why do some breeds "free eat" and some you must feed on a schedule?

[Anonymous]

I have 2 crazed, starving hound dogs. I feed them twice a day and they FREAK OUT when I feed them and act like its their last meal. They would eat the whole bag of dog food if they had access to it. I know people who have dogs where they just put the food down and the dog eats it as their leisure. What is up with this? Is it certain dogs you can do this with? is it the breed? Please explain! I have friends who are shocked that I can't just leave dry food in a bowl for my dogs.

[Anonymous]

What are these breeds that can free eat? I've owned 6 dogs from four different breeds, and all of them would eat until they popped. Beagle, Rottweiler, Golden Retriever, and Cocker Spaniel/Poodle mix.

[Anonymous]

My poodle grazes throughout the day. I put a whole bowl of food out and he eats a bit - I'm assuming until he's had enough- then leaves. Later on and throughout the day I'll see him grab a bite or two from his bowl and leave.

[Anonymous]

pp here. I don't know why (to answer OP's original question). My inlaws have a bull dog and they have the same issue you do - that dog inhales every last bite of food every time they put the bowl down. they feed him 2x per day and can't leave food out.

[Anonymous]

Hounds are notorious for being garbage dogs. They will eat anything and everything. They cannot free feed.

Conversely, there are other breeds that can suffer from bloat if they eat too much quickly and MUST eat small amounts throughout the day -- the grazers/free feeders. I think shepherds are like this.

Not good to have these breeds living together.

[Anonymous]

Dogs are not supposed to "free eat". Think about coyotes, wolves and other wind animals. When they hunt, they make a kill then eat it. They don't know when they'll get their next meal. That scarffing down of the food you see in your dog is completely normal. That's how they are wired. My German Shepherds do the same thing. By their reactions, you would think they hadn't eaten in days.

Dogs who are allowed to graze throughout the day often end up with weight issues, especially as they age. Also, who wants a bowl of dog food sitting out all day? Yuck.

If your dog is a healthy, normal weight he is getting enough food.

[Anonymous]

Conversely, there are other breeds that can suffer from bloat if they eat too much quickly and MUST eat small amounts throughout the day -- the grazers/free feeders. I think shepherds are like this.

Shepherds, like most larger breeds, are prone to bloat. But they shouldn't be allowed to free eat. The best way to prevent bloat is feeding quality food, limiting table scraps, and restricting strenuous activity right after meals.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Dogs are not supposed to "free eat". Think about coyotes, wolves and other wind animals. When they hunt, they make a kill then eat it. They don't know when they'll get their next meal. That scarffing down of the food you see in your dog is completely normal. That's how they are wired. My German Shepherds do the same thing. By their reactions, you would think they hadn't eaten in days.

Dogs who are allowed to graze throughout the day often end up with weight issues, especially as they age. Also, who wants a bowl of dog food sitting out all day? Yuck.

If your dog is a healthy, normal weight he is getting enough food.

My childhood dog was a mutt. We left a bowl of kibble out in the morning, and she'd nibble away throughout the day. She *never* had a weight problem and lived to be 17 years old.

I love how suddenly everyone thinks they're an expert on dog nutrition. Coyotes, wolves and other wild animals are very different from dogs. They will go days at a time without eating. And then they will eat a huge amount. But they also live very *short* lives. That kind of feast/famine lifestyle is hard on the kidneys, as is the large amounts of protein they'll eat at a given time.

Just like cats, it all depends on the individual dog; some dogs will eat little bits at a time. Other dogs need to have their food given to them in meals so they don't over-indulge. The same with cats. Some cats eat all of their food in one sitting; others pick at it over a period of time. You find what works best for your dog and for optimal weight and go without.

I'm so sick and tired of all of this absolutism people now apply to dog and cat rearing. There's never only one way of doing something.

[Anonymous]

I have always been lucky and had cats that could free eat with no issues. It truly does depend on the individual animal itself though, and I think cats overall are just better at doing this than dogs are.

[Anonymous]

I have always free fed and never had fat dogs. I think one of the key things is raising them from a puppy with food always available, that way they always take it for granted.
Dogs are individuals though and some will overeat if they can.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Dogs are not supposed to "free eat". Think about coyotes, wolves and other wind animals. When they hunt, they make a kill then eat it. They don't know when they'll get their next meal. That scarffing down of the food you see in your dog is completely normal. That's how they are wired. My German Shepherds do the same thing. By their reactions, you would think they hadn't eaten in days.

Dogs who are allowed to graze throughout the day often end up with weight issues, especially as they age. Also, who wants a bowl of dog food sitting out all day? Yuck.

If your dog is a healthy, normal weight he is getting enough food.

My childhood dog was a mutt. We left a bowl of kibble out in the morning, and she'd nibble away throughout the day. She *never* had a weight problem and lived to be 17 years old.

I love how suddenly everyone thinks they're an expert on dog nutrition. Coyotes, wolves and other wild animals are very different from dogs. They will go days at a time without eating. And then they will eat a huge amount. But they also live very *short* lives. That kind of feast/famine lifestyle is hard on the kidneys, as is the large amounts of protein they'll eat at a given time.

Just like cats, it all depends on the individual dog; some dogs will eat little bits at a time. Other dogs need to have their food given to them in meals so they don't over-indulge. The same with cats. Some cats eat all of their food in one sitting; others pick at it over a period of time. You find what works best for your dog and for optimal weight and go without.

I'm so sick and tired of all of this absolutism people now apply to dog and cat rearing. There's never only one way of doing something.

You are more than welcome to talk with your vet about the benefits of free feeding vs. scheduled. I feel confident that your vet will advise against having food available to your dog all day long. Here is just one (of many) vet opinions on feeding.....

http://www.petmd.com/blogs/nutritionnuggets/2...st_dogs#.UTizaBmkAhg

[Anonymous]

You can make a free eater a schedule eater, dont think it would work the other way around though.

I also had a hound ( bless you OP, I loved mine but God theyre high maintenance) who acted like each meal was her last.
Then we rescued a shepherd mix who thought it was ok to graze. We fed her separately for about a week while she adjusted to our house and then decided she needed to get on our schedule.
We would put her food down, leave it for 5 mins and if she didn't eat we would pick it up. We would not feed her again until dog meal time.
She missed 4 meals before she decided to eat when she was supposed to.

That was 3 years ago, the hound has passed along, we now have the shepherd mix and a lab mix and they both eat on schedule.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:You can make a free eater a schedule eater, dont think it would work the other way around though.

I also had a hound ( bless you OP, I loved mine but God theyre high maintenance) who acted like each meal was her last.
Then we rescued a shepherd mix who thought it was ok to graze. We fed her separately for about a week while she adjusted to our house and then decided she needed to get on our schedule.
We would put her food down, leave it for 5 mins and if she didn't eat we would pick it up. We would not feed her again until dog meal time.
She missed 4 meals before she decided to eat when she was supposed to.

That was 3 years ago, the hound has passed along, we now have the shepherd mix and a lab mix and they both eat on schedule.

Our scheduled eater became a free eater when we added a second dog. The second dog was a 10 year old grazer and it was much harder to get her to eat twice a day than it was for our scheduled eater to become a grazer.

[Anonymous]

always free fed and free feed several different breeds. Not once did I have a dog that would over eat or would scarf down food. We started them out free feeding as puppies so they got use to it. Also someone is home most of the time so no crating or locking them up all day.

[Anonymous]

It is because you have two dogs that they both eat so fast. It makes it a competition. Solo dogs often leave food around all day.