Feeding your dog: Times a day

[veggienut]

Originally Posted by gumbysuz

I'm a firm believer in "they will eat when hungry." Put the food down in the AM, take it up after 20 minutes. Put the food down in the PM, take it up after 20 minutes. Dori eats 1/4 kibble (TOTW) each meal. A few training treats and she is good to go.
My vet and dog trainer are BIG advocates of wet food. Dogs prefer it and seem to thrive. I haven't seen the need for it with Dori.

Thanks for the info. I've done that in the past, but it didn't work. Now it works when I get the "Swifter" mop and scoot his bowl. Then he gets upset and scarfs it down~! I've been away for the morning and got back and his bowl wasn't touch. But he was ready to play and he did eat all of his amount I put down. A long time ago, I met a Vet outside of his practice and he told me that a dog can go up to 3 days without eating, which is normal. He also told me that dogs don't eat a set time when they are in the wild, so sitting the bowl down at a precise time or the 20 minute routine may not be my answer. Humm...makes sense to me.

[gracielove]

A dog can survive for a couple of days without eating but it is not something you should do with a puppy. A growing puppy could very well become hypoglycmeic. Puppies that do not get the proper nutrition when they are growing are more likely to suffer illness and bone issues when they are mature.

[avemike]

Originally Posted by CouversMom

My two are on a pretty rigid schedule. They will wake me up to eat if I try to sleep in

They eat breakfast at around 7 am and dinner around 4:30. They let me know when it's feeding time... They don't like being fed late. They get a shot glass of kibble in the morning and the same in the evening It was the best size measuring cup I could find.

Well..this is all very interesting and I'm sure in the end we get a schedule going that's fits, but how old are your dogs? It will depend on age as to how often and quantity. Mine is young & so is mostly getting fed 4 times a day sometimes 5 depending on how much she ate as I have had problems with her, I watch her carefully.. But on the whole at 3mths I am trying to get her onto 3 meals a day and a bit before bed. Ax

[avemike]

Originally Posted by gracielove

A dog can survive for a couple of days without eating but it is not something you should do with a puppy. A growing puppy could very well become hypoglycmeic. Puppies that do not get the proper nutrition when they are growing are more likely to suffer illness and bone issues when they are mature.

Oh yes I do agree with you. Ax

[AngelFae]

I feed both of my dogs once in the morning. Well, that is when I fill their bowls, if they choose to eat it all at once that's up to them! Blazer had only been grazing but now, the past couple of days, I've noticed that he is eating more at one time, in the morning, and not having a lot left for the rest of the day so I think I'll have to start breaking up his quantities for him.

[hnybun128]

I feed them once in the morning and once at night. They are on raw food now, so they gobble it right up! They also get tiny treats here and there.