I'm a new "future" owner - haven't even gotten my furbaby yet (two more weeks!), but I've been doing a LOT of research and what I read is that you shouldn't leave food out all day because it makes them a little neurotic about food. All the books I've read suggest putting out food several times a day (according to age and weight), giving them time to eat, then picking it back up. Makes sense to me, because if they were in the wild, they wouldn't have the opportunity to eat all day long at their leisure. Also, if he doesn't eat at mealtime, I think I will know something is up faster than I would if he had food available all the time - like if he's feeling bad or maybe he just really doesn't like that food. And, it seems like housetraining would be a lot easier if he's eating on a schedule because he'll be going potty more or less on schedule too. Oh yeah...putting the food out and taking it up also reinforces the idea that you are the alpha dog since you say when they eat.
Anyway, that's what I've read, so that's what I'm going to do with my puppy. |