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Originally Posted by gracielove  You cannot just arbitrarily decide how much you want your dog without taking into consideration the nutritional value of the food you feed. Some foods put a lot of fillers in and so in order to get the daily requirement of nutrition the company requires the dog eat more to obtain it. That doesn't always work well especially with small dogs. Most commercial dog foods put the daily required nutritional amounts in the food if only by adding vitamins and minerals that the dog requires to maintain life, not health. I would be very careful about withholding food and adding treats since they do not make up the needed nutrition.
Many of the more concentrated foods require less feeding amounts because the food does not have the fillers that are in other foods. Of course each dog has different energy levels but there is a certain amount of nutrition that is required by each animal on a daily basis. Consider the amount of calories and vitamins and minerals your dog needs to maintain optimum health. Foods with a lot of fillers require that your dog eat more to obtain that minimum requirement. Dogs can exist on less but eventually the stress on cells and organs will take it's toll.
I believe the original question was if the suggested amount should be divided into 3 or 4 feedings and that is correct for a puppy. You don't want to feed the suggested amount several times a day. If your dog does not want to eat as much as the instructions state then I would suggest you find a food that is more concentrated and requires less food be consumed in order to obtain the needed daily nutrition. |
Good information. Thank you. I meant that the kibble I leave out is used for training purposes. Not that it's withheld in the place of treats.