make sure the dogs get good fresh meat, not cooked, as part of their diet, along with vegetables and biscuits with added minerals etc. Large dogs I feed a cereal breakfast, with a big dinner, the small ones get two meat meals a day. It’s really all about how they use energy.
Weigh your dog regularly and you’ll know if it’s putting on too much weight.
Some dogs do well with free feeding, some don’t. It kind of depends on how they’re motivated. My oldest dog will only eat what he needs, but my middle dog will eat anything he can fit in his mouth.
And, of course, this all goes out the window when you’ve got the politics inherent in having multiple dogs. My oldest will eat the other dogs’ food if he feels like his position as alpha is being threatened. My youngest dog (who isn’t motivated very much by food) has, as a result, learned to eat her food as often and as quickly as she can- otherwise she’s gone hungry in the past. If I make food always available, all three will eat it as soon as it’s in their bowls ('cause otherwise, the other two dogs will likely eat it).
Since I’ve found that freefeeding all three results in one fat dog and one or two very skinny dogs… I now measure out their food at dinnertime and feed them all at once. If politics are particularly bad, I watch to make sure they eat their food and their food only.
That said, do yourself a favor- don’t skimp on the food. Yes, the premium brands are more pricey, but they generally have less filler, so your dog will have to eat less (and will also poop less).
I wasn’t trying to make it complicated, I just wasn’t sure whether free feeding was a good idea or not.
I think the advice given about feeding a certain amount and seeing how the dog does is a good idea.
As far as feeding fresh meat, cereals and veggies go, I’m sure the dog would prefer to have fresh food over dry or even canned food, and they would be happier and more content, but if you purchase a high quality dry food and provide an adequate amount of fresh water most dogs seem to do just fine. I don’t see anything wrong with providing fresh food now and again, but as I understand it once a dog gets used to and expects fresh food they will usually turn their noses up to dry food, even though it is just a nourishing for them. However, if you prepare fresh meals for your pets every day then it wouldn’t be an issue.
I know exactly what you mean about them turning their noses up at some foods. I’d say that’s a natural reaction, given the choice.
Also, I know if my dogs are not getting the right nutrients just by the quality of their coats and their excrement. Also, my dogs don’t fart much which can be the case with processed foods. Not nice, if you happen to have a big woofer:p.
Our two dogs get a combination of free-feed dry food and homecooked wet food and they eat both quite happily.
We cook a custom diet worked out for them by a canine dietitian (no lie!). Usually we make a batch that will lats several days and refrigerate most of it, reheating servings briefly in the microwave (and CAREFULLY checking temperature before serving – microwaves heat unevenly!). They each get 1/2 cup of that once a day, in the evening.
We also leave them with access to a quality dry kibble most of the time (I don’t panic if I notice their bowls are empty). There is no food aggression between them but occasionally one will steal the other’s wet food or hog the dry kibble; we just watch for that.
Equally important is HOW you let them eat. They have to perform a behavior (like a sit) before getting their wet food served; they never eat when we’re eating; they never get people food per se (they do get peanut butter on hard “dental rubber” toys pretty much every day, but we disassociate it from our own eating). The goal is to deter begging without having to discipline; it just doesn’t come up, really. They know the routine and they’re well-behaved. Don’t let a dog bug you for food – this can become intolerable behavior.
More good advice. Unfortunately, when you get a non-puppy from the shelter there is no way to know what bad habits, like begging at the dinner table, they may already have.
In the past I have made it a habit to feed the pets at about the same time as we eat so they are occupied for a full 5 minutes while we are eating and they aren’t hungry once they have finished, however I have known people who sneak food to their pets during mealtimes and it quickly becomes a habit that is hard to break.
There are some possible problems with free feeding, even if the dog self controls their weight:
The food bowl can attract insects, rodents, and birds (who scatter it around to attract other vermin).
The one dog who I was able to free feed made food his absolute last priority. When it was not convenient to leave food out for him (say when traveling) it was difficult/impossible to get him to eat.
If you later get another dog, meal time may become a hassle due to the canine politics mentioned above. If one dog doesn’t want to eat when it is served, it is hard to protect their portion from the chow hound.
Serving “meals” helps to more firmly establish you as the alpha provider. This can help greatly in other behavior areas.
We have a guide dog breeder, and their policy is dry food (we float it ) twice a day, amount depending on their weight and status. Ours should be pregnant, and so when they verify this with ultrasound she gets more. Scooping food into a metal bowl twice a day is about as easy as you can make it, and you can control feeding times. Unless you are away for many dinner times, I don’t see why anything more expensive and complicated is necessary.
An advantage of this is that food can be used for training. Guide dogs aren’t allowed to beg at the table, and when we were training here they didn’t get treats either. We gave our old pet dog kibble for treats during walks, and he was just as happy with this as he was with expensive treats. In any case, we learned that just before dinner was a perfect time for training - your dog will do just about anything when her bowl is in your hand.
BTW, ask your vet about pet food brands. Not all are the same, and there are big differences in nutrition and quality among them.
If you have a Lab, don’t free-feed. They will eat till they drop, and for reason they get fat really fast even on the diets for other dogs their size and activity level.
It’s really not that hard. If your dog is putting on weight, reduce the food a bit. You’ll find it quite easy to know how much to feed your dog - you live with it, after all.
But in answer to your question - all dogs are different, just like all people are. But most of 'em will eat food if you give it to them.
Heh yeah. Our dalmatian would nibble at his food piece by piece, often leaving it in the bowl for later but our black lab scarfs down his food like there’s no tomorrow. If the lab was able to eat from a feeder, he’d finish the whole thing in one sitting.
It’s also a good idea to train the dog to let you take the food away from him and be able to put your hands in the bowl while he is eating. He needs to learn that *you *are the alpha in the pack, and he eats when *you *say he does. This will also discourage food aggression and in case he starts eating something he shouldn’t, you’d be able to take it from him.
scooping a measured amount of food into a dish morning & night. (Adjust the amount if the dog gains or looses too much weight.) Doing this reinforces the socialization of the dog, recognizing you as part of his ‘pack’, and the leader of the pack. That helps with their attitude, and future training.
feed them at the same time you are eating. Gets them used to a consistent schedule, keeps them busy, and away from your dinner table and possible begging for table scraps. And they can beg better than you can resist, especially if there are kids (or soft-hearted adults) at the table.