How often do you feed?

[Susan]

Rufus's breeder gave us a diet sheet when we got him, which gradually reduces his meals from four a day when he first arrived, to one a day by the age of 6 months. Right now he is on three meals a day, and is due to go down to two larger ones. Is there any real need to do this, do you think? As far as I am concerned, food is one of the great pleasures in his wee life, and I am inclined to keep him at three meals. It is a good routine for him, as I feed him morning and evening, and when my Mum collects him at noon he gets lunch. He also gets either a filled small Kong or a puppy chew, and of course his training treats ,but he seems to be just right weight wise.

How often do you guys feed your dogs?
Thanks!
Susan xx

[Fiona]

Before Jake I fed Star and Libby once a day at night. Since Jake they now get two feeds, one in the morning and one at night. I plan to take all three of them back to one feed a day once Jake is a bit older. I used to just give Star and Libby either a marrow or rib bone in the morning to keep them happy until their night feed.
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Dogs are like Chocolate, you just can't have one!

[marcella]

Twice a day here Susan.

Puppies do need more as they are growing, but once his growing spurt starts to slow down you need to feed less. If you don't you will end up with an overweight dog and that in turn can cause lots of problems like it does with us humans!

We feed our two in the morning and again in the evening, they do not need lunch........... especially if you are feeding treats now and again. Diesel and Murphy only get treats once in a while, maybe a pigs ear a couple of times a week and some nibbles whilst training. But dogs don't need a lot, some dogs are perfectly fine on one meal a day. What we feed in a day is split between 2 meals which suits them best.

[Susan]

Thanks guys!

I feed slightly less than the guide amount on the packet, to make up for his Kong and training treats, the amount wouldn't differ, he would get the same amount but split over two meals, not three. (I have noticed that the amount goes down a bit when he goes onto adult food!)

Do you think there is anything wrong with feeding three times if it is the same amount of food that he would be getting regardless? Maybe I am just being a wuss, but I think its a long day for him not having anything to eat, lol!

*way too soft!*

[marcella]

way too soft!!!!!!!!

Just remember that a dogs digestion is different from ours. They don't need food as often as we do, he really won't need 3 meals a day honestly, he will be more than fine on two.

[Susan]

Thanks Marcella, I will take it on board! Shall let you know what I do!

[Eleanor]

Susan

I would suggest that you are guided by Rufus, if he enjoys his three meals just now I would go with it, you will probably find that when he is ready he will reduce to two. You can give him a stuffed kong for his lunch time treat, and that gives him something to do as well. He is still a puppy and his appetite will change as he matures.

I feed my dogs two meals a day as I feel the day is too long, and it works for us.

The guides on food packaging are only a guide, again I would suggest you be guided by Rufus, I saw him last night and he looks good so I'd say you are getting it just right, but as I said earlier he will mature.

Your not way too soft............you just love him



Eleanor

[Lindy]

I only feed once a day as I find they get too fussy and leave food from one of the meals, so i find with one feed a day they are hungry in the evening after their walk and scoff the lot, they get trainig treats and a couple of pigs ears through the week, if I am doing a big walk they get quite a few treats on the walk to keep them going and their usual meal. It's personnal choice as to how many meals a day you feed but with smaller dogs especially I find that one feed day is fine as they really don't need a lot, I have reduced Dora to 150g meat a day which looks like nothing but is just what she needs, as she had put weight on when I fed her 220g.

[Eleanor]

Question for you raw people out there

I don't feed my dogs raw (personal choice), but I read recently that bones should not be given on an empty stomach. This is something that I was not aware of.

Has anyone else heard of this?


Eleanor

[Enid]

[Isabel]

We feed doogle twice a day, in the morning he gets a bit of kibble (JWB) and at night he gets raw. I think whatever your dog is used to is fine for them (as long as you don't over feed!) Is prob easier to do less feeds?

[Phoebe]

We feed Sony twice a day, too. We do it just because of the danger of bloating (hopefully that is the right translation???) She loves to roll about with a full stomach!!
I think once a day is fine as well, as long as you got an eye on your dog after it´s having it´s dinner.
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"It is possible to live without a dog, but it is not worth it."
Heinz Rühmann

[Karen]

Hi there I feed my two twice a day, just my preference and my guys seem to enjoy it that way, two smaller meals instead of one big one, though Breno is definitely getting two slightly smaller meals due to lack of waistline...

[Janice]

Dale is on two meals a day, but I'm afraid I can't remember how old he was when we stopped the mid-day meal. He more or less decided for himself. I found he he just picked at the third meal and walked away so that was when I stopped it. Now he's always ready for a meal when it arrives.
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Janice and Dale

[Karen]

thats the way it was decided in our house Janice mine starting refusing their third meal as they got older,