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Chellie
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Location: Peterborough, UK
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01-06-2013, 06:08 PM
I free feed and I also don't have any routine for my dogs. I walk them when I want, where I want and as many times a day as I want and it has never affected them in any way by not having a routine.

It does however mean that they don't feel the need to wait expectantly for anything during the day and bug me for anything, it's not worth their time as I rarely do anything at the same time everyday.

I also don't carry treats on walks once my dogs have a reliable recall, in fact I rarely buy treats as they don't need them, certainly not on a regular basis, their food is a complete balanced diet.

Has this made my current three (rescue) dogs anything but well behaved, happy, balanced dogs? Nope.

I don't think that it's right or wrong to free feed, just as it's not right or wrong to feed at set times once, twice or three times a day, I think it is right to do whatever fits yourself and your dog(s).

I do think that it is a misconception that all free fed dogs are likely to be obese - nearly 30 years of doing so with 7 different dogs have proved this to me, or that they are hard to housetrain when free fed - my last two (litter mates as well) were clean in the house day and night by 20 weeks old, the one before that was six months when she came to me anyways clean from day one.
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Tang
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01-06-2013, 06:17 PM
I think personal home circumstances come into it too. I never feel my dog is waiting expectantly in the sense that she is unhappy. She knows what to expect yes - but I don't have anyone else to worry about apart from my dog.

For the life of me I can't think where the phrase 'free feeding' came from. Why don't they just say 'leaving food down all the time'? Because that's what it is - bowls of food left on the floor in the house at all times. I suppose you top the bowls up as soon as they are empty? (Otherwise it wouldn't really be 'free feeding' would it?) it would just be feeding them when you think of doing it!

Bella's first meal is a raw meal she eats it all up quickly. On the rare occasion she doesn't I take it away and sling it out for the street cats. But I struggle to think how 'free feeding' would work with wholly raw fed dogs? Who'd want raw meat and bones left around 24/7?

For it to be FREE feeding (assuming that means that the dog is able to eat whenever it feels like it) it would only really be that if food was available 24/7. As I said - can't think how that would work for raw fed dogs.
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Mattie
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01-06-2013, 06:27 PM
My Greyhound was the worst, he was sent over from Northern Ireland to see if he would be better here, he was so depressed in the rescue and wouldn't eat. Once he came to my house he wasn't leaving and would eat anything he could get into his mouth.

He once managed to get a box of Roses off a shelf that was 7ft off the ground, ate the box, Christmas wrapping paper round it as well as all the chocolates. When the vet opened him up half the chocolates were still in the wrappers.

Another time he managed to get one of the kitchen cupboard doors open, he had been trying for months to do this, at last he succeeded. He took out a bottle of salmon oil that was half full of capsules, managed to get the screw top off and ate the lot.

He ate his food so fast that he would choke, nothing worked except soaking the food, that slowed him down

I once caught him getting into the tub of kibble, I bought a stainless steel large peddle bin with a flush top, he never managed to open that.

If I free feeded no other dog would get the change to eat. When you have multiple dogs, I have 4 now, sometimes 5 if I am fostering and used to have 6, I wouldn't know if one dog wasn't eating and as this can be one of the first signs there is something wrong with the dog I won't free feed.
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Tang
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01-06-2013, 06:46 PM
Originally Posted by Mattie View Post
My Greyhound was the worst, he was sent over from Northern Ireland to see if he would be better here, he was so depressed in the rescue and wouldn't eat. Once he came to my house he wasn't leaving and would eat anything he could get into his mouth.

He once managed to get a box of Roses off a shelf that was 7ft off the ground, ate the box, Christmas wrapping paper round it as well as all the chocolates. When the vet opened him up half the chocolates were still in the wrappers.

Another time he managed to get one of the kitchen cupboard doors open, he had been trying for months to do this, at last he succeeded. He took out a bottle of salmon oil that was half full of capsules, managed to get the screw top off and ate the lot.

He ate his food so fast that he would choke, nothing worked except soaking the food, that slowed him down

I once caught him getting into the tub of kibble, I bought a stainless steel large peddle bin with a flush top, he never managed to open that.

If I free feeded no other dog would get the change to eat. When you have multiple dogs, I have 4 now, sometimes 5 if I am fostering and used to have 6, I wouldn't know if one dog wasn't eating and as this can be one of the first signs there is something wrong with the dog I won't free feed.
All respect for rescuing that greyhound. Have to say your stories of him made me smile!

Bella snaffled some choklit liquers last Xmas - fortunately she vomited them up pretty quickly - wrappers and all - that was the first clue we had she'd stolen them!

I agree with all your other points. Until shortly before coming to live in Cyprus I had 2 cats and one dog and they'd all happily steal the others' food. Previously to that we've had 2 cats, 1 dog, 1 rabbit, 1 guinea pig, and 1 huge tortoise (and believe it or not my little Cavvy would happily eat a whole lettuce put down for the tortoise if she got the chance!) Obviously I had to have a 'feeding schedule' for that lot especially as all of them had the run of the back garden and the house too most of the time!
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Malka
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01-06-2013, 07:08 PM
Most dogs [and cats] are opportunist feeders. They do not have awareness of time and think "my human will feed me again at such and such o'clock" - they see food and they eat. And they will carry on eating what food is down until it has gone, because they mostly do not understand that there will be more down at X o'clock.

Hence the many overweight and obese pets who are permitted to eat as much as they want, when they want.

My dog is fed twice a day. The first meal is a "wet" one with her supplements and vitamins, 50g of raw meat of one sort or another, loads of steamed vegetables, and for the last few months some well cooked whole, unprocessed grains. The whole grains were added after she had lost the excess weight she had gained from medication and were to bulk out her food so she had enough but would keep to her satisfactorily reduced weight. Just a tablespoon full is sufficient.

Her second meal is a bone meal - a chicken wing, half a large chicken back, half a large chicken carcass, one third of a large turkey neck, three raw sardines, or one raw pilchard.

She is fed when she asks for food. Meal #1 can be any time between noon and 3pm, and meal #2 usually any time after 6pm. Because she wants food when she wants food and there is no point in trying to keep her to a strict schedule.

If I free fed her, which would be impossible with raw feeding, she would probably eat and eat and regain not all the weight I managed to get off her, but just get fatter and fatter.

No way do I want that, nor am I prepared to leave raw food down - especially not in this heat and not with the mice that, unfortunately, share my home.

If, later in the evening she comes and asks for more, and I do not mean the pacing and whining and nagging for a treat [which she does not get that often but oh does she try it on at times] but really does want something more to eat - and she has a different way of asking, then I will give her another half a back or carcass.
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Chellie
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01-06-2013, 07:09 PM
Originally Posted by Tangutica View Post
I think personal home circumstances come into it too. I never feel my dog is waiting expectantly in the sense that she is unhappy. She knows what to expect yes - but I don't have anyone else to worry about apart from my dog.

For the life of me I can't think where the phrase 'free feeding' came from. Why don't they just say 'leaving food down all the time'? Because that's what it is - bowls of food left on the floor in the house at all times. I suppose you top the bowls up as soon as they are empty? (Otherwise it wouldn't really be 'free feeding' would it?) it would just be feeding them when you think of doing it!

Bella's first meal is a raw meal she eats it all up quickly. On the rare occasion she doesn't I take it away and sling it out for the street cats. But I struggle to think how 'free feeding' would work with wholly raw fed dogs? Who'd want raw meat and bones left around 24/7?

For it to be FREE feeding (assuming that means that the dog is able to eat whenever it feels like it) it would only really be that if food was available 24/7. As I said - can't think how that would work for raw fed dogs.
.

Yes, there is food down 24/7 that is replenished when the bowl is empty.

Mine do not eat from each other's bowls, there isn't a need to because they always have food in their own so I don't have a problem with them scoffing each others food.

No, it wouldn't work with raw fed dogs, but as I said, I don't think that there is a right or wrong, it's whatever works for your dog as long as it is happy and healthy and I respect other people's decisions to feed their dogs by whatever routine they wish.

I just thought that I would point out that some of the myths surrounding free feeding were very broad statements that I had found, from my experience, to be incorrect.
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Mattie
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01-06-2013, 08:45 PM
Originally Posted by Chellie View Post
I free feed and I also don't have any routine for my dogs. I walk them when I want, where I want and as many times a day as I want and it has never affected them in any way by not having a routine.

It does however mean that they don't feel the need to wait expectantly for anything during the day and bug me for anything, it's not worth their time as I rarely do anything at the same time everyday.
Even though I feed approximately the same time every day my dogs don't sit or pester me for their food and never bug me for anything.

I also don't carry treats on walks once my dogs have a reliable recall, in fact I rarely buy treats as they don't need them, certainly not on a regular basis, their food is a complete balanced diet.
I never used to carry treats on walks at one time, I thought my dogs had a 100% recall, one day 2 took off after a rabbit, the following hours were a nightmare, my dogs had disappeared and had crossed a busy railway line after the rabbit. Now I reward every time they come back with a high reward treat if they stop long enough to take it, even if I haven't called them I still reward them for checking in. Only Tilly stops long enough to take a treat, the others know they can have one but don't stop long enough.

I never want to go through those 5 hours again, if it means that my dogs get a lot of treats, this is the only time they do when on walks, then they will get them. Bonnie and Dolly would prefer me to throw a ball, Cyril would prefer to play tuggy as rewards.
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Chellie
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01-06-2013, 09:06 PM
Originally Posted by Mattie View Post
Even though I feed approximately the same time every day my dogs don't sit or pester me for their food and never bug me for anything.



I never used to carry treats on walks at one time, I thought my dogs had a 100% recall, one day 2 took off after a rabbit, the following hours were a nightmare, my dogs had disappeared and had crossed a busy railway line after the rabbit. Now I reward every time they come back with a high reward treat if they stop long enough to take it, even if I haven't called them I still reward them for checking in. Only Tilly stops long enough to take a treat, the others know they can have one but don't stop long enough.

I never want to go through those 5 hours again, if it means that my dogs get a lot of treats, this is the only time they do when on walks, then they will get them. Bonnie and Dolly would prefer me to throw a ball, Cyril would prefer to play tuggy as rewards.
Again, I didn't say that it was wrong to carry treats on a walk, just that I choose not to.

I'm lucky that mine recall off of rabbits, foxes and badger and don't chase feather at all (except for crows) and are content with a well done and a quick stroke when they come back. The only time I could have trouble is if they flush a deer - two will recall and the other isn't going to come back for a piece of chicken, a ball or a game of tug. Luckily we have many deer free areas near me so it is not something that I need to worry too much about.

Even with treats recall isn't 100%, even with the greediest of dogs and as I've said numerous times, I respect other people's choices on how they manage their dogs even when they differ from mine.
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Mattie
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01-06-2013, 09:32 PM
I love these discussions because we can swop ideas and learn from others, no matter how well trained our dogs are none are 100%, the 2 dogs that took off after a rabbit had always recalled of them previously. All we can do is to try and try and give ourselves the best chance we can to keep them safe.
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Lacey10
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01-06-2013, 09:41 PM
Originally Posted by Mattie View Post
I love these discussions because we can swop ideas and learn from others, no matter how well trained our dogs are none are 100%, the 2 dogs that took off after a rabbit had always recalled of them previously. All we can do is to try and try and give ourselves the best chance we can to keep them safe.
Can imagine how long that 5 hours must have felt Must have been such a relief when you found them!
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