Quote:
Originally Posted by spiked_poodle  Juju is under 3 pounds so she really needs to free feed. |
From my experience Free Feeding is guarantied to fail (if the plan is to get the dog to eat more). Controlled feeding regularly has improved the appetite of dogs dramatically. Every dog I have been around and heard about in free feeding, they all have the same problem, do not eat the food well.
The dogs that have now changed to regular meals, not free feeding, have all started to eat better, gain more weight and look much better in the body.
For ex. if you always had your food in front of you, all day long, you would nibble at it a little during the day. But if you only got food during lunch and then dinner you would probably finish the meal (before it goes of the table). Or at least you would eat much more of it.
Many people switch brand of food when they think their dog is bored by eating the same food. But that is only a quick solution that will not last.
When the thing the dog is bored about is to have the food available all day long. With regular feeding the dog has something to look forward to, he is happy to see the food and is excited about it. He has build up an appetite since his last meal and if he knows that the food will go "off the floor" after 15 or 30 minutes he is more likely to finish his meal (which is the goal).