Feeding time

[ilsongirl]

Hi everyone,

I was just wondering how many times a day you feed your dogs?
We feed our twice a day at 7 and 7, this seems to suit them really well.

The lady who is taking our training has told us not to feed the dogs in the morning before training and just to feed them once that day after training to get them more motivated.

I am not sure about this, I think they are so in routine it may upset them and they are both willing to work on a normal evening.

Thanks
Sarah

[Wooferhound]

Originally Posted by ilsongirl

Hi everyone,

I was just wondering how many times a day you feed your dogs?
We feed our twice a day at 7 and 7, this seems to suit them really well.

The lady who is taking our training has told us not to feed the dogs in the morning before training and just to feed them once that day after training to get them more motivated.

I am not sure about this, I think they are so in routine it may upset them and they are both willing to work on a normal evening.

Thanks
Sarah

I'm a true believer in giving a dog two meals a day for two reasons. Firstly, they don't get a whole load of food in one session, that's alot of food! Secondly, they should have two meals to split their day, having something to look forward to almost! Most dogs have two walks and two meals, this is a happy medium, having to wait a whole 24 hours before being fed again is pretty miserable!

However, with regards to training some dogs do need to be a little hungry to get motivated, but this will depend on just what you are using in class! Some dogs need a higher reward such as cheese or hot dog sausage (allergies permitting!), others will happily work for something small and of lesser value!

If this is just once per week I would be inclined to feed her when you come back from training, but it does also depend on what time your training session starts, I wouldn't NOT feed the first/second meal full stop, they still need the nutrional values of their meals...have I got this wrong?

Jo

[ilsongirl]

Sorry didn't make myself that clear!

The training is at 6.30pm so we had been feeding them in the morning and then againg after training, but she was suggesting cutting out the morning one and feeding extra at night after class.

[ilsongirl]

I am a little dozy today! we had been using liver cake, but used fish last week in class and potato rest of the time for training.

[Wooferhound]

Originally Posted by ilsongirl

I am a little dozy today! we had been using liver cake, but used fish last week in class and potato rest of the time for training.

Potato? Good dog! Drop that one, can be very heavy for a dog to digest!

Right, I would feed her in the morning as usual, don't let her go ALL day without a meal, this will have the opposite effect on her in training, she may very well attempt to bite yer hand orf to get to a morsel of food! Let her eat in the morning, then don't feed her again until AFTER her training session in the evening, this is a fair compromise for you all to succeed. After all, if you normally feed at around 7pm, I'll assume your training lasts an hour? she'll get fed about an hour later than normal, this isn't too far off routine!

Jo
x

[zaclucy]

Hi

Mine have 2 meals a day. Once in the morning, after the morning walk, and once in the evening. We never stick rigidly to a time scale, especially in the evenings, some nights, i don't get home from work till 8.30pm, so they get fed when i get in. When I am home, they might get fed any time between 6pm and 8pm.

One other thing to remember, is not to excercise too soon after a meal, because of the risk of bloat.

Janet x

[Wooferhound]

Originally Posted by zaclucy

Hi

Mine have 2 meals a day. Once in the morning, after the morning walk, and once in the evening. We never stick rigidly to a time scale, especially in the evenings, some nights, i don't get home from work till 8.30pm, so they get fed when i get in. When I am home, they might get fed any time between 6pm and 8pm.

One other thing to remember, is not to excercise too soon after a meal, because of the risk of bloat.

Janet x

Don't feed too soon before exercise or after. We give ours a bit of time for their systems to settle prior to feeding as all the muscles are working hard. As for exercising after food, this should be done at least 2 hours after, allow for major digestion to take place.

I got really paranoid about bloat for a while, after having a friend who lost a bullmastiff this way...but i've now calmed down and try to be sensible...though this isn't part of my personality lol!

Jo
x

[ilsongirl]

I wouldn't feed them before training!!

We try to stick roughly to those times but the evening feed can vart depending on what shift the o/h is on.

The vet told us to feed her potato as it's a carbo not often in dog food whilst we se if it improves her allergies

[Sheebs]

Hiya

Sheebs is fed twice a day, one at breakfast time 6.00 am ish and again round about 4.30 - 5.00 pm then her food has time to settle before we go out for our walk/run.

Sue & Sheebs x

[GSDOWNER]

George is feed once a day around 6-7ish pm, god I feel cruel............but he is on a strict diet

I have put food down for him in the mornings he just does not touch it so gave up and went to feeding him per evening