tommarshall 4 Posted July 22, 2011 Report Share Posted July 22, 2011 Alright guys. I just changed the method of feeding my 10 and 12 month old dogs, I have usually given them the recommended amounts of skinners dried and a tin of chappie meet a day, but I remember my fathers dog (a Fine dog and worker indeed) use to eat pretty much as and when he pleased (with exception of going out working of course)so what of started doing now is keeping a bowl of dried food full all the time so they eat as they please (I don't seem to be going through any more food) are there any potential problems with this ? I would appreciate superior understanding, Thanks, Tom. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Shazza 52 Posted July 22, 2011 Report Share Posted July 22, 2011 I have free fed with dried food for about 5 years now. You need to keep an eye on the dogs and make sure they are all eating (appetite loss isn't so easy to spot if a dog's sickening for something). I've never had any problems with dogs getting too fat or being possesive over the food but it all depends on the dogs you have and whether this works for them or not, only you can know that mate None of mine are greedy and i definately think it stops them being food possesive unless they have a treat or a toy. Mine have food available from 9am - 7pm every day as they live indoors so it keeps them clean overnight. Fresh water at same times. 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Casso 1,256 Posted July 22, 2011 Report Share Posted July 22, 2011 Alright guys. I just changed the method of feeding my 10 and 12 month old dogs, I have usually given them the recommended amounts of skinners dried and a tin of chappie meet a day, but I remember my fathers dog (a Fine dog and worker indeed) use to eat pretty much as and when he pleased (with exception of going out working of course)so what of started doing now is keeping a bowl of dried food full all the time so they eat as they please (I don't seem to be going through any more food) are there any potential problems with this ? I would appreciate superior understanding, Thanks, Tom. dont know about potential probs, but i like the slight edge you get with a hungry pup when training, i believe that alot of traits piggyback on the hunger feeling,more willing to work, more attentive, more responsive,its a void in the dog that needs filling and the dog will work harder to fill it , i dont mean training through treats,it leaves a vacuum is his behaviour which will bring his personalility to the fore , a fed dog is a contented mutt, and i found a little less keen, takes my take on it bud,,if your happy enough with the way things are ,carry on ,and more power to ya,, 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Shazza 52 Posted July 22, 2011 Report Share Posted July 22, 2011 Your right Casso but i've never had a problem, if i have anything to offer my dogs from my hand (even thier own dry food) they are very keen and responsive in order to get it from me , makes no difference if it's end of the day and they aint eating from the bowl any more. Whatever i have for them holds more value than whats in the bowl Quote Link to post Share on other sites
x38 179 Posted July 22, 2011 Report Share Posted July 22, 2011 it ok till mr vet man asks when was the last time your dog was feed ...so he can give it emergency anasetic to save it life ...... just one down side ..... 2 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Casso 1,256 Posted July 22, 2011 Report Share Posted July 22, 2011 (edited) Your right Casso but i've never had a problem, if i have anything to offer my dogs from my hand (even thier own dry food) they are very keen and responsive in order to get it from me , makes no difference if it's end of the day and they aint eating from the bowl any more. Whatever i have for them holds more value than whats in the bowl if it works and it suits,thats all that matter Shazza,,all the best Edited July 22, 2011 by Casso Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Shazza 52 Posted July 22, 2011 Report Share Posted July 22, 2011 it ok till mr vet man asks when was the last time your dog was feed ...so he can give it emergency anasetic to save it life ...... just one down side ..... But they have ways round the emergency dog that has just eaten. If a stray dog gets run over and needs emergency surgery, no owner to ask when it's last eaten, they assume it has just fed and give meds accordingly so they can do what needs to be done. There's always pro's & con's to any choice, you have to weigh up the odds and decide what works for you and that any benefits outweigh the risks 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Guest born to run1083 Posted July 22, 2011 Report Share Posted July 22, 2011 i find the only problem with free feeding is say if your going lamping say a few days in a row as most do in season with free feeding you cant starve them for the 8 hours min before hunting to reduce the risks of bloat and stomaches twisting which is common in sighthound based dogs or bitches, and if used to free feeding say when you get home from a lamp and want to give them a big feed to restock supplys ready to be starved for the next trip out tomorrow they dont get surficiant amounts of food into them and i find drop condition. its fine when you go out say one or days a week as you dont seem to get as drastic drop in weight but if a regular lamper need really to get them used to taking big feeds in one go. just my take on it 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
old timer123 367 Posted July 22, 2011 Report Share Posted July 22, 2011 what ya mean by free feeding ? ad lib ?? mine are fed mainly flesh an bone but theyre fat in summer an a bit ribby when the work load is heavy an at times im accused of not feeding right in winter but truth be told i dont like to work the dogs too heavy because they blow out quicker Quote Link to post Share on other sites
littlefish 549 Posted July 22, 2011 Report Share Posted July 22, 2011 I honestly think my dogs would eat til they burst - that is if they havent killed each other first fighting over the food. 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
chook1 184 Posted July 22, 2011 Report Share Posted July 22, 2011 i find the only problem with free feeding is say if your going lamping say a few days in a row as most do in season with free feeding you cant starve them for the 8 hours min before hunting to reduce the risks of bloat and stomaches twisting which is common in sighthound based dogs or bitches, and if used to free feeding say when you get home from a lamp and want to give them a big feed to restock supplys ready to be starved for the next trip out tomorrow they dont get surficiant amounts of food into them and i find drop condition. its fine when you go out say one or days a week as you dont seem to get as drastic drop in weight but if a regular lamper need really to get them used to taking big feeds in one go. just my take on it Why do you starve for 8 hours? Minimum time needed is only 2-3 hours and giving a big meal after they have been out running is a risk in its self, even if they havent been out running - giving big meals is still a risk better with a smaller meal, then another smaller meal a few hours before you go out. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
skycat 6,172 Posted July 22, 2011 Report Share Posted July 22, 2011 I honestly think my dogs would eat til they burst - that is if they havent killed each other first fighting over the food. I KNOW my dogs would eat till they burst :laugh: though they wouldn't kill each other: the pack hierarchy is too strong for that. Seriously though: only grazing animals have systems that are designed to have the stomach full a lot of the time. Dogs were never intended to be 'drip' fed, and a dog works/runs much better if it doesn't have a load of food in its stomach or gut. Free feeding might be all right for pet dogs and non workers, but I wouldn't even take the terriers out for a run on a full stomach, let alone the lurchers. Even if the dog isn't bloating itself out all the time, it puts undue stress on the system if it has food constantly in transit, so to speak, whilst its working hard. Ask any serious lurcher man/woman, those who are out lamping or coursing hard: none of them free feed. 2 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
tommarshall 4 Posted July 22, 2011 Author Report Share Posted July 22, 2011 I honestly think my dogs would eat til they burst - that is if they havent killed each other first fighting over the food. I KNOW my dogs would eat till they burst :laugh: though they wouldn't kill each other: the pack hierarchy is too strong for that. Seriously though: only grazing animals have systems that are designed to have the stomach full a lot of the time. Dogs were never intended to be 'drip' fed, and a dog works/runs much better if it doesn't have a load of food in its stomach or gut. Free feeding might be all right for pet dogs and non workers, but I wouldn't even take the terriers out for a run on a full stomach, let alone the lurchers. Even if the dog isn't bloating itself out all the time, it puts undue stress on the system if it has food constantly in transit, so to speak, whilst its working hard. Ask any serious lurcher man/woman, those who are out lamping or coursing hard: none of them free feed. Hmmm good point that Skycat, I guess you'd want your working lurcher to be more like a wild hunting wolf than a drip fed Poodle. Thanks, back to rashens it is ;-) Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Moll. 1,769 Posted July 22, 2011 Report Share Posted July 22, 2011 I think free feeding is a lazy way to feed, and as Sky pointed out totally unnatural for a dog. I need to be able to monitor my dogs weight and condition, to do this properly i need to feed different kinds of food at different levels of volume, at different time of the year. I would not walk a dog off the lead let alone take it out hunting if it had been able to eat whatever it liked throughout the day. And on a more psychological note, it takes away to dogs absolute joy at feeding times 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
tommarshall 4 Posted July 23, 2011 Author Report Share Posted July 23, 2011 Alright guys. I just changed the method of feeding my 10 and 12 month old dogs, I have usually given them the recommended amounts of skinners dried and a tin of chappie meet a day, but I remember my fathers dog (a Fine dog and worker indeed) use to eat pretty much as and when he pleased (with exception of going out working of course)so what of started doing now is keeping a bowl of dried food full all the time so they eat as they please (I don't seem to be going through any more food) are there any potential problems with this ? I would appreciate superior understanding, Thanks, Tom. dont know about potential probs, but i like the slight edge you get with a hungry pup when training, i believe that alot of traits piggyback on the hunger feeling,more willing to work, more attentive, more responsive,its a void in the dog that needs filling and the dog will work harder to fill it , i dont mean training through treats,it leaves a vacuum is his behaviour which will bring his personalility to the fore , a fed dog is a contented mutt, and i found a little less keen, takes my take on it bud,,if your happy enough with the way things are ,carry on ,and more power to ya,, That is a very valid point that Casso, I'll take that on. That was the one point of contention with my fathers dog, he was a bit "whatever" at times, as you say "a contented mutt" thanks gov, I'll follow your lead ;-) Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.