When I got my first dog the breeder told me she fed the puppies and her dogs twice a day. Once in the morning and once at night. This is what I did for almost 16 years with my first dog. Of course, between meals I threw in snacks throughout the day. I gave him half his food in the morning and the other half at night. I fed him Pedigree dog food, suggested by the breeder. Over the course of the life of that dog I learnt that not everyone feeds their dog’s on that same schedule. How often you feed your dog can affect both you and your dog.
There are so many different schedules people feed there dog’s on. Some dogs are fed once a day; some dogs are fed three times a day, like people or with their human at breakfast, lunch and super; more recently with my newest dog I’ve learn that some people will “free range” feed their dogs. Let’s start by looking at feeding your dog once or twice per day.
Intermittent fasting to feed your dog
Dogs are descendants of wolves. Wolves are hunters, predators and as a result would sometimes go long periods of time without food. These would be periods when the pack is hunting and looking for prey, food. This is a natural, albeit uncomfortable, state for the wolves and now dogs. I also learnt with my first dog that if you keep your dog a little hungry and wanting more, it can be helpful when training. More importantly, it ties in with their wolf heritage, hunting and being slightly hungry both literally and for the hunt or their next meal. More recently I have learnt that having a long periods of fasting between meals is a good thing for the dog because it allows for proper and more complete digestion. The “intermittent fasting” approach to feeding your dog is quite ideal and is reminiscent of their roots and ancestors.
Let’s consider some of the pros and cons of intermittent fasting, feeding once or twice a day.
Cons of intermittent fasting:
- Your dog may not like it and my beg between meals
Pros of intermittent fasting:
- You’ll have your dog on a schedule both eating and bathroom. This is good for you and your dog. Dog’s like routine and there is less probability of accidents in the home!
- This routine of eating is more natural and in line with a dog’s natural instincts to hunt.
- It allows time for proper digestion.
- You will know almost immediately if your dog is sick, doesn’t like the food or is being fussy is he regularly misses meals or avoids eating.
- You can regulate treats vs food intake more easily because you can see what your dog is eating, when and how much he/she is eating.
What is free range feeding?
My new dog provided the opportunity for an entire new set of learnings around dog ownership including feeding. Free range feeding in particular. Once I learnt what free range feeding meant, it made sense why my new pup was approaching food and meals they way he did. My pup was brought up on the free range feeding approach by the breeder. So what is free range feeding? My understanding of free rang feeding is that the food is left out and the pup(s) nibble on the food at his/her leisure throughout the day.
Pros of free range feeding:
- Your put the food out once and don’t have to worry for the rest of the day
- The pup always knows where food can be found.
- There’s a level of autonomy and independence that the pup develops, at least around food.
Cons of free range feeding your dog:
- Pup can eat the food all at once and then beg throughout the day for more.
- When the pup eats may not be consistent resulting in an irregular bathroom schedule. As a result, you’ll have to teach the pup to tell you when he/she needs to go to the bathroom
- If your dog doesn’t eat everything or anything you won’t really know if the dog is not hungry, sick or doesn’t like the food.
- If you feed the pup treats throughout the day, the pup may never eat his regular meal and may be either prone to gain weight or not eat healthy food. You may end up with a pup that just likes junk food and never eats his vegetables!
- It’s not really a natural eating schedule to your dog’s ancestry.
Something to note is that depending on the type of food you’re feeding your dog, dry or wet, one may be more conducive to free range or intermittent fasting methods of feeding. I suspect dry food would work better with free range feeding than wet, raw or cooked food. Another question that comes up when feeding your food is when to give your dog water?
When to water your dog
Feeding is not just about the food you give your dog but also when you provide drinks for your dog. Water is the most common beverage for dogs, but I’ll have to do more research into beverages for dogs. That aside, I think feeding includes drinks. With my first dog I was told not to leave water out all the time because then it makes it harder to train your dog to go the bathroom. That is no free range drinking for your dog! However, during warm/hot weather you don’t want your dog to become dehydrated so you want to have water available more often. Watering a dog is very confusing to me! What I personally do is whenever I feed my dog or put him out for the bathroom, I give hikm waer. If we go out on extra long walks or outings, especially in warmer weather in the summer, I will have water available for him. I try to keep on eye on my dog to see if he’s panting a lot while we’re walking and being active. The more panting, the more likely he will appreciate a drink. While I have never done the free range feeding method myself, I would think having water available anytime would tie in with the free rang feeding method. You want some water available in case your dog chokes on his food or wants something to wash his meal down.
There are so many factors to consider when choosing the frequency with which you feed you dog. Type of food, whether you feed your dog in a bowl or in a snuffle mat. But that’s another topic!
References:
- The Greely Good Market is a Modern Outdoor Market - September 3, 2024
- Our Quick Visit to the Petawawa Container Market - September 3, 2024
- Our Off-Grid Nature Preserve Visit to The Land - September 2, 2024
