How many of you actually free feed your dogs seriousily? - Go Pitbull .com

shadowgames · 09-08-2008, 08:49 PM

This is a common problem in most pet owners with these dogs and why? You don't have to tell me because you know who you are, I can smell the obedience of the owners on this site and not the obedience of the canine.Please help me understand a free feed and why it is important to do it, I will do my best to help you understand why not to do it.

You are causing health problems, behavior problems and mentally catering to the dog that you owe them something! These are our pets, you are not their pets, this is cute when it is a Fu Fu dog but for a working dog breed like ours this is a horrible mistake. I love my dogs as much as you do and probably more, LOL but seriousily this is hurting your family member. These dogs operate at peak health and performance with a healthly diet, a schedule and lots of human affection!

Let's talk not food but schedules, how you feed, what you feed in - this is just as important as selecting a quality feed to feed your dog!!! There is serious doggers on here as well, lets go to work for the board. Even the serious doggers have something to learn as well if we all contribute.

MY MIKADO · 09-08-2008, 08:57 PM

All of my dog are feed one meal a day in the morning after they go outside. I use dry kibble. They are fed out of stainless steel dishes. I wash all the dishes once a week unless they look dirty before that. Once a week they all get a raw egg. If I notice my dogs eating lot of grass I add string beans to their diet. If Chalice is vomitting alot ( she has trouble with her pancress) She gets brown rice raw chicken and veggies.

NesOne · 09-08-2008, 08:59 PM

Well I don't feed on a strict schedule, but rather a range of time. I'll feed my boy anywhere between 6pm-8pm, and I try to take him for a walk before I do, if I can't, then I have him chase the flirtpole around for at least 5-10 minutes.

Then I feed him:

3 cups
Nature's Variety Prairie - Dry Food
Stainless Steel Bowl

He is 8 months old and approx. 60 lbs, when he's 10 months, I will cut it back to 2 cups only.

BedlamBully · 09-08-2008, 10:17 PM

Don't free feed. I feed a strict schedule and ALL food is put up when its not feeding time (even the cats) am really really anal about them getting to food I haven't given them.

shadowgames · 09-08-2008, 11:42 PM

Great ideas from all! Most of this is just common sense of dogs, but there is no such thing as common sense because we are all different!

Using stainless steel bowls, a great way to feed and not hold bacteria like most plastics will do, especially if they get scratches on them, there is tuff plastic that won't hold bacteria but most will, she also doesn't wash them for a week which is the same thing I do unless they get dirty, you are building your dog's immune system, doesn't mean don't ever wash them but keep it moderation, no OCD.

Second part I like is how Nes One works the dog before they eat, THIS IS GOLDEN AND NEVER SHOULD BE ADAPTED OR CHANGED, You work ( physical activity) and then you feed, doing the opposite in a bully breed can cause bloat and KILL YOUR DOG. Deep chested breeds can not handle it, work then eat then sleep. Wait at least 30 mins to an hour and make sure the heart rate has dropped to normal before you feed!!!!

Third, bedlam bully and being anal about the dogs or cats ( I am the same) getting into food when they are not scheduled too is very important, if you have a room mate or companion (human) that treats the dog in the morning and then you get home give them another, and you guys don't talk. How many treats has the dog had that day if no communication with the humans in the household??????? or how many cups did the dog have if they free feed??? Dog could have worms, intestine problems and no one would notice the over consuming of the feed and then even worst a death could result from it because of bad communication. Everyone in the household needs to understand no table scraps, only so many treats a day, or whatever, get a set schedule and LIVE BY IT!!!

great input guys, keep it coming!!!

scottronics01 · 09-09-2008, 01:02 AM

I feed both my pups twice aday we walk and run for 2+ miles in the morning then feed 1.5 at 8 am. Dinner comes at 8pm (another 1.5 cups) after another 2+ mile walk and run with a little wrestle in the mix. Dogs do well with that and they are ready for bed around 10 or 11pm. good post shadowgames!

intensive · 09-09-2008, 02:16 AM

i free feed, i also work 10 hours a day now and dont want my puppies to go hungry, i leave them just enough to eat twice if they want to, and normally there is a small amount leftover when i get home, one dog is in the kitchn. the other in the living room. at night i dont normally feed anymore unless they are acting hungry and growling at me ina playfull way, like if they need to go outside and potty but not quite the same. sorry, guess im a lousy dog owner lol, they get a/c and all.

intensive · 09-09-2008, 02:18 AM

both of my dogs also get 2 hrs or so of strait excersize, swimming and sprinting continulously, so i guess they will be ok

RonnyMc "Jaymo's Dad" · 09-09-2008, 02:21 AM

is there a trick to make jaymo it a strict diet? He'll ignore dry food if we don't mix in some kind of wet.... even then he turns his nose up after a couple of bites. I think he's worried about looking bulky in his thong

SadieBlues · 09-09-2008, 02:39 AM

My dogs/pups eat once a day ... I do not free feed and do not recommend it they have water at set times but they are not outside dogs all of them are indoor's so water is cut off after a certian time a few hours before bed. I prefer that my dogs/pups are on strict schedules. They have a regular routine for everything they do and I have always had successful results in doing it this way.

BTW - my pups eat 2 cups a day per pup innova puppy feed mixed with omgea 3 oil and one dialy vitamin. 2 times a week they will get 1/4 cup of salmon each and on those days the feed is cut back to 1 1/4 cups mixed in with the salmon. My pups eat after they have worked. They have a variety of excersizes they do I like to change up the routine so they don't get bored. I am not too big on puppy treats I use praise more than I do treats and have had no problems with this. The salmon is their treat when they have done what they should have throughout the week.

Kane (Got the BAN STICK) · 09-09-2008, 04:48 AM

Kane is let out at 8 am every morning for about 15 minutes while he playes on his spring pole then fed 1.5 cups of dry food. Then fed again 1.5 cups at 7pm when I return home from work and the walked and again on the spring pole. He also gets one raw egg with shells every other day. He is also given water at certain times durring the day. It varies on how much activity and how much time we spend out side along with temp and humidity.

He is 5 months this thursday and 46lbs and nice and lean. And his coat is getting better and better since introducing the eggs 3 weeks ago.

bahamutt99 · 09-09-2008, 11:35 AM

Well, I've already said in other threads what I do, but here it is in a nutshell.

Hell no, I don't free feed. My reasons: Stale food, overeating dogs, attracting bugs, not linking food with me, food aggression, creating bad habits, creating inconsistent poop times.

In the morning, my husband takes the dogs out for their potties. Then he returns them to their crates and feeds them. Stainless steel bowls with Nature's Variety kibble. Each dog sits or lays down and waits for a release word to eat. Bowls come out and are set aside. Then they're happy to go back to sleep for a few hours and wait for mom to get up.

In the evening, we have some exercise. The weather and other factors decide what kind. Then everybody goes in their crate again. Dinner is another dose of their kibble, possibly with water or oil added, powdered vitamins a few days a week, and Loki gets a glucosamine/chondroitin/MSM tablet. Or some days, they get straight raw chicken with some garlic rubbed on it. Same routine, though. Sit and stay before you're allowed to eat. Bowls come out as soon as food is gone, and I refill them with their morning's kibble and put them in the dog food tote to make daddy's morning routine easier.

shadowgames · 09-09-2008, 03:05 PM

Yes, pulling the bowls is another great thing to do with this breed, because they realize when it is time to eat, you eat, you don't goof around. They also understand you are their lifeline, without you feeding, they wouldn't live. They appreciate what you do for them more and they give it back in return, IMO. My dogs have 15 minutes from the second I drop the bowl, if they don't eat that is on them. Bowls are never left down, another play toy, bowls are not play toys. I also feed twice a day, 12 hours apart between the feedings. I just prefer feeding twice a day because especially during the summer because the dogs are working so hard. Their activity levels are so high, they need to replinish their bodies. Just what I prefer.

OldFortKennels · 09-09-2008, 10:24 PM

We feed once a day, in the morning during the summer, at night during the winter or off season. Reason being for morning feedings is I want them dried out the day of a weigh in. If they have eaten 24 hours prior to weigh in they are usually cleaned out on their own. What we feed and how much depends on the idividual dog and where it is at during the season. Naturally in the winter we feed higher fat less protein, the opposite for during the season. We also supplement more during season. We use stainless steel bowls that are cleaned on a regular basis if not daily. Water is changed every other day. Poop is cleaned daily, limed once a week. All dogs are let out to run on a daily basis and exercised. Dogs are weighed ever week, sometimes 2 a week to keep them on track.

bahamutt99 · 09-09-2008, 10:32 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by shadowgames

Bowls are never left down, another play toy, bowls are not play toys.

Yeah, Terra will play crate hockey with her bowl if I let her. One of the main reasons I take up bowls is that at least one of my dogs will aggressively protect an empty bowl. I like to keep triggers carefully controlled.

Quote:

I also feed twice a day, 12 hours apart between the feedings. I just prefer feeding twice a day because especially during the summer because the dogs are working so hard. Their activity levels are so high, they need to replinish their bodies. Just what I prefer.

It seems like I've been feeding 2 meals a day forever. Can't remember why I started, but my logic now is that 2 smallers meals is easier on the digestion than one big one. In humans, they tell us to eat several smaller meals as opposed to one or two big ones. In dogs, I've had knowledgeable dog people tell me that more smaller meals don't pack on weight like one big one does. Loki gets chubby very easily, so I've even contemplated feeding her 3 tiny meals, but I decided that what I was doing was sufficient.