Free feeding vs scheduled feeding

[Magesteff]

I don't have an SD yet, but I am looking to soak up as much info as I can before I get one so I start out on a good footing.

With my previous pet dogs, they all had scheduled feeding time, usually in the morning when we get up for work (or close to the same time on days we don't) and in the evening after work when we get home and have had an hour to catch our breath.

My current pet Max, I have been free feeding dry kibble and occasionally, not on a schedule, been giving him canned foods.

The reason for the free feeding is because of the ruptured disks in my back make bending over to put down and pick up the dish difficult and sometimes painful. Also with the uncontrolled Diabetes and depression issues, sometime just getting out of bed to take him outside is about as far as I can push myself in the morning. I feel that him having access to food when he needs it is more important that keeping a schedule that I may end up not keeping to as well as I would like to do.

Max does not gobble up everything in the bowl at once. He eats what he feels he needs and leaves the rest for later. He also has excellent house training - he's 5 years old, I've had him for a year and the only accident was once two days after I got him from the Humane Society. If I had problems either with him gulping down everything in the bowl or him having accidents in the house, I would probably put him on scheduled feeding.

With a SD do you feel it is more important to stick to a strict schedule of feeding times or should it depend on the dog's nature and food behavior if I want to free feed kibble?

[Carey]

Most people here can tell you more about scheduled feedings. When Chloe was first doing public access both while in onbly dog friendly places and then also in people only friendly places I did sceduled feedings. Mainly because she was still young and even though it didn't happen I was concerned about a possibly potty accident. I didn't take her out until she was solid in potty on command but I also knew that she was young and I wasn't sure about what to expect in public and unfamiliar places. I didn't know if it might throw her off. I had heard that just because a dog does great at home and familiar places doesn't mean it will be the same in new places. I don't know how true that is because Chloe always did great no matter where we were training....we except for in our own front yard...she did have selective hearing and issues with staying focused in our own yard that we had to work through. It was like our front yard equaled play time or something. I don't know but I am so glad that its better now. Anyway....now that she is older she is free fed. I have a 3 gallon automatic feeder thing and my kids or husband fill it with food and her and my other dog eat when they are hungry and seem to do fine. Free feeding has worked nicely for us so far. We have a 3 gallon automatic water thing also but we only fill it half way and refill it with fresh water usually 2 times a day. They almost never drink it all but I like to keep it as fresh as possible.

[Magesteff]

Thanks Carey! I'll be asking any organization that decides to take me on as a client that one of my desires (not really a want, just nice if available) is a dog that doesn't have food issues (i.e. dive for the food as soon as they have the ok). My brother's Shepherd-Doberman (we think, he's a rescue from the pound) waits paitently at the doorway to the kitchen when his food is put down and he slowly moseys over to eat, and not all of the food every time, so I know it is possible to get a larger dog that doesn't eat as fast and as much as he can from personal experience.

I have two of the drinkwell fountains, one is stainless steel and holds a lot, both have filters to keep the water fresh and I wash them every week or two. Spike (the older tuxedo cat) loves to drink from right where the water comes out. He also has the start of kindney disease (he's 21 for cryin' out loud, that's like 150 in human terms!), so him having access to plenty of water suits him just grand. I can always tell when he's had a drink he has droplets all over his nose and forehead! 

[Amber]

Maigee was on a regular schedule for a long time, but she has recently lost some weight so the vet recommended giving her food all the time.  Like your dog, she never gulps and usually ends up food when I put it in her bowl (she is definitely not a food-oriented dog), and she typically waits and eats in the morning and in the evening or while I'm sleeping.  She typically leaves some in the bowl "for later."  I also have been supplementing with a small amount of canned food at irregular intervals to encourage her to eat.  She is slowly gaining the weight back, I think switching feed made a big difference.  Last time I checked, she was around 21-22.  I can't weigh her because of my eating disorder (I try to avoid scales as they are triggering), so I have to ask my mom to do it for me and she hasn't done it in a week or two.  She feels better though, her back has rounded out more so I don't feel her spine near as much, still there, so she isn't overweight, but she feels a lot healther than she did before.

[labs4ever]

I  feed   scheduled feeds because  that is the routine I got into at dog school.  The reason they did scheduled feeds with us is because then it is easier  with the potty schedule.   I know there are people on here who free feed who can probasbly speak to that.   

My opinion is that what is  more important then  when you feed your dog is that  you get them   out to relieve themselves on leash on command at least four to six times a day scheduled.   This doesn't mean on my part that I never sleep in.  Sophie   eats after the nurse comes at seven and then I run her out, on weekends we   come  back to  bed and sleep more!     I take her out a few more times a day too.  A good thing to figure otu a schedulel is   any time  they are waking up from a long period of sleep like  night time or  when you nap,  just before  you go to bed,  before aned after meals and   before you go in big places like malls especially.    To me, my SD's needs come before mine because she does so much for me the least I can do for her is make her comfortable and since dogs like routine, I give her one with bathroom and  eating.   Having a dog on a bathroom schedule actuallly makes it so your not spending a lot of time  waiting for the  dog to go  potty.   

[state_of_nowhere]

Some programs have rules about feeding - including the foods you can feed and when you feed them. I have to say that it sounds like getting your medical conditions under control should be your first priority right now before bringing a service dog into the home. Many programs will ask for medical documentation and clearance for final training. Final training is rigorous. Additionally, it isn't fair to a service dog if its needs can't be met (eg: daily exercise, walks, upkeep with training). If you're bed bound more often than not, a program trained public access service dog may not be appropriate for your situation. Free feeding is generally not conducive due to scheduling concerns and it's actually not ideal for digestive reasons either. If bending over is an issue, you could try an automatic feeder that's on a timer.

[Spectrum]

My dogs have always been fed twice a day, at noonish and midnightish. This works for me because I can come home on lunch break and feed them if I'm working, and if I'm not working I get to sleep in And I'm never in bed before midnight anyway, so that's not an issue.

Some dogs will get overweight quickly when free-fed. Gavroche would be one of those if I let him. He didn't used to be this way, but he will now eat anything he has as fast as he can. I like to put it in a food toy to slow him down. Logan used to eat really fast. He'd scarf down 2+ cups of food in no time, and then look for more. He's mostly done growing by this point and has always been fed in his crate, and now he'll take his sweet little time eating one cup of food (high calorie content than what he was eating though), while Gavroche stares at him (they get to go out when both dogs are done eating, so Gavroche has to wait ). Sometimes Logan will even skip his morning meal and eat it later in the day when he goes back in his crate.

[Amber]

Maigee is going to go back on scheduled feeding once I know she is around 25 pounds.  Then I'm going to adjust the scheduled feedings until she maintains it nicely.  I have a sorta regular potty schedule for her.  She is still on "parent time" from when I was in rehab, so she goes out at 7 am (when mom gets up), then goes again at 12 when I go out and get the mail, then three (when parents get home) and then around supper time (6-ish), then at 10-ish (when parents go to bed), then finally when ever I get to bed, which is anywhere from 10 to...what is it now, 3:00 a.m.?!  Oh well, if she is out now, she will probably sleep in a bit in the morning and I can sleep until eight, let her out, and go back to bed!  I try to keep close to this schedule even though I started school.

[Rosegirl8393]

Polar Bear is fed on a schedule, after I eat breakfast and after I eat dinner. He tends to have some food left over after he is done eating (no matter how much or little I put in his bowl) so he will eat a bite of food every few hours or so during the day.

[Roxie]

I have always allowed my pets, working and service dogs to free feed at their will from a communal large bowl. They eat when they are hungry and until they are full.

I have never once had any food aggression issues or weight problems. All have been healthy with no vet complaints about what or amount or when they eat.

Roxie

[Magesteff]

Thanks for the information gang!

State -  I agree that generally speaking, one should have a handle on their medical issues. My bachelor's degree was aimed at getting into Veterinary School. I am one of those people who take a very pro-active outlook on my medical issues. I am somewhat frustrated by my Primary Doc as they have taken a very conservative approach to increasing my insulin levels, when I have taken the time to learn that 10 units do not work and have found that much larger doses are needed to maintain a healthy blood glucose level then they only let me increase my dosage another 5 units. Which is why they are referring me to the Endocrinologist. I go February 8th.  I fully intend to have my Diabetes under control before I get a SD. I am also very aware of my depression, about a year ago the Psychiatrist changed my medications because I discovered I had built up a tolerance to my original ones.

I ask about the free feeding issue, because a group I interviewed with said "Never free feed you dog. They WILL overeat."

Niether of my cats, nor my pet dog over ea. The dog and one cat are healthy weights, the other cat - the 21 year old, is a bit underweight due to early kidney disease and perhaps old age as he eats frequently and devours any canned cat food I put out.

I take my pet dog out at least 4 times a day - right after I get up in the morning, again about lunch time the third around dinner time and again just before bed.

[Kirsten]

Scheduled feeding gives you far greater control and predictability on when he'll need to toilet.

Teach the dog to hand you his bowl or get a grabber on a stick.  Forcing yourself onto a schedule for the sake of your dog would actually be one of many good tools in the management of depression.  It'seasier to do things someone is depending on you for than to do things for yourself.

[Sheenar]

I've also seen those things that attach to a counter. You put the bowl on it and then turn a knob to lower the bowl to the floor.

I also have trouble bending to pick up/put down bowls. I used a raised feeder for my service dog and it helped a lot.

[Kirsten]

Not all dogs will over eat.  Some will.  Probably most will.  But not all.  Cole has been free-fed all his life (12 years).  His weight has never varied more than 5 pounds (out of 85) and about 90% of the time he was within 2 pounds of his ideal weight.  EXCEPT when I switched to a food he hated and he dropped 10 pounds.  Ruby does fine on free feeding too.  Luna does not.

On the plus side:  Cole has a sensitive stomach and does better if there's a little something in it most of the time.  He can get car sick if he rides with an empty stomach, so I always give him a cookie before we leave the house.  Free feeding keeps stuff in his stomach more of the time than meals would.  He does okay with his toileting.  He's naturally a pretty regular guy. 

Though Ruby can do free feed, I give her meals.  It just plain gives me better control of her digestive system.  She's less sensitive than Cole, but she also seems to have a smaller containment system.  When she needs to go, she really needs to go.  Cole doesn't need to go nearly as often.  Fortunately she doesn't mess around and when I tell her to go, she squats and goes.  Feeding her on a schedule means she poops on my schedule.  That means I have only once had to clean up while we were out on business.  At home I have a rake on a poll for cleanup.  In public, I pick it up the old fashioned way (or use Kirsten's poop-o-matic on-the-fly poop catching technique).

So yes, it is a choice.  It can be done either way with some dogs, and only on a schedule with others.  But there are also practical reasons for putting them on a schedule specifically related to service work.

[labs4ever]

I think cats in general are better at free feeding then dogs, as dogs   will eat everything because they don't know where their next meal is coming from biologically.   

I have trouble bending over too.   I keep Sophie's food  in cleaned out  buckets from   laundry soap and stack them so I can reach easier.   She has been taught to  pick the bowl up and hand it to me.  THat doesn't work so well for the water bowl splashage, but I can get it picked up and fill it iwth water freshly once a day.    I don't fill it to the top becasue then I can't hold on to it it is too heavy and I check to see how much wanter is in the bowl iif she drank it all during the day I addmore.   I do free water her,  but  stop  free water at about nine to prevent night time bathroom trips.   I agree with Kirsten, having them on  scheduled feed gives you a much better idea of  exactly how much they are eating as well as   a better idea of when they will have to go to the bathroom.  I have a collpasable foldable bowl that I keep in her vest  for when   we are out and about and she needs fed.   or watered.  I like it because it is square shaped but folds in the midle and snaps together.   It is nice and big enough to fit her face in!