Moderator: Moderator Pack
flitecontrol wrote:I have given my GSP, WPG, GWP and DD free access to food since bringing them home as pups. All have self regulated intake and maintained a healthy body weight. Don't think you will have a problem doing it.
Hunters Edge wrote:https://www.proplan.com/dogs/dog-care/purinas-landmark-life-span-study-in-dogs
I do not self feed because of the research results above.
AverageGuy wrote:I used to free feed but I stopped. I travel hunting a lot and need my dog to eat and then rest at the end of the day. So I want the dog to be conditioned to eat what I set down in a reasonably short amount of time.
Hunters Edge wrote:https://www.proplan.com/dogs/dog-care/purinas-landmark-life-span-study-in-dogs
I do not self feed because of the research results above.
JONOV wrote:Hunters Edge wrote:https://www.proplan.com/dogs/dog-care/purinas-landmark-life-span-study-in-dogs
I do not self feed because of the research results above.
I do not understand what that has to do with self feed or free feed. It describes dogs that were given unlimited food against a clock.
The whole point of why I do it is that food is always there, ergo less reason to guard it, or eat so fast they throw up.
orhunter wrote:I've said it before, the tendency to gulp food in ingrained (trained) by the mass feeding of an entire litter from a single large pan. They learn to compete, push and shove their littermates to get their share and for many the gulp habit never goes away. Breeders need to start busting up the herd at feeding time to reduce/eliminate the competitive urge that will otherwise develop.
Dakotazeb wrote:I don't understand why you would want to "free feed" your dog. Especially a hunting and/or trial dog. You want the dog working on an empty stomach. I would seem free feeding would not allow that. Like averageguy said, I want the dog to eat his/her ration of food when I put if down in the evening.