Forced Feeding Vs Free Feeding

[buddy'smom]

Aargh! What a gramatically horrible sentence!!! What I meant is, even if I didn't feed raw, I would practice scheduled feeding.

LOL Julie, I understood that statement as well. Believe me I totally understand and respect the whole aspect of controled feeding, but free feeding works out well for us.

Kailee gets 3 cups of kibble per day in her bowl. At supper time she gets 1/2 cup of meat in a separate bowl. Not necessary, just an added treat she sooo loves. On days where she is not feeling well, or some kibble is left in the bowl it gets measured out (After all I need to know how much to add to the kibble next day) so I do know under emergency situations how much and what she did eat. I understand though that perhaps I am more diligent and not everyone would do this, I also understand that by allowing a pre measured daily am't avoids over feeding her. I too was going to mention that on a raw diet free feeding would not work. Like I said, I am a rare feeder on this forum.

Jean

 

[hastie1]

Thanks all for your input. My fault if I used the wrong terminology, obviously a very hot topic for discussion. As stated every situation is different, and I was just fishing for what others thoughts were and I got them.
Thanks

 

[Tulsa-Dan]

As a trainer/behaviorist I never recommend free feeding. For the reasons stated by Julie and Jean, plus he who controls the food controls the dog.

If a dog can get food anytime he wants, he has no incentive to obey you at all. Why should he? After all, he has food, water, toys and can get your attention anytime it wants it. But, if you control the food, the dog understands instinctively that YOU are leader of the pack and you are in charge. His role is to follow not to lead.

Also during housebreaking it is vitally important to know your dog's eating/pooping schedule. If you free feed, you will have a very tough time of it house training your dog because you won't know when he ate and when its time to go out (on schedule since puppies can't tell you yet when they need to go out).

As for being able to take the food away or get near the dog when eating, as Julie said this is a management/training issue, not an effect of free feeding or not free feeding.

You can work with your dog at meal times first by taking a small cracker and letting the dog think you are taking it from HIS BOWL, eating it in front of him and THEN putting his food down for him to eat. Leaders always eat first. This puts the dog in the right frame of mind and helps him to understand that you are in charge of the food and the leader of the pack. More incentive for the dog to want to learn, please you and obey.

Put a bowl of food down on your lap. Call the dog to you and let him eat it from the bowl as it is in your lap. Occasionally take the bowl away and then give it right back to him. Stick your hand in the bowl and fiddle with the kibble when he is eating so he gets used to people handling his food. Hand feed a little bit of kibble, then put the rest from your hand back into the bowl and give it to the dog. Pet and soothe him as he eats as well so he becomes accustomed to being touched when eating and doesn't become afraid.

If the dog is eating too fast and throwing up food, put a rock or some large object in the bowl (a ball) and let the dog eat around the object. This will help slow down their eating/gulping of food.

Good luck.

 

[hastie1]

I have to come back to this post now after a couple of months of free feeding and reading other posts.
Tulsa Dan, I have held off asking this question to you for some time, but after reading another post where the question of free feeding was brought up, you again added your input to "Stop Free Fedding". I notice that you really preech against this and was wondering why? did you try this method and not have good results with your dogs or is it something that your learnt about in your education about dogs.?
I have been free feeding Cassius now for a few months, since it was reccommeded to us. I have not come across any of the problems that you highlight in your reasons not to free feed. Cassius is completely house trained with no problems, we trained him to ring his bell to go out and he does. He is also well aware that I still control his food, and we have not had any bad behviour issues he is very well adjusted. He will eat what is in his bowl (2 cups at a time) and I can fill it up as soon as he is finished and if he does not want any more he won't eat it. He is at the right weight for his age and looks great.
I took all your original suggestions under advisment, but I feel that free feeding is smoother process to allow my dog to eat.
I guess when I read your ccomments about free feeding in any posts that you reply to, you seem to come across so negative about free feeding, that it would scare anyone away from trying it.
I'm sure that is not your intent, but that is how it comes across.
Free feeding will obviously work for some but not others depending on the situation.
Thanks

 

[cashisking]

It may very well work for you for now, but you are not teaching your dog that you are leader, Alpha's eat first, All the rest of the pack waits until the Alpha's are done and then eat, it is a HUGE que to your dog as to where they fit in in the pack.. I will say I have free fed in the past with no problems as well. But upon entering this site, and alot of my own studying, I wish to do everything in my power to show my dog I am leader. It can come in handy in life or death situations. My dog GENERALLY looks to me for clues as to what to do in a situation, it takes stress away from him! I truly believe that me taking control of his feedings have had a HUGE effect on this behavior!

Jenn

 

[JulieM]

Cassius is what, almost six months old now? He is not at the age where you would really start to have behavior problems yet. Come back in a year and a half, and let us know then - after you've gone through adolescence and early adulthood - how free feeding worked for you. It's possible you will have no problems, if you can establish guidelines while allowing on-demand feeding. Most people can't. And it's possible that you'll never need an emergency surgery - or that if you do, you'll have been home all day and noted what time he ate and how much. Many people aren't that lucky. But at six months of age you haven't even scratched the surface of potential behavior issues that can be prevented or resolved by something as simple as controlling feeding.

Obviously no one is going to come into your home and tell you how you can or cannot feed your dog. Dan is speaking from his years of experience and education as a trainer and behaviorist, and as a rescue owner; I am speaking from my years of experience and education as a breeder and a behaviorism-enthusiast Controlled feeding is what we feel - based on research and knowledge of dog behavior - will work the best for the majority of people and dogs.

 

[hastie1]

Scheduled Feeding Vs Free Feeding

Thankyou both, Julie and Cashisking for your input and obviously you are speaking from experience, which I will not deny, however we also took the recommendation to free feed from our Trainer, who also is a breeder/behaviourist/nutrionist and specializes in Boxers and is very well respected in this area. I do understand that opinions vary greatly especially in feeding, but I must admit that when I read all this, it really makes the person feel that they are very wrong in taking this route. This site is such a wealth of knowledge, that this is put down with such force, that is what I find disturbing about this.

Changed the subject heading so not to confuse people.

 

[JulieM]

Perception may have a lot to do with the issue. The strongest statement made was by Dan, which was

As a trainer/behaviorist I never recommend free feeding.

In and of itself, this sentence is hardly "forceful" and in no way constructed so as to make one feel they are wrong for taking that route. This probably falls into the common area of misunderstood written messages, where the reader unintentionally adds their own bias to the message by reading it in a certain 'tone of voice' that is not evident to others, and was not intended by the author. It's not always easy, but sometimes it's vital to read only the words on the screen, with no 'tone of voice' or 'hidden meaning' behind them. Dan was simply stating a fact - not making accusations or judgements.

I'd be interested in the name of your breeder/nutritionist/behaviorist, privately please , as if it's someone I'm familiar with I'd like to discuss it with them. There's always much to learn from those who have different viewpoints.

 

[avts1977]

Personally I could never free feed.

Our female, Cheyenne, will eat anything she can find. If I forget to pick up a bowl that still has food in it, then she'll inhale it the first chance she gets.

As a result, she's now on a diet . . . which doesn't help her attitude about food!

When we switch to raw, we'll either feed them in their crates, or outside. If outside, we'll be out there watching them, and they'll have their own spots to eat. They've gotten into spats over highly desired toys/treats, so I'm sure raw food would fall into that category.

 

[Scrapper's Mom]

Well, here's another option I'm throwing out just to muddle things up. We feed Scrapper his breakfast every AM - it's controlled by us - we open the can, mix in the goodies, add the cottage cheese, egg, etc., and then give him that and he eats it right up. - Though you could easily take his bowl away with no problem if you wanted to. Then, later on in the day, we give him his kibble, and he eats that as he likes for the rest of the day. I control the amount in the bowl, but he can have it if he wants a little snack. He's kind of a dainty eater. Sometimes, he won't finishing eating until later in the evening. Scrapper doesn't gobble his food, swallow a lot of air (that I'm aware of) or care if Roscoe or a visiting puppy happens to come and take a kibble or two from the bowl. So I guess we control feed in the AM and "free" feed in the PM. It works for us - Scrapper is a perfect weight. This would not have worked for our other dogs, they ate all their food the instant it was placed in front of them.