How Often Should You Feed Your Dog?

Feeding frequency is an interesting topic. There are various opinions based upon the goals adopted by the experts. Free feeding means keeping the food bowl full all day and refilling it regularly. Schedule feeding means feeding once or several times a day, typically on a consistent schedule. 

 

One study I found indicated that it was best to feed dogs once per day. This study from the Dog Aging Project says their data suggests “Controlling for sex, age, breed, and other potential confounders, we found that dogs fed once daily rather than more frequently had lower mean scores on a cognitive dysfunction scale, and lower odds of having gastrointestinal, dental, orthopedic, kidney/urinary, and liver/pancreas disorders.”

 

However, according to Purina, “Unlike free feeding, schedule feeding enables you to feed your dog the proper serving size at every meal, to help support a healthy weight. It also allows you to monitor your dog’s appetite, so you can quickly spot a change due to illness or other issues.”

 

So, on the theory that caloric restriction reduces a variety of diseases, you should feed once per day. However, for some dogs that would overeat if given ad libitum access to food all day, they would become overweight, and free fed dogs are probably not being supervised as well by their owner for their health as schedule fed dogs. Free feeding doesn’t necessarily mean that you let a dog just keep eating and eating. It can also mean that you put out a measured portion of total calories once per day and then the dog will eat at its own rate. So, once per day could mean free feeding or it could mean a dog that eats all it needs in one meal. Not all dogs will eat readily. 

 

I’ve also seen puppies and adult dogs that got low blood sugar from eating once per day, and they needed more than one meal a day to be comfortable.

 

I’ve also seen plenty of obese dogs that were schedule fed. The owners weren’t watching how much their dogs were eating. 

 

I’ve also seen dogs that were underfed, regardless of the program. Many times, I have had students say they were restricting calories based upon their veterinarian’s recommendations or because of the instructions printed on the back of the dog food bag or can. In addition, some dogs aren’t well, and you must be there with them to ensure they eat. If you’ve ever had to hand feed a sick dog, you know what I am referring to.

 

There are many factors that go into feeding other than just health or convenience. Feeding is more than just about health. Feeding schedules can also affect behavior. There are many examples, but here are three. Sometimes it is best to let dogs free feed when there are multiple dogs in the home. Everyone gets fed and there are no fights. On the other hand, some dogs will guard the food bowls, not let the others eat, and fights will break out. So, in those cases it is best to do supervised and scheduled feeding, with food bowls spaced at a distance, and removing the bowls once the dogs are finished. I have also seen dogs that won’t eat unless the owner is present. I call them social eaters. So, regardless of the schedule, they are only going to eat when you are in the room.

 

I do not believe there is a “one size fits all” solution to dog feeding. You should consider overall health effects, portion control, and behavior. Your veterinarian will have an opinion. The food manufacturer will have an opinion. Your breeder will have an opinion. Your dog trainer will have an opinion. And your dog will have a say, as well. All this input needs to be processed in order to come up with the best compromise for your dog.