# Free Feeding?



## Tipz (Aug 10, 2016)

Just curious about if poodle people would say free feeding is a big nono. 
I know most people in general don't agree but I've always found it worked best for my dogs. They wouldn't overeat and would just eat a couple bites at a time. They never ate until they made themselves sick or anything.
I know poodles are prone to bloat and from what I read a few meals a day are better than just one big one, but there's also the no exercising within a couple of hours after eating... 
If he just ate at his leisure wouldn't that be useful because his belly would never be like... full of food at once? Maybe a bite or two of kibble but because he isn't gulping it he isn't swallowing air in a rush...
Just curious of why people are against it and how I should be feeding him. I have him free feeding right now but he's only 9 weeks and I want to get a system for him but... My brain just doesn't seem to understand what's wrong with it if he doesn't overeat. it seems like a good solution really...?


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## lisasgirl (May 27, 2010)

Feeding on a schedule helps a lot with potty training - if you know when it goes in, you can anticipate when it'll come back out, so to speak.

The other thing to consider is undereating. If you're using a type of feeder that constantly replenishes, it's going to take you a lot longer to figure out if your dog is skipping meals. And that's often one of the only early symptoms you'll have that something is wrong.

Feeding on a schedule also helps if you have multiple pets. And having food out all the time can attract pests (rodents, bugs, etc.), if that's a concern for you.

That said, I mostly free feed my guys right now - they get a set amount in the morning and a set amount in the evening, but they can take as much time as they want to eat it. They both stop eating when they're full, so it works fine. However, since I just give them the one scoopful at a time, I can see if they're not finishing it by the time I come to give them more, or if they're lingering over the bowl waiting to wolf it down when the second helping comes for the day.


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## Viking Queen (Nov 12, 2014)

Tipz said:


> Just curious about if poodle people would say free feeding is a big nono.
> I know most people in general don't agree but I've always found it worked best for my dogs. They wouldn't overeat and would just eat a couple bites at a time. They never ate until they made themselves sick or anything.
> I know poodles are prone to bloat and from what I read a few meals a day are better than just one big one, but there's also the no exercising within a couple of hours after eating...
> If he just ate at his leisure wouldn't that be useful because his belly would never be like... full of food at once? Maybe a bite or two of kibble but because he isn't gulping it he isn't swallowing air in a rush...
> Just curious of why people are against it and how I should be feeding him. I have him free feeding right now but he's only 9 weeks and I want to get a system for him but... My brain just doesn't seem to understand what's wrong with it if he doesn't overeat. it seems like a good solution really...?


I have free fed my last three dogs and I think it works well. My vet is in favor of it also and says free fed dogs are rarely fat as they don't gorge themselves at one or two big meals per day. All of my three dogs who were free fed were lean, well muscled and healthy. When I got Poppy last May at 13 weeks I immediately just out a bowl of food down for her. She nibbled some, had a drink of water and then walked away satisfied. When she was growing a tremendous amount during growth spurts I just made sure to put more food out more often. She has finished growing and seems happy nibbling away at her food throughout the day.

My beagles would have weighed 400 lbs each if I had free fed them....they would just hoover everything in sight then beg for more. Funny guys.

Good luck with the puppy!


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## Tipz (Aug 10, 2016)

Thanks! Yes, I do still measure the food out, I don't fill the bowl completely so I can keep track of what is normal for him.
However I am slightly concerned about bloat. I know his belly won't be stuffed with food and air from gorging so in my mind it shouldn't be a problem but if anyone could explain it that would be helpful
Otherwise yeah... The attracting bugs makes sense but I don't really see any downside if they're the kind of dog who can control themselves lol


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## Mfmst (Jun 18, 2014)

Buck free feeds. He seldom finishes his kibble in one go. I admire his moderation. When he was a puppy, I tried the 15 minute rule and wasted a lot of kibble. His raw meal is gone in a flash and that has always been the case.


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## snow0160 (Sep 20, 2016)

I think free feeding depends on a few things in my experience: 1. the food, certain foods are more likely to pack on the weight and 2. the breed. I own multiple breeds and free feeding only works with certain breeds. I used to free feed my small dogs and the pug got fat pretty quickly. I think my neighbor was talking about a gene they found in labs that make them overeat. I don't know the details about it but I do know my pug will eat until she is as wide as she is long. Lucky is a very picky eater and if I were to free feed him I think he would be fine. I think as a general rule, I would feed on a schedule particularly if you want a regular walking schedule.


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## Skylar (Jul 29, 2016)

Tipz said:


> Thanks! Yes, I do still measure the food out, I don't fill the bowl completely so I can keep track of what is normal for him.
> However I am slightly concerned about bloat. I know his belly won't be stuffed with food and air from gorging so in my mind it shouldn't be a problem but if anyone could explain it that would be helpful
> Otherwise yeah... The attracting bugs makes sense but I don't really see any downside if they're the kind of dog who can control themselves lol


Some recently posted an excellent video with a lecture about bloat from a veterinarian. She explained that bloat is not caused by gorging with food or eating out of raised bowls.

I think it depends on your dog - some will over eat, or bolt down their food so fast that they sometimes throw up. Others nibble away as needed maintain a health weight.


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## MollyMuiMa (Oct 13, 2012)

I'm a free feeder too........Molly gets a measured amount of kibble put in her bowl everyday. She is fed 50% raw 50% kibble She gets her raw meal every morning, and then I put what would be the other 50%, which is kibble, in her bowl to graze on. Often there is still kibble in her bowl the next next morning! She's been fed like this since puppyhood .


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## lily cd re (Jul 23, 2012)

Until recently my dogs free fed. They were grazers in their eating style, eating smaller amount of food several times during the day. The only reason we don't have that schedule anymore is that I switched off kibble and now cook for them. I measure the amount of each ingredient in the recipe appropriate to each dog, so I want to know each of them has eaten the portion that was specifically for him or her.

One thing I think it did for them when they were young was it made them not regard food as a resource that was anything to quarrel over.


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## rj16 (Jan 30, 2017)

Just curious... Does free feeding mean giving the dog as much time as it wants to eat or as much food as it wants? To me it means having a supply of food constantly available, which is not what I do, for no other reason than we are still working on figuring what works for us. But I don't pick up what he doesn't eat. Usually he polishes off his serving in one go but recently he started occasionally leaving some for later.


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## Liz (Oct 2, 2010)

Well, I feed raw, so no, she doesn't have all-day access to food.


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## lily cd re (Jul 23, 2012)

rj16 for us free fed meant there was always kibble in the bowl and it was always available for any hungry dog to partake from. Often I would have two dogs eating from the bowl at the same time. If you have one dog and one bowl I would measure out that days ration and put it out in the morning. With multiple dogs I tracked how things were going by checking their weights regularly. Lily weighed +/- 0.4 pounds of 36.2 pounds for six years on that strategy. She did an amazing job self regulating her eating based on her metabolism and activity level.


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## Tipz (Aug 10, 2016)

I agree with Lily. Some people just use a food container that constantly replenishes itself (Think the water bowls with the jug on top) but I just measure out a certain amount and let him eat it when he's hungry. It's always available for him to eat and I can still be aware of his eating habits in case anything changes.


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## peppersb (Jun 5, 2011)

My dogs always have free access to kibble (except when we have a lab or a golden visiting -- haha). In addition, they get one cooked meal a day (or sometimes raw) which is, of course, a set amount.

My dogs are always the right weight. They eat what they need and no more. Wish someone could tell me how to do that!

It makes sense to me that grazing during the day is less likely to produce bloat. The one time I saw a dog bloat was when I was driving with a friend and her golden retrievers. We got delayed, and were in the car for 5 hours. When we finally got to where we were going, the goldens were really hungry and thirsty. They gobbled down their dinner and gulped down a lot of water. Then one of them bloated. Fortunately she survived. But what a scary night.


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## Poodlebeguiled (May 27, 2013)

Liz said:


> Well, I feed raw, so no, she doesn't have all-day access to food.


Same here.

When I first got my puppies at 8 weeks of age, (they were tiny) I kept some kibble at all times in their ex pen for them. And they got canned 3 or 4 times a day. Then they were gradually transitioned to just scheduled feedings. And now they're on a raw, fresh diet so yeah...no free access to that. lol.


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## Poodlebeguiled (May 27, 2013)

I like the idea of scheduled feedings that I control. I like my dogs to have one more thing to defer to _me_ for their survival. I want them to know that it's because of me that they get to live. hahahaha. :act-up:

If you do plenty of other stuff with your dog, like obedience training and asking for things before some of the things they get...their resources (toys, food, treats, walks etc) that's fine too. But their meal times are just one more place where they can do a little something to "earn" their food.


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## PuffDaddy (Aug 24, 2016)

I also feed raw and fresh home food, so free feeding isn't an option in that regard. From a health perspective, it seems like many people don't have an issue free feeding their dog. It sounds like it just depends on the dog's nature and the food. 

But I don't think feeding time is strictly about physical health. To me, feeding time is kind of like the equivalent of family meal time when it comes to bonding and doing something together. 

I enjoy preparing his food while he watches and sits respectfully at a distance. and then I put it on the ground as he sits and give me eye contact. He won't go for the food until I encourage him to. It is a nice bonding ritual that teaches him respect and patience. He basically earns his food with polite behavior. 

After he eats he always comes and sits right beside me and looks adoringly into my eyes and licks his chops. It's so lovely, and I am certain that he is thanking me! 

I believe that this ritual has been an important aspect of our relationship and is one more way that he has learned to look up to me as his provider. For me, it is satisfying to do something kind for him that he really likes (good food!) and to teach him good manners where ever I can. So I that's really why I wouldn't give it up even if we were feeding kibble. I think that food is more than 'just food' to people and dogs alike


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## Tipz (Aug 10, 2016)

Thanks, that's a great way to look at it!


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## emisdover (Feb 16, 2017)

A little off topic--I always free-fed my Spoos and both would take a mouthful of kibble, walk to a different part of the room, and eat it piece-by-piece off the floor. Anyone else's Spoos do this? Always wondered it if was a poodle thing or just something my younger Spoo picked up off the older at the time.


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## lisasgirl (May 27, 2010)

emisdover said:


> A little off topic--I always free-fed my Spoos and both would take a mouthful of kibble, walk to a different part of the room, and eat it piece-by-piece off the floor. Anyone else's Spoos do this? Always wondered it if was a poodle thing or just something my younger Spoo picked up off the older at the time.


My non-poodle mystery mix does this all the time. It seems to be either when she wants to be closer to the humans, or when she decides that one of the other household animals is too close to her food bowl. Those are my working theories at the moment, anyway.

Archie, my mini mix, doesn't do it.


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## lily cd re (Jul 23, 2012)

emisdover said:


> A little off topic--I always free-fed my Spoos and both would take a mouthful of kibble, walk to a different part of the room, and eat it piece-by-piece off the floor. Anyone else's Spoos do this? Always wondered it if was a poodle thing or just something my younger Spoo picked up off the older at the time.



Not my poodles, but my German Shepherd dog for sure!


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## sunfunartist (Mar 24, 2017)

My Toy poodle does not always finish her breakfast. I leave it out for her. I noticed she goes later and finishes the rest. My mini poodle is not food driven himself. So he has not much interest in her food luckily. 


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