Do you leave food available all the time? - YorkieTalk.com Forums

stl · 07-12-2011, 08:13 AM

Both my husband and I work, so our 4 month puppy is left at home from around 8Am till 6-7pm. He's not potty trained, so we leave in a separate room (the laundry) where he has his bed, his toys, water and food. We leave the food available all the time, so he can eat whenever he feels like. I am not sure if it's a good thing to do though. He's became very picky eater and while he is all active and full of energy, I did notice he lost some weight. He's still healthy and not looking thin, though. But he's not into eating that much. He seems to be eating more when I feed him from my hand. What should we do?

Also, this might look like he's home alone all the time, but in reality we do have a cleaning lady who comes in once-twice per day when we are gone to check on him and clean up his area. It's just that we do not control her schedule, so she comes in whenever she has time, that's why we prefer to leave food for him available. But is it a good thing to do?

kimberlee104 · 07-12-2011, 08:16 AM

We have free fed Lana for all eight years of her life. With that being said...she is overweight. So about 2 weeks ago we changed to 2 times a day and believe me, she doesn't like it, but she is dropping weight! I think there was too much snacking going on before. I don't know. Hope that helps!

DJDB · 07-12-2011, 08:37 AM

Personally, I think it's easier to regulate the potty schedule if you don't leave food out all day long.

My b/f and I both work also. Ozzy is in his crate while we're out. I get up early enough that I can take him for a walk in the morning, feed him and make sure he has water, and play with him. He goes in the crate at about 7:45 a.m. He has no food or water in the crate. My b/f is home by 2:30 p.m. and he takes him out for a walk, then he has free roam of the main floor for the rest of the night. We feed him dinner between 6:30 and 7:00 then its off to the park or another walk around our townhouse complex.

I think this is really helping Ozzy with potty training. We know exactly when he's going to need to go poop, which is really the hard part of training IMO because he doesn't do it as often as peeing, so the reward is not reinforced as much.

kjc · 07-12-2011, 08:41 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by stl

Both my husband and I work, so our 4 month puppy is left at home from around 8Am till 6-7pm. He's not potty trained, so we leave in a separate room (the laundry) where he has his bed, his toys, water and food. We leave the food available all the time, so he can eat whenever he feels like. I am not sure if it's a good thing to do though. He's became very picky eater and while he is all active and full of energy, I did notice he lost some weight. He's still healthy and not looking thin, though. But he's not into eating that much. He seems to be eating more when I feed him from my hand. What should we do?

Also, this might look like he's home alone all the time, but in reality we do have a cleaning lady who comes in once-twice per day when we are gone to check on him and clean up his area. It's just that we do not control her schedule, so she comes in whenever she has time, that's why we prefer to leave food for him available. But is it a good thing to do?

I would feed him a meal in the morning and at night, handfeeding at first as necessary, and leave some food out during the day, but measure the amount so you can tell how much he is actually consuming. Puppies and dogs can become anorexic, in the sense that their tummies will shrink so they fill up quicker. Handfeeding usually helps them to eat more, so when he finishes a handfed meal consistantly you can begin to cut back and handfeed half the meal and he should still be hungry enough to finish on his own. Might have to play around with this method a bit until he is consistantly eating enough on his own.

They also go through growth stages, where he may be looking pudgy one day and then thin the next, which can be attributed to growth (not literally in one day) then he'll put on weight again, and then seem to lose it , just appearing thinner and maybe taller. You may want to gradually increase the amount he eats in the upcoming months, as he grows, he'll need to eat a bit more. Try taking pics of him once a week to document his growth, that way you have something to compare to.

sganow · 07-12-2011, 09:53 AM

We have 4 dogs and have always free fed them. We have both the 2.5 gallon LeBistro feeder and water container/bowl. We keep food and water out all the time and our dogs eat and drink whenever they want. We don't put them in kennels for long periods of time when we're out and they are never home alone for very long. This works well for us.

With just one dog, I would probably keep food and water available but try to better regulate the food since it is not being shared with other dogs. This would help prevent the dog from becoming sick from not eating or drinking for long periods of time. You have to be careful with small dogs like yorkies.

Micah my love · 07-12-2011, 10:33 AM

A 4 month old puppy should have food & water available at all time...they only eat a few kibbles at a time and there is less chance of hyperglycemia occurring

I free feed all of my dogs adults & puppies

bentely · 07-12-2011, 10:49 AM

Bentley has food left out all day but I think I want to change that because a pet trainer said that it's not a good idea for me to do that he should have like 10 min to eat and then the food should be taken away or wen the are dome the food should be moved ....

Micah my love · 07-12-2011, 10:57 AM

Yorkies eating habits are very different from most others they nibble where some others gulp all of the food they see and look for more

stl · 07-12-2011, 10:47 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Micah my love

A 4 month old puppy should have food & water available at all time...they only eat a few kibbles at a time and there is less chance of hyperglycemia occurring

I free feed all of my dogs adults & puppies

Yes, that's the reason I left food available for him all the time. I just cannot be with him 24/7.

Thank you everyone for your input. It seems I will keep free feeding him.

Cali_Baby · 07-13-2011, 08:55 AM

My puppy is also 4 months old now! I leave dry food available all the time. And, I give her a little of wet food 3 times a day. However, once she gets older, in a few months, I ll stop the wet food and start feeding her dry food on a schedule. At only 4 months, it is better to live her food at all time so that she doesn't get hypoglycemia!

dawn27 · 07-13-2011, 01:17 PM

I learned this the hard way, and in my opinion the answer is...NO !!

I did for years with no problem, they were all standard size, very well proportioned and healthy Yorkiees. But it is a whole different story now, my yorkies just blew up. I'm convinced that is is due to the spay and neutering. Could also be over eating and competition for food. So now they have been on a diet for the past 18 months or so. I have four Porky Yorkies that are not happy about having their food limited to three portioned feedings per day.

On a good note 3 out of the 4 have lost some weight. not much but it is a start.

dawn27 · 07-13-2011, 08:13 PM

Regardless of his age, you may want to start him on a feeding schedule so that you can also get him started on potty training! It is much harder to potty train a pup that is being free fed. Puppy just need to eat more frequently and than should be reduced with age as they grow and the belly/blatter gets larger and they are able to hold more in between each feeding. But, thats just me... others may not see my point of view.

jennzy · 07-13-2011, 09:16 PM

When I first got coco, i fed her 3x a day because thats what the breeder told me. and I kept with her feeding schedule. once at 7am 12pm and 6pm.
I gave her breakfast and dinner and because I'm at work and i can't check up on her until 1pm or 2.30pm I purchased an automatic feeder.

Now lets fast forward. I noticed that coco is not eating her 1/2 cup serving split into 3 meals. I spoke to the vet and the vet was confused why i was feeding her 3x a day and told me to feed her two times. But then I decided to do the whole I'll leave it for the whole day and she can eat it whenever she is hungry.

It actually works out better for her. I noticed her eating 80% of her daily serving. Before it was only 30%. So i guess this all depends on how old your dog is. But if your dog is loosing weight= not eating much, leaving the food out might help!

Coco is now 7.5 months old. I started free feeding her at 7 months. her potty went from several times a day to 3 times a day once when i wake up, once when im at work in her play pen in her pee pad and once around 9pmish and she poops shortly after i get in from work.

McheleM · 07-13-2011, 11:18 PM

I did until doing more research. Free feeding tells a dog they are in charge. As the alpha, I am in charge and they eat when I say. I now feed them 4 small meals per day. I want to make sure they were eating every few hours, and it does help with a potty schedule. I use potty pads but I also take them to the garage after meals, upon waking, and before bedtime and tell them go potty-on their potty pads out there. (after having Noah get sick, I'm not too keen on having them in my front yard and the back yard is being revamped right now so I don't want them out there with power tools, lumber, etc)

trin7 · 07-14-2011, 12:20 PM

Darwin & Mabel have always had access to food & water. Like a lot of pack animals, they usually eat when we do. They eat a little bit at a time and have never had a weight issue. Works for us but I am almost always at home with them. Even if I'm out for the day, they can go for 7 hours without needing to go out.

07-12-2011, 08:13 AM	#1
stl Senior Yorkie Talker Join Date: May 2011 Location: Asia Posts: 214	Do you leave food available all the time? Both my husband and I work, so our 4 month puppy is left at home from around 8Am till 6-7pm. He's not potty trained, so we leave in a separate room (the laundry) where he has his bed, his toys, water and food. We leave the food available all the time, so he can eat whenever he feels like. I am not sure if it's a good thing to do though. He's became very picky eater and while he is all active and full of energy, I did notice he lost some weight. He's still healthy and not looking thin, though. But he's not into eating that much. He seems to be eating more when I feed him from my hand. What should we do? Also, this might look like he's home alone all the time, but in reality we do have a cleaning lady who comes in once-twice per day when we are gone to check on him and clean up his area. It's just that we do not control her schedule, so she comes in whenever she has time, that's why we prefer to leave food for him available. But is it a good thing to do?

07-12-2011, 10:33 AM	#6
Micah my love Donating YT 100K Club Member & Top YorkieTalk Poster! Join Date: Feb 2009 Location: western KY Posts: 108,935	A 4 month old puppy should have food & water available at all time...they only eat a few kibbles at a time and there is less chance of hyperglycemia occurring I free feed all of my dogs adults & puppies __________________ Betty & Micah my love + Yogi

07-12-2011, 10:57 AM	#8
Micah my love Donating YT 100K Club Member & Top YorkieTalk Poster! Join Date: Feb 2009 Location: western KY Posts: 108,935	Yorkies eating habits are very different from most others they nibble where some others gulp all of the food they see and look for more __________________ Betty & Micah my love + Yogi

07-13-2011, 08:55 AM	#10
Cali_Baby Yorkie Yakker Join Date: Apr 2011 Location: San Diego, CA Posts: 40	My puppy is also 4 months old now! I leave dry food available all the time. And, I give her a little of wet food 3 times a day. However, once she gets older, in a few months, I ll stop the wet food and start feeding her dry food on a schedule. At only 4 months, it is better to live her food at all time so that she doesn't get hypoglycemia! __________________ Léa & Cali

07-13-2011, 01:17 PM	#11
dawn27 2+2=4 X the Love ♥ Donating Member Join Date: Dec 2010 Location: Bean Town Ohio Posts: 9,456 Blog Entries: 1	I learned this the hard way, and in my opinion the answer is...NO !! I did for years with no problem, they were all standard size, very well proportioned and healthy Yorkiees. But it is a whole different story now, my yorkies just blew up. I'm convinced that is is due to the spay and neutering. Could also be over eating and competition for food. So now they have been on a diet for the past 18 months or so. I have four Porky Yorkies that are not happy about having their food limited to three portioned feedings per day. On a good note 3 out of the 4 have lost some weight. not much but it is a start. __________________ Mommy to: Quincy, & Ruby Bella / Miah & Brandi Gone but Never Forgotten Visit: Bella Dawns for all of your Custom Pet Wear needs.

07-12-2011, 08:16 AM	#2
kimberlee104 Yorkie Yakker Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: Chandler Posts: 26	We have free fed Lana for all eight years of her life. With that being said...she is overweight. So about 2 weeks ago we changed to 2 times a day and believe me, she doesn't like it, but she is dropping weight! I think there was too much snacking going on before. I don't know. Hope that helps!

07-12-2011, 08:37 AM	#3
DJDB YT Addict Join Date: Jun 2011 Location: Abbotsford, BC, Canada Posts: 466	Personally, I think it's easier to regulate the potty schedule if you don't leave food out all day long. My b/f and I both work also. Ozzy is in his crate while we're out. I get up early enough that I can take him for a walk in the morning, feed him and make sure he has water, and play with him. He goes in the crate at about 7:45 a.m. He has no food or water in the crate. My b/f is home by 2:30 p.m. and he takes him out for a walk, then he has free roam of the main floor for the rest of the night. We feed him dinner between 6:30 and 7:00 then its off to the park or another walk around our townhouse complex. I think this is really helping Ozzy with potty training. We know exactly when he's going to need to go poop, which is really the hard part of training IMO because he doesn't do it as often as peeing, so the reward is not reinforced as much.

07-12-2011, 09:53 AM	#5
sganow YT 500 Club Member Join Date: May 2009 Location: Van Alstyne, TX Posts: 842	We have 4 dogs and have always free fed them. We have both the 2.5 gallon LeBistro feeder and water container/bowl. We keep food and water out all the time and our dogs eat and drink whenever they want. We don't put them in kennels for long periods of time when we're out and they are never home alone for very long. This works well for us. With just one dog, I would probably keep food and water available but try to better regulate the food since it is not being shared with other dogs. This would help prevent the dog from becoming sick from not eating or drinking for long periods of time. You have to be careful with small dogs like yorkies.

07-12-2011, 10:49 AM	#7
bentely Senior Yorkie Talker Join Date: Jun 2011 Location: chicago,IL Posts: 190 Blog Entries: 2	Bentley has food left out all day but I think I want to change that because a pet trainer said that it's not a good idea for me to do that he should have like 10 min to eat and then the food should be taken away or wen the are dome the food should be moved ....

07-13-2011, 08:13 PM	#12
dawn27 2+2=4 X the Love ♥ Donating Member Join Date: Dec 2010 Location: Bean Town Ohio Posts: 9,456 Blog Entries: 1	Regardless of his age, you may want to start him on a feeding schedule so that you can also get him started on potty training! It is much harder to potty train a pup that is being free fed. Puppy just need to eat more frequently and than should be reduced with age as they grow and the belly/blatter gets larger and they are able to hold more in between each feeding. But, thats just me... others may not see my point of view. __________________ Mommy to: Quincy, & Ruby Bella / Miah & Brandi Gone but Never Forgotten Visit: Bella Dawns for all of your Custom Pet Wear needs.

07-13-2011, 09:16 PM	#13
jennzy YT 500 Club Member Join Date: May 2008 Location: TOronto, Canada Posts: 804	When I first got coco, i fed her 3x a day because thats what the breeder told me. and I kept with her feeding schedule. once at 7am 12pm and 6pm. I gave her breakfast and dinner and because I'm at work and i can't check up on her until 1pm or 2.30pm I purchased an automatic feeder. Now lets fast forward. I noticed that coco is not eating her 1/2 cup serving split into 3 meals. I spoke to the vet and the vet was confused why i was feeding her 3x a day and told me to feed her two times. But then I decided to do the whole I'll leave it for the whole day and she can eat it whenever she is hungry. It actually works out better for her. I noticed her eating 80% of her daily serving. Before it was only 30%. So i guess this all depends on how old your dog is. But if your dog is loosing weight= not eating much, leaving the food out might help! Coco is now 7.5 months old. I started free feeding her at 7 months. her potty went from several times a day to 3 times a day once when i wake up, once when im at work in her play pen in her pee pad and once around 9pmish and she poops shortly after i get in from work. __________________ <Mickey & Coco> Last edited by jennzy; 07-13-2011 at 09:19 PM.

07-13-2011, 11:18 PM	#14
McheleM Donating YT 2000 Club Member Join Date: Jun 2011 Location: Mesquite, TX Posts: 2,659	I did until doing more research. Free feeding tells a dog they are in charge. As the alpha, I am in charge and they eat when I say. I now feed them 4 small meals per day. I want to make sure they were eating every few hours, and it does help with a potty schedule. I use potty pads but I also take them to the garage after meals, upon waking, and before bedtime and tell them go potty-on their potty pads out there. (after having Noah get sick, I'm not too keen on having them in my front yard and the back yard is being revamped right now so I don't want them out there with power tools, lumber, etc) __________________ "You've never learned to live until you've done something for someone for which they can never repay you."~Ralph Hall.

07-14-2011, 12:20 PM	#15
trin7 YT 500 Club Member Join Date: Jul 2009 Location: BC, Canada Posts: 554	Darwin & Mabel have always had access to food & water. Like a lot of pack animals, they usually eat when we do. They eat a little bit at a time and have never had a weight issue. Works for us but I am almost always at home with them. Even if I'm out for the day, they can go for 7 hours without needing to go out.