I think i may be in the minority but i leave my dogs food (biscuits) down all the time. this way he can munch at them whenever he feels the need rather than feeding him twice a day or whatever.
I realise with muliple dogs that probably isnt possible but do any other single dog owners do the same?

The only dogs I've known who were free-fed like that were hugely obese, yet appeared to take no enjoyment from their food.

No, my present Cocker is the first single dog I have had for 25 years but I would not trust her not to make an utter pig of herself.  Not sure how many months it would take for her to realise she did not need to scoff it while she could by which time her belly would be scraping the floor.  I guess it all depends on the dog.

having a dog that could have torsion I would have been a bit worried about food being down all the time.

My dog is the perfect size (infact could do with puting on a bit) and just helps himself to a mouthfull as and when.
He did wolf it down as  pup but then grew out of it (as they all do). Just interested to hear others experiences.

Mine are fed twice a day (don't like the thought of all that food in the gut at one go!).

> (as they all do).

Pretty confident mine wouldn't ;-)  infact I don't think many gundog breeds could be trusted in that manner.

> Mine are fed twice a day (don't like the thought of all that food in the gut at one go!).

Actually, just wondering, if you did have a sensible dog who ate a little in small quantities throughout the day whether that might be beneficial in terms of avoiding bloat.  Trouble is not sure that the breeds at most risk are the sensible ones :-)

It was my belief that dogs shouldnt gulp the food down in the way they do when they're puppies. Some remain quick eaters but not as gung-ho as pups :-)

> It was my belief that dogs shouldnt gulp the food down

Oh, I tell her she shouldn't all the time :-)

Hehe, is it at that point she develops selective hearing?
I think that by eating little and often the chances of bloat would be greatly reduced aswell.

The rules to avoid bloat is to feed an hour before exercise, and not to feed until an hour after exercise. Two meals a day, to assist gastric transition. It is thought gasses can form in the gut with slow food transition which can cause bloat.

>It was my belief that dogs shouldnt gulp the food down in the way they do when they're puppies.

I've found that puppies tend to be slower eaters than adults ...

Gosh wish Angus would not gulp his down like he does!!!  At 2 1/2 he still hasn't grown out of it!

Do wonder if it is a gundog thing?  My English would be the size of a house (he isn't the slimmest as it is!)

Having multiple dogs plus feeding raw this would definitely be a no goer for me. 

I don't think I would like the idea if I had one dog though having said that?

I think any gundog would be hopeless at it, personally.  Also my dog has to have medication twice a day on an empty stomach so wouldn't work on that score either.

Really jeangenie?! I remember a conversation with the vet when Fred was small and i was so worried becuase he could finish a meal in 56 seconds(we timed him). Vet said this was perfectly normal as pups dont understand the food isnt going to be snatched away or is a regular thing & he would grow out of it. Vet recommended putting food inside toys so dog would have to work for his meal which would take more time but i never needed to resort to that.

> but do any other single dog owners do the same?

no! i'd kill him! i couldn't walk/ toilet him as i'd never know if he would bloat!

why leave them down? (not critisising, just asking), i presume you don't have a plate of food with you at all times lol, cause you don;t need to. also, how do you know if he's off his food if its a constant?

> I've found that puppies tend to be slower eaters than adults ...

Ditto that Jeangenie.

All mine tend to be picky as pups and then get into the food thing in later life... bit like me really!

I also agree about the grazing diet depriving the dog of real enjoyment in relishing long awaited meals.
When can you be sure it's safe to exercise a dog fed ad lib?
Mine all get a large proportion of meat and meaty things which would cause a swarm of flies so too unhygenic.

>i was so worried becuase he could finish a meal in 56 seconds(we timed him).

I'm honestly not joking when I tell you that if any of my adults took more than that to clear their bowls I'd think they were a bit off-colour.

<I'm honestly not joking when I tell you that if any of my adults took more than that to clear their bowls I'd think they were a bit off-colour.>

Likewise. I've got two that eat sensibly (a geriatric and a 3-year old - probably taking a couple of minutes), one that IS slow (about 3-4 minutes), and three that would jointly win any speed-eating contest (about 30-40 seconds)!

Fagan is clearly not a typical gundog, he takes ages to eat his food and then he has to be encouraged to eat the last bit.  Doesnt matter what I feed him, even when on raw he would leave half of it :(

Just out of curiosity I timed my old girl (aged 13) with her dinner; 62 seconds and the bowl was clear. The young boys (aged nearly 9) took about the same time.

My borzois were always free fed until quite recently (the last 5 years or so). It is better for avoiding bloat to never have an empty or a hugely full tummy. None of them were fat at all, but then zois don't tend to overeat. I had to change my feeding regime when I got Meg (border collie) as she would just eat and eat all day and would soon have weighed more than the zois! My old collie wouldn't touch the zois dish and was fed herself twice a day but Meg showed no such self restraint :-) I find it a pain feeding twice a day as Tchi gets bile close to 12 hours after his last meal and also I'm so restricted as to when I can walk them. The collies wolf their food down - less than a minute to clear their dishes, Cas (lurcher) eats steadily through her dish - it takes about 3 minutes but Tchi takes about 10 minutes.

Well I know if MY food was down all day I would not have the pleasure of looking forward to mealtimes. So I have set feeding times for my dogs also. If I didnt they would not have that 'sparkle' in their eyes when it gets near feeding time.  Also for pople who have problems with their dogs i.e. bad recall How can you entice them back if they have a full tummy all the the, Oops! they wouldnt run away because they would be so full.

Oscar has a filled kong for breakfast (but not always) and then his main feed in the evening. He'd make himself ill if I left food down for him all day. He is a much faster eater now than he was as a puppy. I remember feeling quite disappointed that he didn't wolf his food down as a pup - but he's certainly much quicker now :-)

I have 3 dogs and they are all fed separately. Gypsy the Cavalier is a little gannet and will clear her bowl in about a minute. Samoui the Malamute sometimes leaves a bit (but very rarely), this is left down for her during the day if she does leave some. Megan the new dog is a very picky eater so far and has to be encouraged to eat all her food. All 3 are fed twice a day rather than one big meal.

> I remember a conversation with the vet when Fred was small and i was so worried becuase he could finish a meal in 56 seconds(we timed him). Vet said this was perfectly normal as pups dont understand the food isnt going to be snatched away or is a regular thing & he would grow out of it.

lol, my Buster practically would inhale his food in 1 go when he was younger, now at 11 months old he takes his time but still manages to finish in less than 1 minute!!

There is no way either of my dogs would have the sense to carefully pick at food if it was left down. They get fed twice a day (moning & evening).

I had a lhasa and she was a grazer had her food down all day, cocker did too, had him from 8 weeks, however, when we rescued the lab all this changed and now they are fed twice a day.  I actually felt sorry for the Cocker when we got the Lab but he soon got used to two meals a day.

mine get breakfast and dinner.
if it is not eaten in 20 mins it gets taken away.
I find its much easyer this way with three dogs as you can watch what each is eating so nobody gets extra helpings.
Keeping weight down or evan, is very important with the giant breeds

His bowl normally gets filled up in the morning so i know roughly how much he eats each day.
OUr house doesnt run in a conventional way due to shift work and quite often Fred will spend the morning in bed with my dad :-) until 11 o clock and will then come down and have something to eat at lunchtime.
I like the fact that he can eat as and when he wants and doesnt need to gulp down food because he is starving.
I also dont have the worry that he's eaten too quickly or is bloated.
Maybe not what everyone does but this works well for us & Fred has a very good attitude with food and isnt a scavenger. If he sees food on the floor he doesnt rush over to it thinking its for him, he used to seeing food on the floor.

> Maybe not what everyone does but this works well for us & Fred has a very good attitude with food and isnt a scavenger. If he sees food on the floor he doesnt rush over to it thinking its for him, he used to seeing food on the floor.

If it works for you & Fred, that's all that matters :) :)
I wish both my dogs had such self controll, they are both 'foodies' - food just rocks thier world, given the chance they would both eat untill they burst :(

I have free fed in the past with a couple of dogs I owned (a GSD and a JRT)  it really suited them and they never got over weight and I never had bloat problems as they never stuffed too much in one go.
I can't do it with the two I have now as they would just keep eating till they exploded, these two are fed 4x small meals a day.  They are 3 yrs old but one of them has a stomach ulcer and if he doesn't get his regular meals he gets very acid bile being bought up which causes problems with his ulcer.  4 meals a day suits him so the other one is fed at the same times to make it easier.
If it works for the dog then I do prefer free feeding, but it doesn't work for all.  As for saying its not right because we don't carry a plate of food round with us, its right we don't as the dogs don't carry thier bowls, but we do have free acess to our cupboards and fridge if we feel hungary, unlike the dog.

Morning and teatime here.
2 terriers,the  2 1/2yearold is very relaxed.
4 1/2 month old.........hah!  she is tiny ...but will leave hers in favour of trying to get to his!
I feed her seperatly in pen/cage, as he would also take hers in preference to his!

Karen ;)

eta she has a lunchtime meal too.

Mine are fed morning and evening.  If one of them eats slowly or refuses to eat I know something is wrong.  Even if it was possible to leave a day's ration for each it would be gone in under 30 seconds or less.

My dogs are fed twice a day, morning and evening. The GR can clear his bowl in under 30 seconds if he is not having bones in the meal whereas the terrier takes far longer and will often walk away and return to his food several times before actually eating it. I think Harley the GR actually teleports his food :)

My three get fed twice a day. In the morning after their long walk, at about 10.30/11ish (An hour after their walk i hasten to add!)
Then again after our tea at about 7.30/8pm.
They did ask me to add though that it would be nice to have free feeds all day!!!.... However I feel I would have to give up work in order to be available all day to refill their bowls every 50 seconds!!!!
They can empty their dishes in about 45 seconds....

(An hour after their walk i hasten to add!)

The reasoning behind waiting an hour after exercise and before feeding has always intrigued me. I understand people do this to try and avoid bloat but have discussed this question elsewhere and it was pointed out that in the wild animals hunt and run down their prey, involving huge amounts of exercise, but don't then wait an hour or so before they eat it. I would be interested to hear other people's views on this.

If you ate a 3 course meal then went out for a strenuous work out, it is likely that you will suffer from exercise-induced nausea. When we eat, a significant amount of blood is diverted to the stomach and intestines to help digestion. This also means that less blood is available for muscles and intestinal blood flow. I presume in the case of dogs and horses it results in bloat, colic and tortion.

Yes, I wouldn't feed before exercising them, but have never known anyone have a problem in feeding them when they get back. Obviously not if they're panting hard - I'd wait till they cool down a bit!

If you ate a 3 course meal then went out for a strenuous work out, it is likely that you will suffer from exercise-induced nausea

Totally agree but I was wondering why we are advised not to feed until an hour after exercise :)

With horses, then yes, at least an hour after they come in from work to help avoid colic. Colic can turn into torsion. same as with water, just enough with the chill off to wet their mouths, but wait until they are allowed a bucketful. same as before exercise, make sure its an hour before they do hard work, in fact longer if racing/hunting etc.

> why we are advised not to feed until an hour after exercise        Good point Harley

I presume it's for the same reason, the lungs are still trying to get rid of Carbon Dioxide from the blood stream, a by- product of the metabolism of Glucose in the muscles (respiration) ..the heart rate is still raised to get the blood quickly around the body for this to occur so little spare energy to devote to digestion. This perhaps leaves food waiting in the alimentary canal too long.

I feed adults twice a day, plus a late snack :)  I wouldn't free feed for the appetite/exercise reasons many have outlined above and additionally for hygeine purposes.  Even dry completes are targetted by blue-bottles et al .....

regards, Teri

It's your fault JG, I timed my two eating their breakfast and they both came in at just under 2 minutes. Dinner takes longer, especially if they have chunky food or bones. I guess my two are the slow pokes of the gundog group!

They get fed twice a day. Breakfast is after their morning walk so 9:30-10:30 on most days but if I'm taking them out later I'll feed them first and walk them later in the day. Dinner is between 6:00-7:00. There's no way I could free feed. My first dog, a Keeshond, was free fed (I was 13) and she was a fat pooch.

I feed him twice a day 7:30 AM & 7:30PM :)

I feed mine twice a day.......but they are not foodies, and do  not eat the desired amount in one sitting, so I leave it down for them to graze on for the next few hours. some people say "take it up if they dont eat it straight away, they will soon learn to eat it when its given"....turned out not to be the case with mine, and the boy particularly lost shedloads of weight because he just didnt eat a large meal in one go, however hungry he was. Maybe its an inbuilt regulator to stop them getting bloat from high speed scoffing.

yeah basically after exercise ( or any period of stress or excitement, the nervous systems switch from parasympathetic (controls rest, digestion, slow heart rate etc) to sympathetic (the centre which controls flight or fight, increases blood flow to limbs etc and away from digestive system)
this means that if food is eaten immediately after exercise, it will sit in the stomach for much longer, and is at greater risk of beginning to ferment and swell. its a small risk but there nonetheless. i recently had a long chat with the soft tissue surgeon at my place of work regarding bloat, and asked loads of questions, and that was one of mine.

ah, makes sense. ta for that suzi

Mine get fed twice a day 7:30am and 6pm usually, sometimes we have to remove Treacle's and put it down later because she will turn her nose up at it and Bramble would be in like a shot to snaffle it :-) I reckon Bramble must eat hers in less than 30 seconds! prime candidate for bloat if we gave her the whole lot in one go! When we had just one dog we would leave it down a bit longer if Dakko didn't finish it but not with these two monsters! :-D

As others have said - if it works for you and the dog is happy and healthy, why change?

like the fact that he can eat as and when he wants and doesnt need to gulp down food because he is starving.
I also dont have the worry that he's eaten too quickly or is bloated.
Maybe not what everyone does but this works well for us & Fred has a very good attitude with food and isnt a scavenger. If he sees food on the floor he doesnt rush over to it thinking its for him, he used to seeing food on the floor.

My girls (especially the middle one!) wolf down their food as if they are starving, but they never are.

They also have two meals a day, no set times, but usually sometime between 8 and 10 and then again between 6 and 8.

None of them eat anything I drop without permission and I am confident with the older two (not he 5 month old puppy!) that I could leave my roast in the middle of the floor and they wouldn't touch it unless I said they could. :-)