# Are poodles 'grazers'?



## Sawyersmomma

I wouldn't advise it with a picky eater. She first has to learn you're in control of the food. So let the food down for 15 minutes twice a day, and then just make her suck it up the rest of the time. Sometimes Sawyer prefers water mixed in his kibble so it's a bit softer, and it smells stronger so he likes it more.
Generally I don't bother though. 
I do let him "graze" and have since I first got him, but he's never been picky. I just leave the bowl out (I have 2 dogs, the other is 12 and has always been a grazer too)
Whenever it's empty I just refill it again. Sawyer never seems to overeat, and I actually think it helps because he won't bother unless he's hungry. Where as I think if people put the bowl down, the dog feels the need to eat as much as possible as fast as he can since it's going to disappear again soon.
Again, I'd wait until yours learns that you're in charge of it and it can't be picky. They get what they get


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## lily cd re

Neither of my dogs are picky eaters, but both of them are grazers. 100% of their food is left out for them to pick at as they want. In fact we generally top off the bowl when it goes low (before empty). We are lucky that Peeves is not a glutton. We started free feeding because Lily wouldn't finish meals (not that she didn't like the kind of food, just wouldn't eat in one sitting). both my dogs are normal weight and their weight is very consistent over time with just some seasonal variation based on activity (slimmer in summer because they swim).


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## sophiebonita

Lily - That's what made me think of it, that Sophie wasn't finishing her meals; I got to thinkin' maybe the breeder was onto something? But i see your point Sawyers'... When i tried that she didn't eat for a whole day and shes a small 7-lb puppy... Hmmm...


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## msminnamouse

Is your breeder named Lucy, by chance?

All my poodles (owned and fostered) and most poodles I've met have been grazers. I think the ONLY poodle I've met that hasn't been a grazer started as a grazer and then I placed him in another foster home where the foster mom took away his food if he didn't eat it right away so he learned that he had to scarf it down while he had it if he was going to eat. 

BUT, it's not so much that they "graze". It's more that they pick their own meal times. They won't eat a few pieces here and there, they'll settle down to tuck into a meal and then stop when they're satiated and come back when they're hungry again.

I know MANY people are against "free feeding/free choice" but I feel that it's great for dogs who can handle it, both behavior wise and moderation wise. Obviously, some other breeds are NOT meant for this. Most hounds would eat themselves sick and then keep on eating more.

I've have NEVER seen this create resource guarding because if it's there all the time, it just isn't high value and also, it's kind of hard to CONSTANTLY guard something that's always there.

And of course you can measure how much your dog is eating if you know how much food the bowl contains. 

Another two reasons I'm really into this kind of feeding is because on lazy days when they're not burning many calories, they eat less. On active days when they've burned a lot of calories, they eat more. They self adjust.

Also, since the dogs will only eat when they're hungry and aren't pressured to clean their bowls, it's easy to tell when your dog is sick because they're not eating. I've seen sick dogs eat regardless when they have to clean their bowl or it gets taken away.


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## sophiebonita

Wow thanks msminna - that's a lot of great info and gave me a lot to think about!!! 


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## lily cd re

Yes, I notice that my dogs adjust their calorie intake based on activity level and also on environmental conditions. They both eat a little more as the weather cools down. They both gain a little body fat to insulate them for getting though the winter. Then when the weather warms and we are all outside more that weight comes off. For Lily the weight gain/loss is one or two pounds (she is always just one side or the other of 35 pounds). For Peeves it can be about 4-5 (but his summer lean weight is about 85). I am really lucky with him since I think German Shepherds can be inclined to overeat. Goldens and labs (and yes absolutely hounds) are other breeds that will eat gluttonously if given the opportunity to do so. If one wants to free feed a poodle I think you have to give careful thought to what breeds you would want alongside.


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## sophiebonita

Well luckily I'm a 1-dog home... I think I'm going to give it a try. Thanks guys 


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## Kim

I have a question (I thought I posted this before, but I do not see it.) 

I don't mean to highjack the thread, but do poodles HAVE to be grazers to be happy/healthy? This is something I did not consider before.

The history/context of my question:
My family is supposed to meet a rescue standard poodle puppy on Saturday. I grew up with miniature poodles (who were grazers), but have had Labs for the last 15 years. When we got our first Lab, I put a big bowl of food down. She ate till she made herself sick, then ate some more. Since then, we've portioned the dogs food and fed them 2-3 times per day. They always eat it all immediately (and they are all healthy weights, so I am confident we're not underfeeding them.) 

We recently lost one of our Labs to cancer. As he got sicker, he was not a good eater and would walk away before finishing his food. Our other Lab (who is still with us) would finish her food and immediately swoop in to finish anything that was left in his bowl. When both dogs were healthy, they would eat all of their own food then go over and lick the other dog's bowl to make sure nothing was missed!

Anyway, I am just not sure grazing will work if we get this new puppy. If food is left down/walked away from, the Lab will eat it. Guaranteed.


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## peppersb

I leave kibble out for my dogs all day. They eat when they want to, and they regulate their intake very well. As Msminna said, they seem to choose their meal time rather than eating a bite here and a bite there. Bob gets very excited when I ask him if he wants to go for a walk and expresses his excitement by running over to his bowl and scarfing down some food before we go. He's my funny boy. 

I give them some real meat for supper and of course they gobble that up pretty quickly.

In answer to Kim's question, your poodle will be able to adjust to having specific meal times. Don't worry. I sometimes have lab and golden visitors (the dogs of friends) and my dogs have more limited access to their food when a lab or a golden is visiting. When you get the poodle, you may need to monitor meal time or separate the dogs so that the lab does not steal the poodle's food and so that the poodle can eat in peace. The poodle may not finish his food. But you can just pick it up and save it for the next meal. I would give the poodle 2-3 opportunities a day to eat as much as he wants. He'll be just fine.


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## georgiapeach

Potsie must be an unusual poodle. He eats so fast that I had to turn his bowl upside down (creating a moat around the edge that I put the kibble in) to slow him down a little. I feed him twice a day, as I do all 3 of my dogs. No picky eaters in this house!


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## sophiebonita

Pepper - that's a good idea to give the meat at supper time. It seems like Sophie just has no interest in food til afternoon. It's very weird. I've never seen a growing puppy eat so little!!!


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## LEUllman

What is the opposite of a "grazer"? A gobbler? That's what Beau is, for sure! If I put food down and let him free feed, he'd soon balloon into what our groomer calls a "sausage poodle." I have to limit his food intake as it is, to keep him trim. He's just not very active compared to most minis, so it's a constant challenge.


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## lily cd re

Kim, yes I think you will have to get the poodle onto the lab feeding schedule since the labs will be gluttons. Take your time and make sure the poodle gets to eat in peace as he gets used to the concept and I am sure it will be fine.


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## msminnamouse

Yeah, I forgot to mention. If you've been feeding pre-determined meal time, or if the dog has been raised this way, it may be difficult if not impossible to retrain their eating pattern but it's worth a try if you'd prefer to feed this way.

Each dog should have their own eating area to prevent fights.

Then throughout the day, drop a few kibble in the bowl and walk away. You just keep doing this and it'll hopefully show them that food is available 24/7. There's no sense in camping out 24/7 over a bowl unless your dog is OCD and boring!

Eventually, they should get tired of dashing to the bowl every time only a few meager kibbles are available and let them build up. If all goes as planned, they'd let more kibble gather for longer periods before eating and then will slow down and not scarf it down. 

Yet another thing I like about dogs with free choice/free feeding is you don't get gulpers. You don't need special bowls or have to worry about choking. It just isn't high value enough since it's always there so they usually eat one or a few pieces at a time. Not in a hurry.

I WISH there was some kind of invention that would separate bowls and only allow the designated dog access to their designated bowl. When I pet sit for scarfers, I feel guilty having to pick up my girl's bowls. 

Real meat? Not very likely that most dogs can self moderate on that though!

I like keeping kibble out all the time and supplementing separately with fresh fruits, veggies, some allergen free grain (to prevent diarrhea and when making cookies), and cooked meat. The supplemented food doesn't have a chance of sticking around. ESPECIALLY the fruit. It's mana from heaven for them. They choose it over meat. Silly vegetarians!


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## katbrat

We have owned two poodles, a toy and Lexi a spoo and both have been grazers. I do measure out kibble in Lexi's bowl and sometimes she will eat it all straight away and sometimes not. Sometimes when she is getting a bite to eat late we call it getting a snacklet. I know we are strange but we are both ok with it.


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## sophiebonita

YES - Sophie appears to be a grazer. I've kept out a bowl of kibble all day/evening for the past few days, about half of her daily food intake, then gave her a delicious raw meal at night. She's been eating it all and doing great 


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## logan0423

We have been working towards getting our puppy on a feeding schedule so that housetraining him will be a bit more predictable and easier on everyone. I'm wondering if anyone has had a poodle that adjusted well from a feeding schedule to free feeding? Or should I consider abandoning the feeding schedule if I want him to be able to free feed later one?


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## Poodlemama99

I feed mine once a day with treats and bones as supplements throughout the day. Omar and Maggie eat all at once but Nicholas and Penelope will eat some and then graze on the rest later. The only issue with grazing is it makes pooping schedule more difficult. Fortunately nick and Penelope poop after the main course and the grazing does not affect their schedule. 


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## julietcr1

Kim said:


> Anyway, I am just not sure grazing will work if we get this new puppy. If food is left down/walked away from, the Lab will eat it. Guaranteed.


I have a lab and I can tell you grazing doesn't work at all. When Sushi was a puppy, Aki was finished with her own food and already eating his food way before he even started smelling it! We have to supervise all meals all the time to ensure Sushi can eat enough and Aki doesn't get fat!. In the morning I use a Kong Wobbler and other toys to feed them and I give the hardest one to Aki and the easiest one to Sushi so they finish at about the same time. I feed them 3 times a day in total but since Sushi is a grazer he doesn't eat enough so he will be hungry at various time during the day. He found a way to let me know he wants food by grabbing is bowl and showing it to me. When he does that I feed him in a separate room so Aki won't steel his food. To be honest I found feeding a grazing dog and a non grazing dog was a pain but they are both wonderful dogs so I got use to it;o)


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## rubymom

Although Ruby is raw fed, she eats with the same gusto as my Cali did eating kibble! And yes, both of my mpoos would eat until the "toss cookie stage" if I left food out for free feed! Guess each dog is different!


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## Poodlemama99

I am lucky that all of mine will quit eating when they get full. Some days we have food left over. 


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## Indiana

Nope, grazing wouldn't work in this house. Both my poodles are extremely food-motivated and eat every single bit of their food, every time, and many things that aren't food!


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## lily cd re

We are lucky that free feeding works for both our dogs. They love their food, but don't eat until they explode. Their weights are extremely consistent each year for their annual vet checks. We were just at the vet last week and he said that were were among very few clients to whom he never has to give a weight management talk. Lily was within one pound of last year's weight and Peeves had gone up a couple of pounds (88 to 92) but we think that will be his final mature weight.


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