Free Feeding vs Scheduled Feeding

Author: Judy A Tomlinson
Published on: Jan 5, 1999

Should our dogs be free fed or should we use scheduled feedings? This is a subject that dog owners seem to have strong opinions about. What I am referring to is the practice of leaving food out at all times (free feeding) rather than feeding your dog (s) at regular times (scheduled feedings). Personally, I have never free fed any of my dogs, but it is not because I am against it. I have just never done it.

The arguments against free feeding include:

[The following discussions are geared toward multi-dog households]

If an owner free feeds how can he tell how much each dog eats? The aggressive dog may keep the less aggressive one from eating enough.

If you have one of those greyhounds who are real "chow hounds" he could eat so much that he could make himself sick. This could be a potentially life-threatening situation.

It is known that dogs of any breed can very food aggressive. Free feeding can be a possible invitation to a dogfight.

If the dogs eat all day, they will need to go outside for potty breaks more often. If the owners work during the day, the extra times needing to go out could be a problem.

Those living in rural areas or inner city areas where mice or other small creatures are a problem say that leaving food out all the time is just inviting these populations to increase.

From the Allpets site comes this opinion:

"Never free feed. Many dogs will overeat if food is constantly available. They also may be more finicky about their food because they are never really hungry at mealtime. Allow 15 to 20 minutes for your dog to eat his meal and remove any left over food. Let his gastric juices and digestive system take a rest in between meals."

The defenders of free feeding have these opinions:

As far as aggressive dogs go, the possession of food loses its momentous place in the dog's life when the food is available all the time. The dogs will gradually figure out that no dog is ever going to be without food.

Some believe that deep-chested breeds such as greyhounds who are prone to bloat will be safer with the free feeding method. The free feeding method will help rid a dog of their gluttonous urges, thus making bloat less of a possibility. Dogs who are always thinking of food have a tendency to eat very fast, thus making the danger of bloat more probable.

A dog owner should always watch their dogs closely and individually. If this is done you will know if a dog is not feeling well or is just "off." Plus, just because a dog eats all day off and on does not mean it will need bathroom breaks more often. A dog is trained to your schedule of taking them out. If their scheduled out time is late or missed then an accident may happen, but eating at various times during the day will not cause them to need to go out more often.

One proponent of free feeding says that if she has a dog who is gaining weight, or one who needs to gain weight, she does this: She will feed a supplemental meal in the evening. The dog that needs to gain weight will get a better supplement than the overweight dog.

Some dog owners also do something called "modified free feeding." In other words, they put food out in the morning and evening only. But they use only one food dish. All dogs eat from the same dish. When the dish is empty it is put up until the next feeding.

I found an excellent article discussing all the aspects of free feeding and scheduled feeding on the Border Collie Rescue site. Please take the time to read this article. It is very informative.

I don't believe that either of these methods is completely right or completely wrong. If what you are doing works for you, then it is right for you. If however, you are thinking of changing your dogs' feeding schedule you might take all of the opinions discussed in this article under consideration.

If anyone reading this article has any other opinions regarding this subject, I would like to hear them. Please leave me a message in the discussion forum.