I think you are doing "most people" an injustice in how they feed their dogs, you are coming across with an attitude thats a little bit like you know better than "most people" .

I don't understand why having a greedy dog makes it a bad idea to free feed... As I asked earlier, if you are only feeding the dogs daily intake of food, it's not going to over eat.

Dogs cannot distinguish between "treats" and "feeding time" , they do not have the mental capacity to understand, ones is "food" and the other is "treats " ....it's all food to them, one s the same as the other.... It's a human reasoning you are trying to give to an animal.

Good point JB - if you are weighing out the daily allowance doesn't matter how slow or fast they eat it I suppose?

However I've now decided it isn't actually all that important or even ultra interesting to me whether someone wants to leave a bowl of dogfood down all day or not! In fact I'm now surprised it turned into as much of a 'discussion' of it as it did!

However, if you have more than one dog and one of them is a greedyguts - dunno how it would work then. Ooops here I go discussing it again!

However OP saying the food is in 'her room' makes it sound as if she is in that one room with the dogs and the food most of the time? That's certainly not the case for 'most people' I know. Dog's dinner goes down in the kitchen or outhouse/conservatory/waddever and dog owner is off round the house doing all sorts of other stuff.

Actually I find it a bit odd that OP has made a thread telling us she's been reading about this. Then saying they've decided to do it, then saying they wouldn't 'recommend' it! Then going on to more or less say 'most people' aren't savvy enough to be able to do it!

Dogs cannot distinguish between treats and feeding time? I totally disagree with that. I'm really hoping I'm not the only one. Maybe my dogs are just weird!

My dogs don't leap up and down and get mega excited when I get their kibble. They don't even always eat when I fill their bowls. They DO get mega excited when I grab a pack of sandwich meat or a aluminum bag of dog treats. They also (quickly) scarf down any treat I give them.

Also, how do I have an attitude and you don't? I'm going to request that you explain that.

I (never) said or insinuated that I know more than most people. I also never said everyone should use this method for their dogs. I never even said ANYONE should use this method on their dogs.

I also ONLY feed one of my dogs in this matter, because it does not work for the other dog. The other dog is overweight (you already know the story behind this so I won't explain) and is on a controlled diet.

I never intended to argue here, only wanted to display my feelings on the matter. Like Tangutica said, this really has turned into an extended discussion...

Allow me to address this. I have been free feeding my dog WAY before I did any real reading on it. It was working for him, and I've just continued it.

Also, my personal room is where the food is... the dogs and I aren't in there very often and mostly in the evening hours.

As my computer is in the bottom room, and the food is not down here... it probably is pretty obvious that most of my time isn't spent in my room.

I find that people are taking my words for what they want them to be... not for what they are. This is not uncommon. Anyway, I think my main points have been made. Good day to you.

The point I am making is dogs do NOT have the capacity to reason out the difference in how food is given..

A biscuit , used as a treat or a bowl of food for dinner is one and the same to a dog.....FOOD.

He does not think, the biscuit is a treat, and the bowl of food is his dinner, no dog has that ability to reason out one over the other.

I agree that's its all just food to them...some of which they will value higher depending on each dogs preferences.

That's because sandwich meat and such will be a higher value food... This s why it's advisable to use higher value food in training, it's different to their daily food, so more exciting, hence gaining their attention.

I agree that it's all just food, and never said it wasn't. I'm not truly sure what point she was trying to make there. Of course it's all food to them, but some foods are better than others and they can clearly distinguish between treats, and normal meals and they way that they are given.

Firstly "she" has a name, do me the courtesy of using it .

Secondly the point that was being made was in response to your comments....

Which suggests the dog can distinguish between foods source.

I am not sure you understand what I am saying.... FOOD for a dog is FOOD, its irrelevant to their mindset how its given, as long as its given, they do not have the brain capacity to work out that the cream cake is a treat we give ourselves, and the roast dinner is of nutritional value.

We have the advantage of understanding the difference, a dog does not.

Dogs do NOT beg for scraps because they think its a treat, they beg, because 1) it probably smells inviting, 2) because we give it to them.

When we train, we use high value food, this is food that smells good, we do it to gain their attention, they react because its food that smells good, NOT because its a treat .

Are you positive that what you're saying are facts? I understand exactly what you're saying. I simply disagree.

IMO dogs CAN distinguish between the types of food and how they are given. Dogs know that when something is hand fed, it's often better tasting than what's in the bowl.

To a dog, isn't food that smells extra good not a treat? It's the same thing if you're asking me. Dogs beg for food that tastes extra good to them because it's special. They don't beg for their dinners usually.

The word "treat" is merely a word, but the action of them knowing it's different applies here IMO. Them being able to work out OUR dinner is not relevant.

Let me end all of this with this final statement...

Firstly, everything has gotten so jumbled, I really do not even know or care what this whole treat thing is linked to anymore. It's not even slightly important.

Furthermore, I really have no intention of continuing to argue with a person who (never) has anything nice to say to me but only seems to find posts of mine to start something with me on.

I understand your feelings towards me as you made them very clear a while ago, and that is why I'm totally done with you. Clearly it is a waste of time.

Also, since I apparently owe you some kind of "respect"... Here it is...
Good day to you, JackBox.