Is free feeding your dog better than feeding at a set time?

My vet said my 10 month old Bichon and at the time my 2 month puppy, were the right weight, but suggested I stop free feeding or they will get fat. I think that feeding them at one time or twice will make them fight for food and be gluttons when the food is offered for a short time. I disagree with the vet. Am I wrong?

I have never done that sh*t with my dogs. My step mother does it and both her dogs are over weight and pigs for food. Meaning aggressive. I suggest to not do it

yes you are wrong they wont fight for the food when offered i feed mine around the sametime everyday and when im not home and my fiance gets home before me he will give him a treat in between your vet is right your dog may get fat.also some dogs just like to be on schedule.it can come in handy when potty training.

I did not free feed my dogs when they were puppies. They don't know when to stop eating, they will eat all of the food and end up throwing it up. Even now, they are 2yrs and BIG dogs, I don't free feed. When I feed them, it might be an hour or so before they even go to their food. And still they don't eat it all. They get 2 cups 3x a day. So I could prob free feed now knowing they won't overeat. But no, I would feed your puppy 3x a day.

You really do need to watch how much food you give your dogs. Typically they are not that good at judging when they are full, and will quickly get fat if they can eat all that they want. If your dogs aren't fighting over food now they probably will not fight over the food if you just feed them once or twice. If they do then feed them in different rooms.

The dog trainers always suggest that you feed dogs a specific amount at a specific time, at least twice daily. In fact, if they haven't eaten the food you give them within 20 minutes, you have to take it away. They need the schedule.

I have 5 Shih Tzu pups that range from 6 months through 4 years old. I free feed them and always have. None of my dogs are over weight. I also use to have a beagle mix that would eat until it exploded, if given the chance. I have always believed that it was dependent on the specific dog to determine if you should free fed or not. It your dogs are not over eating, and are not over weight, I would continue to do as you are. However, if you start seeing a problem, than you would need to change.I starred your question so my contacts can see it and maybe give you more input! Good luck.

Depends on the dog - i have two - a lab and a golden.The golden would have been fine to free feed, he only eats when he's hungry, but the lab will eat whatever is there. So I feed them together - always have - and they don't fight. In fact, the lab even respects the golden's food and won't eat it because he knows he's only supposed to eat the food set down for him.Having said that - your vets concern really should be the health of the dog and if yours don't over eat and you keep and eye on it - then it should be up to you.

the vet is right.your babies will get over wieght over time and it also easier to potty train a puppy when he has a normal feeding schedule so they use the bathroom the same time , every time. and you can calculate when your puppy needs to go.and for the fighting over the food:try feeding them in different rooms.. i do that for my three dogs and never have a problemgood luck!

I am sorry to tell you this but if you keep free feeding your dogs they can potentially become obese...if you set up that they have separate dishes they wont fight over the food..if they don't finish their food it is another story..just leave it out for them but don't add anything else to it...fi you are worried about them fighting..let one eat and have the other one outside or away from it then swap them; to create less potential problem..Good Luck!

I agree with the other comments... I don't free feed my two dogs and they don't fight over food, nor are they food gluttons at meal time. In fact, one of my dogs is a light eater and he'll regularly leave food in his bowl... and the food stays in his bowl until he comes back to eat it later, or I throw it away the next day. My dogs are relatively polite with each other regarding food (even treats... I can give one dog a treat and the other will sit quietly and wait for his/hers). You should listen to your vet... I don't think he's leading you astray. Good luck.

yes. You are wrong. Your dogs need two eat twice a day, though your puppy could probably use a snack mid-day. They won't fight for food if they each have their own dish. The alpha dog will choose one dish and the puppy will take the leftover. Just watch and make sure alpha doesn't eat his really quick and then eat the pup's too. Pup isn't going to fight over the food. He believes it is alpha's privilege to eat first.TX Mom

i keep my dogs food dish full of food and they eat it as they want...sometimes the dish will stay full for a few days...they come to it to eat as they want and they are not fat at all and never over eat as they just eat when they are hungry

It's ok to free feed them, just free feed them the same amount as you would when you have set meal times.

Yes, you are wrong. Really, your vet is an expert in caring for your dog, so why wouldn't you believe him? Is it just convenient to leave the food out and not have to train your animals to behave at dinner? You should listen to you vet, and ask what the long term consequences of your actions here could be. You could risk obesity, which could lead to arthritis, diabetes, liver and kidney disease, heart disease, etc. Do you really want that for your dogs? I really am not speaking out of turn here, after spending more than $3000 on a rescued small breed dog who had diabetes, which caused her to go blind, and eventually die a painful death from acute pancreantitis.I also have seven dogs of varying breeds in my house, and they have all been trained to have no food aggression. They eat measured portions and when they are done, the bowls come up. It is possible for your dogs to behave. Just train them.