# How many of you here Free feed or schedule feed?



## SGV_Jester (Jan 21, 2011)

I read websites about one versus the other, but how do you guys here feel about the pro's and con's?

While im at it I have a question. For a 60lb dog, how do you know how much food is the right amount?


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## EckoMac (Aug 25, 2010)

Schedule feeding is easier to monitor what, and how much they eat. It also helps schedule the trips outside for those of us that work.
To feed a 60lb dog I would start out with the recommended amount on the bad and just keep an eye on his weight. Ecko is 48 lbs and gets about 2 cups per day. If he's looking a little hefty I reduce it by a 1/4 cup. If he's looking a little thin I increase it by a 1/4 cup. Every dog is different. Exercise and metabolism have a lot to do with how much they need to eat. 

There are others on here who will be able to help out a lot more too.


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## cEElint (Oct 6, 2009)

i schedule feed.. i feed 2 cups once in the morning around 630-7... and i feed 1.5 cups somewhere between 12-1

i dont feed them past 2pm.. i used to feed them at night, but kept having accidents at night


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## Bluedrake (Jun 20, 2011)

I free feed my Jack Russell and he has been fine. He eats all day long but just a bite here and there and does not over do the eating. 

If he went over weight I would change it. 

Also always seen it in the light that they tell us humans if you want to stay in shape rather eat lots of small meals through out the day, rather than just eating big meal and this should help you maintain a higher metabolism.... 

Technically it should be the same for dogs right?


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## cEElint (Oct 6, 2009)

if i free fed my dogs they would eat until they threw up..


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## Bluedrake (Jun 20, 2011)

cEElint said:


> if i free fed my dogs they would eat until they threw up..


Did it since he was a pup, however our new puppy is over doing it a bit, so going to monitor her and see if she will learn that the food is there all day.

My Jack will literally play a bit, run to his bowl, grab a tiny mouth full and then carry on playing, or he will grab a mouth full and then bring it to the lounge where we are sitting and drop all the food on the floor and then slowly eat it :roll:


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## Black Rabbit (Nov 14, 2009)

My boy is around 70 give or take, and he's on a schedule. He gets 2 cups in the morning around 9 and 2 more cups around 6. I wouldn't normally feed him so much but he does a lot of hard work and burns fat quickly. We're doing dock diving practice in the mornings and some drag work in the evenings, alternating days and taking some days off.


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## American_Pit13 (Apr 23, 2007)

Everything I own is schedule fed.


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## rosesandthorns (Nov 1, 2008)

I schedule feed too. I feed at 6 in the morning. My puppy is free fed but all others get a set amount depending on the dog. My pup is a little small and underweight so I let him eat all day as he wishes. When he gets to a desirable weight then he will start being fed 3-4 times a day. Ive got one that wants to eat all day long. She's the house dog and hearing a can opener or opening the fridge door she comes running and begging even after she has been fed. She would try to eat an entire 50 lb bag!


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## angelbaby (Feb 4, 2010)

I have multiple dogs and feed seperated , if I free fed it could lead to more problems with food aggression . we feed once in the morning and once at night


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## meganc66 (Mar 6, 2009)

schedule feed. i would have fatty pups if i free fed!


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## dixieland (Aug 14, 2009)

I schedule feed and still have fatty puppies :rofl:


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## CiaAshley (Apr 11, 2011)

I free-feed because I think it is better for my animals. jmo, I think it cuts down on food agression ALOT. When I was living with my mother, we had four dobes, who could all eat out of the same bowl, because they were free fed. I had two rescues pits a few months back. They had been schedule fed and at first would eat everything in the bowls growling at each other the whole time (let me tell ya THAT was only a little costly since I only buy TOTW and they would gulp down a bowl in three minutes flat)

I just kept refilling the bowls until they realized that food would always be out and they didn't have to wolf down their food)

Of course now, I put Jake's food up after seven and then put it back out in the morning whenever we (jake and I since he sleeps in my bed) get up the next morning.


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## rob32 (Sep 22, 2010)

i schedule feed adult dogs and free feed growing pups. i like to overfeed a little in the winter to help them put on some weight and cut back a bit in the summer.


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## k8nkane (Jul 9, 2010)

Kane is 52lbs, and he eats 4 cups of Taste of the Wild a day--2 in the morning @9am and 2 at night @6pm. He's got a very fast metabolism, lol.


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## performanceknls (Apr 4, 2009)

The right amount of food is different for every dog. I have 45lb dogs that eat 2 cups a day and some that eat 5 cups a day. It all depends on how the dog looks, for a 60lb dog you can start at 3.5 or 4 cups and adjust on how the dog looks. Free feeding can lead to obesity, torsion/bloat, or late diagnoses of an illness. Feeding on a schedule lets you keep track of how much to dog eats to adjust the amount if needed. If a dog misses a meal it gives you a heads up something could be wrong, if the dog free feeds you could miss that and lose an opportunity to get early help if the dog is sick. Many dogs will over eat and become obese or over weight when they free feed. If you are training your dog and need to give them food they need to be hungry and free fed dogs stay full most the time. Free feeding also slows down metabolism and again makes fat dogs. Free feeding also increases the risk for torsion or bloat. If a dog has free access to food and eats too much at once or eats food and then goes outside and runs they could bloat or torsion. If you go out to exercises him and did not know he last time he ate then go run him that could be deadly.
Feeding twice a day is best but I know some that feed once a day and on training days I feed once. There are too many negatives to free feed IMO.


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## cEElint (Oct 6, 2009)

hmm.. i might need to bump up some food portions then.. Dre looks a little skinny and he eats 3.5-4 cups a day.. so does Daisy and she looks good.. Dre also get a lot less exercise than her too because his hips arent the greatest


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## performanceknls (Apr 4, 2009)

Try adding fat to his diet instead of feeding more kibble. I hate to feed much more than 4cups because of bloat. You can add lard to his food and it will help stick some meat on his bones. I got that tip from here 2 years ago when I was having the same problem with my dogs and it works.


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## k8nkane (Jul 9, 2010)

You can just pick lard up at a local grocery store, right?

Do people still cook with it? I don't know, I never cook except spaghetti and grilled cheese (and even that I sometimes burn), lol.


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## LadyRampage (Apr 11, 2009)

I schedule feed, always have. Free feeding isn't an option since I don't want obese dogs, and am very active in showing. 

I do not have problem with food aggression, EVER, it is simply NOT allowed. I've rescued dogs that were starved and still didn't have food aggression problems. I did have a pup given to me that had severe FA problems, he had 3 chances over a 6 month period and when he would have long times inbetween outburst but each one was progressively more violent, he was humanely put down. I will NOT tolerate a dog that may bite me, it aint happening. 

Now my pups I do free feed, until they are about 4 months old, then I begin the once a day feeding schedule. I feed in the evening, right now around 8ish when its getting cooler.


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## Black Rabbit (Nov 14, 2009)

k8nkane said:


> You can just pick lard up at a local grocery store, right?
> 
> Do people still cook with it? I don't know, I never cook except spaghetti and grilled cheese (and even that I sometimes burn), lol.


Yup they have it at all the grocery stores. It'll be right by the fake stuff like Crisco. People totally still use it for cooking


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## chinadoll (Jun 20, 2011)

I mostly schedule feed my pup. She gets a 6 oz. cup full when she gets up in the morning, and I let her eat until she has had enough. I then pick up her food and water dish until around lunch time, when I give her another cup full (of course letting her have a drink if she plays too hard or seems thirsty). When she is finished, I pick up her dishes again and put out more fresh food and water at dinner time. I read an article that suggested that puppies up until four months should be allowed all the dry dog food they will eat, so if she eats the whole cup at each feeding and still acts hungry, I will give her a little more. I read another article that said that feeding your puppy on a schedule makes house training and crate training much easier, and I believe that is true based on the results I have seen in China by picking up her dishes after a meal. Since she is a growing pup, I am letting her tell me how much she wants to eat and adjusting the amount I give her accordingly. I always make sure she gets a drink and a treat after training or exercise. I can't remember where it was that I read either of the articles I mentioned, but this routine seems to work for me and China.


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## American_Pit13 (Apr 23, 2007)

chinadoll said:


> I read an article that suggested that puppies up until four months should be allowed all the dry dog food they will eat,


Puppies should be allowed more food however they should not be allowed to eat all they want as many puppies will gorge and bloat themselves. Not all puppies will do this, but it is not worth the risk imo.

Not saying it is not ok for you to do this. If it works for you that is perfectly fine. Each dog is different.


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## MamaTank (Jun 12, 2011)

I schedule feed mine-- they both eat about 9 AM and 6 PM. I have to schedule feed because free feeding led to problems with my GSD being aggressive with Keira over food. Caesar isn't aggressive to humans over his food, my kids go over and feed him handfuls while he's eating, and I make sure to mess around in his bowl at least every other day to maintain his complacence with humans handling his food. But Keira would go over and try to sample his bowl while he would eat (and both dogs are on different foods because of Caesars food allergies), so it is just easier on my and their tummies to schedule feed. It is also helping with Keira's housetraining.


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