This may not be the first time you’re raising a pet dog but like many other dog owners, you may still wonder “at what times throughout the day should I be feeding my dog?”
A question is more common than you’d think, here is some guidance for you to take note/refer to.
First and foremost, the schedule you choose will, to a very large extent, be determined by the times you are free to do the feeding.
Assuming you’d have no help from other family members or friends, you would probably only have the option of feeding your dog either first thing in the morning, or later in the evening when you get home from work. This is taking the scenario where you work all day, as is the case for most people.
Under such circumstances, some owners prefer to use the “free feeding” method. That is, filling your dog’s bowl with a large amount of dry food in the morning and let your dog eat at his or her leisure.
Now, this method has worked extremely well for some dogs. However, there are instances where we see it causing many dogs to become highly bored and disinterested in their food after a while.
This results in them eating lesser and lesser which in the long run may affect their nutrient intake and overall wellbeing.
The feeding method is not the only thing that needs to be considered. When you own small indoor dogs, the choice of food plays an important role. Choosing the healthiest dog food for small dogs will give us peace of mind that at least they are eating right.
On the same note, there are dogs that eat a little too much on such a free-feeding schedule. This results in them becoming obese, and no owner wants that. So yes, you should monitor closely for the first few months if you choose the free feeding method to see if it suits your dog.
Keep in mind also that when a dog is eating whenever he pleases, his bowel movements schedule can be rather unpredictable. This could cause some accidents, especially if your dog does not have access to the backyard when you’re away.
On the other hand, and this is a personal preference, you can leave about two-thirds of your dog’s daily food ration in his bowl in the morning.
The remaining one-third can be fed later in the evening when you come home. With this feeding schedule, your dog has the entire day to work off the calories to prevent obesity, while the smaller meal in the evening helps keep him from going hungry over the night.
Of course, these are just some general guidelines and preferences for dog feeding schedules. Each dog is different – what works best for some may not be suitable for yours.
If you’d want a more regular feeding schedule though (especially if you have a puppy that requires regular feeding about 3 times a day), we suggest checking your pup in with a dog daycare and boarding centre.
With them, you can rest assured your dog’s feeding schedule will be right on point, handled by the professionals.
