# Anyone who "free feeds"



## lilbabyvenus (Mar 3, 2010)

I'm just curious if your dogs have gained any extra weight by free feeding richer foods like Evo? I free feed Core right now with no problems, but am going to start switching to Evo, and am just curious if I can still free feed, or if I should feeding measured out meals?


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## malluver1005 (Nov 15, 2009)

When Aspen was on EVO, I didn't free feed him. As he will eat, eat and eat. I fed him twice a day. I say give it a try...all dogs are different. You will see if she gains weight or not. :smile:


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## Ania's Mommy (Feb 8, 2009)

We free fed Ania Evo Red Meat with no problems. But she wasn't very interested in ANY kibble we gave her. Even the super-premium stuff! She would eat just enough to maintain her weight.

Richelle


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## lilbabyvenus (Mar 3, 2010)

Ok, thanks! I'll give it a try for a little while and see how it goes. If they start gaining weight or eating way too much I'll be sure to start them on meals.


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## CorgiPaws (Mar 31, 2009)

:smile:You can also "free feed" a grazer a measured amount if you see weight gain... like put 2 cups or whatever amount in the bowl in the morning and let the dog eat at their own pace all day, and when that day's portion is gone for the day, it's gone. 
Kind of an inbetween scheduled feedings and free feeding.


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## lilbabyvenus (Mar 3, 2010)

CorgiPaws said:


> :smile:You can also "free feed" a grazer a measured amount if you see weight gain... like put 2 cups or whatever amount in the bowl in the morning and let the dog eat at their own pace all day, and when that day's portion is gone for the day, it's gone.
> Kind of an inbetween scheduled feedings and free feeding.


I may try that. My problem is Jack won't eat if Venus wants to get in either of the bowls. So I need to keep an eye on him too to make sure that if Venus is extra hungry, Jack is still getting enough food.


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## magicre (Apr 7, 2010)

we had four shih tzus and malia, the corgi mix....and we free fed them.

now that we have bubba the pug, we are on scheduled feedings because he'd eat the bowl....sometimes we catch him eyeing malia 'that' way LOL....he is so food driven....i rarely have to sweep.

i think it depends on the dog....and giving them measured feedings would probably work..that way, you know what your dog is eating every day..and can adjust accordingly.

the one thing that scheduled feedings does accomplish is it lets your dogs know who is feeding them....and it goes a long way in establishing you as the leader and the giver of food..

i'm a fan of NILIF....i figure if i have to work for my food, then so do they


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## RCTRIPLEFRESH5 (Feb 11, 2010)

i free feed. i use a 3 qt stainless steeel bowl. i used to fill it to the top and put it out in the morning, my dog had total control over his meals. he ate only enough to maintain PERFECT weight. since im switching to grain free, im a little more careful about his feeding. i still SORTA free feeed. now i measure out his daily food of 2 cups and put it out in the morning. this way there's no chance of him eating too much, and he can go get it whenever he wants. he usually eats a cup of it in the morning and then goes back and eats another cup at night. the total free feeding i used to do has taught him to not overendulge, and its good to prevent bloating!

i might go back to fully freefeeding once hes transitioned to grain free also.


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## buddy97 (Mar 29, 2010)

due to possible connections between bloat and the consumption of large amount of food at once (especially on some of the larger, deep chested breeds), i would never consider free feeding for my dog. some dogs may graze at their food throughout the day and it may not be an issue. i also consider meal time an important part of daily routine and also a good time to evaluate how my dogs are feeling for that day based on their eating habits.


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## lilbabyvenus (Mar 3, 2010)

buddy97 said:


> due to possible connections between bloat and the consumption of large amount of food at once, i would never consider free feeding for my dog. some dogs may graze at their food throughout the day and it may not be an issue. i also consider meal time an important part of daily routine and also a good time to evaluate how my dogs are feeling for that day based on their eating habits.


Very true, I've heard storied about eating too much and bloat. I've never worried because my two never eat more than 5 or 6 kibble pieces at a time. Then the run around and play, and eat another mouth full later. I'll definitely keep a close eye on them the first couple days and if they're eating too much at a time I'll stop free feeding.


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## RCTRIPLEFRESH5 (Feb 11, 2010)

RCTRIPLEFRESH5 said:


> i free feed. i use a 3 qt stainless steeel bowl. i used to fill it to the top and put it out in the morning, my dog had total control over his meals. he ate only enough to maintain PERFECT weight. since im switching to grain free, im a little more careful about his feeding. i still SORTA free feeed. now i measure out his daily food of 2 cups and put it out in the morning. this way there's no chance of him eating too much, and he can go get it whenever he wants. he usually eats a cup of it in the morning and then goes back and eats another cup at night. the total free feeding i used to do has taught him to not overendulge, and its good to prevent bloating!
> 
> i might go back to fully freefeeding once hes transitioned to grain free also.





buddy97 said:


> due to possible connections between bloat and the consumption of large amount of food at once (especially on some of the larger, deep chested breeds), i would never consider free feeding for my dog. some dogs may graze at their food throughout the day and it may not be an issue. i also consider meal time an important part of daily routine and also a good time to evaluate how my dogs are feeling for that day based on their eating habits.


ffree feeding has been shown to reduce bloat. dogs who are only iven their food at scheduled times will dive into their foods with a lot of intensity usually


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## CorgiPaws (Mar 31, 2009)

RCTRIPLEFRESH5 said:


> ffree feeding has been shown to reduce bloat. dogs who are only iven their food at scheduled times will dive into their foods with a lot of intensity usually


Would you mind linking these studies? I googled for it, as I've never heard of free feding reducing bloat (i've heard the opposite, actually) but found no such studies. I'm not saying you're wrong, just would like to see the source, as it's news to me. :smile:


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## 1605 (May 27, 2009)

lilbabyvenus said:


> I'm just curious if your dogs have gained any extra weight by free feeding richer foods like Evo? I free feed Core right now with no problems, but am going to start switching to Evo, and am just curious if I can still free feed, or if I should feeding measured out meals?


We free feed our dog EVO. He gets a measured amount once a day. Usually it's about a 1/2 hr after his morning run, but sometimes it can be later. He doesn't seem to have a problem with it...


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## RCTRIPLEFRESH5 (Feb 11, 2010)

CorgiPaws said:


> Would you mind linking these studies? I googled for it, as I've never heard of free feding reducing bloat (i've heard the opposite, actually) but found no such studies. I'm not saying you're wrong, just would like to see the source, as it's news to me. :smile:


wel las far as i know there arent any ''studies'' per say, but i am a primary source, who can testify that my dog does not rampage his food since he freefeeds. several people i know set a feeding time and their dogs rampage the food, which obviously incrreases chance of bloating.

however i saw a lot of people on yahoo answers state that it can reduce bloating. i can look for the links later if yah want.


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## CorgiPaws (Mar 31, 2009)

RCTRIPLEFRESH5 said:


> wel las far as i know there arent any ''studies'' per say, but i am a primary source, who can testify that my dog does not rampage his food since he freefeeds. several people i know set a feeding time and their dogs rampage the food, which obviously incrreases chance of bloating.
> 
> however i saw a lot of people on yahoo answers state that it can reduce bloating. i can look for the links later if yah want.


Ah I see. So it hasn't really been shown to reduce the chances. 
I think that bloat is an issue on kibble because of its unnatural state and the fact that it can expand in the stomach, doesn't move through the system fast enough, and can create gasses. Dogs naturally gorge food, but gorging kibble is dangerous in high amounts because of the above reasons. 
Feeding smaller amountsat scheduled times seems more benetifial, in my mind. Well, the small portion of my mind that can wrap around kibble to begin with.


ETA: anything on bloat is going to be a generilization placed on ALL dogs. There are and will always be exceptions. 
I know plenty of people that free feed with no problems, whose dogs stay at great weight, and it works for them. That's why I didn't even mention scheduled feedings to the OP because obviously free feeding is working for them.


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## malluver1005 (Nov 15, 2009)

A little off topic, but taken from this website if anyone is interested in reading.

Dog Bloat | Natural Remedies for Canine Bloat



> *Food*
> 
> Dry food or concentrated foods that absorb water after being eaten and expand in the dog's stomach can also cause bloat.
> 
> ...


Well, I guess it relates to RCTRIPLEFRESH5 and CorgiPaw's conversation.


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## buddy97 (Mar 29, 2010)

RCTRIPLEFRESH5 said:


> wel las far as i know there arent any ''studies'' per say, but i am a primary source, who can testify that my dog does not rampage his food since he freefeeds. several people i know set a feeding time and their dogs rampage the food, which obviously incrreases chance of bloating.
> 
> however i saw a lot of people on yahoo answers state that it can reduce bloating. i can look for the links later if yah want.


notice i stated _"some dogs may graze at their food throughout the day and it may not be an issue"_ earlier in the thread. still, there is no reliable evidence that free feeding reduces the risk of bloat. for dogs that may eat a bulk of their daily allowance in a relatively short amount of time, free feeding would be a poor fit.


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## magicre (Apr 7, 2010)

> Dog Bloat | Natural Remedies for Canine Bloat
> 
> The exact cause is unknown, but veterinarians have established links between bloat in dogs with certain contributing factors:
> 
> ...


this may not be a study, but it does give some information out...even the study at purdue is specific to dry/canned foods and doesn't address home cooked or raw...

but, objective observation makes me wonder if people aren't missing an opportunity here.

whether one has the perfect dog who eats the perfect amount --- isn't that kind of moo here? when feeding time is such a perfect opportunity for the owner and the dog to keep the pack order in place? on a daily basis?

my pug doesn't free feed for obvious reasons...and anyone who has ever owned a pug, i'm sure, will experience what i'm saying....he is a piranha and i bet i could throw a whole chicken down...and, whilst i were cleaning the house, he'd have it picked clean bones and all.

why worry about bloat or weight gain when we have a perfect opportunity to be the master of the food? it's a training tool, at the very least and at best, it establishes to our dogs that WE provide the food.

anecdotally, for i've never found a study.....free feeding is easy on the owner, not so easy for the dog...and certainly not free for owner or dog......the only study i've seen is the one quoted above by purdue and it concerns dry and canned food and a relation to fat, i believe.

many who have dogs with behaviour problems.....and the so called picky eater dog....free feed.....at least that's what i glean from the boards...

from my own experience...the one who makes their dog sit for a treat or down for a treat or something for a treat or food of any kind.....does two things.

1. controls weight - well, depending on how much food is given...another discussion

2. ensures hierarchy - that the dog knows where his sustenance is coming from establishes order for the dog....and comfort, knowing he or she will be fed and sustained....it gives dogs a feeling of safety and security to know there is a giver of food.....

that is essential, no?


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## buddy97 (Mar 29, 2010)

magicre said:


> but, objective observation makes me wonder if people aren't missing an opportunity here.
> 
> whether one has the perfect dog who eats the perfect amount --- isn't that kind of moo here? when feeding time is such a perfect opportunity for the owner and the dog to keep the pack order in place? on a daily basis?
> 
> ...


completely agree. it adds routine/stucture to the dogs life, which i think is important. but, what is most important to me is that meal time is a very valuable tool for me to gauge how my dog is doing, as how they act at meal time gives me great insight into how they are feeling.


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## wags (Jan 31, 2009)

I feed my dogs twice a day and they are fine with that regimine. I measure out the food with a measuring cup, and the evening meal is with wet food and dry . With having two labs if I left the food out all day well then they would be the only dogs eating haha! They are true labs! Eat anything that they can see and can be devoured that fits down their throats haha! So for my group its the best way for them all to get their meals!


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## RCTRIPLEFRESH5 (Feb 11, 2010)

magicre said:


> this may not be a study, but it does give some information out...even the study at purdue is specific to dry/canned foods and doesn't address home cooked or raw...
> 
> but, objective observation makes me wonder if people aren't missing an opportunity here.
> 
> ...


most people will disagree with me here, and that's ok, im not gonna argue cause itll go nowhere, but i see my dog as my brother not my child. id rather free feed him since he does best on it, and is happy since he has food all the time. i could care less about a pecking order.
he turns 7 in mid june, and ive been free feeding since he was 10 months. although like i stated in the prveious post, since i go grain free now, i am doing ;;controlled'' free feed similar to corgis post. i just dont know the perfect amount to feed him yet, so until i do and until he gets used to it, i will have him on a certain amount a day (2 cups). plus i have to keep the ratios appropriate sicne hes still in transition.


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## Guest (Apr 15, 2010)

I'm not a fan of free feeding. I feed my dogs twice daily, at the same time each day. I want them to see me as their leader and their source of food. I make them go to their place, sit, and give me eye contact before I put down their food bowl. The puppy goes inside his crate, sits and waits for me to put the food bowl down for him. Smart puppy.


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