Can you let your puppy eat as much as he wants?

[Casee]

According to a lot of info I've read, it says let your puppy eat as much as it wants........is that okay to do?..... I have been feeding taser 1 1/2 cups twice a day and he gobbles it down in like 3 minutes and would definitely eat more!....can you allow them to feed freely ?

 

[bjsfarm]

Yep! For the first year I feed my Bulldog puppies 2 times a day, let the food out for 1/2 hour or so, but let them eat as much as they want to in that time.

 

[KMARINO]

Really [MENTION=1703]bjsfarm[/MENTION]?? I adopted Vegas at 4 1/2 months old he was only being fed twice a day and I continued that feeding and still do twice a day. If I would have allowed him to free feed I think he would have killed himself eating. Still at age 2, I measure his amounts and although I know he would like more he does not get more.

 

[Alice Kable]

I couldn't free feed my Bulldog puppies, they would be blimps!

 

[Lucy-licious]

Lucy too would be more rotund if I allowed her to eat what she wanted!

 

[JAKEISGREAT]

Jake would kill himself. Period.

 

[bjsfarm]

Let me stress the until they turn age 1 Before they are 1 they should be able to eat as much as they want to.... they are growing and need more food when they are going thru growth spurts just like children.They should not be fed a measured amount while they are growing. But after they turn 1 (this is an aprox. estimate, some are sooner some are later) go by their weight... are they over weight? feed measured amounts, are they just right keep doing what you are doing free feed for 1/2 an hour morning and evening.

 

[GatorRay]

There is a lot of debate over free feeding and I think it is a matter of personal preference. I free-fed my basset (who are notorious HOGS) and she did VERY well and has always been a good weight and she is almost 8. After I brought Gator home they were on different foods so I had to stop free feeding because they would eat each other's food. I think I could have free fed Gator with no issues as when he was full (often after eating LESS than the amount I measured for him) he would just walk away. Gypsy on the other hand would eat until she popped I think.

 

[bjsfarm]

I should also clarify ... I don't leave food out all day! Just 1/2 an hour in the morning and 1/2 and hour in the evening, in between those times they don't have access to food.

However if you get a puppy that was used to not eating her fill at every meal before she came to you, she will gorge herself because she thinks the next meal might not be enough. So yes it does not work for every puppy.

 

[GatorRay]

[MENTION=1703]bjsfarm[/MENTION], I think you are right about if the pup is afraid they won't get their fill, they will gorge.

 

[lexterwayne]

We free fed lex when he was a puppy but he never over ate either. When he was done he was done. We can't free feed him now cause Bo will eat all of his food and since they are on different foods we can't have that. But we only feed once a day w treats through out the day and he is at a great weight.. If we still free fed lex he wouldn't gobble it up in the first 5 mins he would nibble through out the day. Heck he doesn't ever finish his food when we give it to him he will nibble on it trough out the afternoon...

 

[Casee]

Well I would like to try the free feed, but that means I should only leave the food out for half an hour and not all day?

 

[izstigspunks]

Stig's breeder always free fed her bullies and left the food out all day. I don't think they ever overfed. He was a little chunky when we got him at 5 months but I'd like to call that his baby fat days.

I think it depends on the bulldog too but I have a feeling that the results would surprise us and find that a lot don't overfeed themselves at all.

 

[GatorRay]

With Lucy, I left the food out all day. She would nibble here and there as she felt she needed to. I think after a few days, most would stop gorging themselves and nibble as well. There is an animal behaviorist here that I speak with occasionally and her thoughts are that free feeding is the way to go.

As puppies, you never know how much they might need and sometimes they will need more if they are having a growth spurt. So hard to tell!

 

[Casee]

Well I kinda agree with that...each to their own...but to me that would make me feel better.