Feeding

[Kimberly Keenan]

How often should you feed a dog? Bindi is 13 months old. When she was a puppy the breeder said she fed them twice a day. I still feed her twice a day but I have cut back on the portions because I think she is gaining too much weight. She is a mini to medium Australian Labradoodle. Her mother was 23 lbs and her father was 26 lbs. I feed her 1/4 cup a dry food in morning & 3/4 cup of dry in the evening with 1 ounce of either liver, gizzards or chicken with 2 or 3 stringbeans cut up. She is 25 lbs, we try to walk her twice a day depending on my schedule, but she gets at least one walk a day and she runs in the yard. I also started to use a laser once a day so she runs in the house.  Any advice for me

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

I agree completely with everything Nancy has said.

I would add that feeding amounts vary widely depending on which food you are feeding. There can be anywhere from 340 to over 500k/cals per cup of kibble.

Twice a day feedings usually work well for most adult dogs.

And I would get rid of the laser, not a good idea for most dogs. If there's room for Bindi to run in the house for exercise, try playing fetch using a stuffed ball instead. There are lots of other games you can play for indoor exercise as well.

[Kaytlin and Cooper]

When we got Cooper we fed her 4 times a day, then cut it down to 3 and now she is being fed twice a day, and has been for a long time (she 1 yr 8 months). She gets a cup in the morning, and a cup at night. She weighs almost 60lb and is fed Orijen which is high protein. The amount your dog needs depends on they type of food you are feeding (check out the food group) and her energy.

 

If you are home all day, and Bindi gets most exercise during the day, or in the morning before work, then maybe feed her more in the morning and less at night. If she gets more exercise in the evening then maybe feed her more then.

 

Cooper gets more exercise in the evening, but has a treat dispensing toy during the day to keep her entertained, so we cut back on the amount she gets in the evening

 

Some people feed just once a day and that works best for their dog. I dont, mainly because of my cats - they would not be impressed with just one feed a day (Heck, Merry isnt impressed with 2!!!!!) though I think Cooper would do just fine (that way she wouldnt have much energy to destroy anything when we are at work lol). However, i like to feed twice a day as Im super concerned about bloat - i feel that having 2 smaller meals is better than having 1 big meal (which may be eaten faster as they are really hungry) and is better for the stomach, but thats just my opinion

[Kaytlin and Cooper]

When she was a puppy she ate almost 4 cups a day.... so age plays a big factor into the amount to feed too

[Jane, Rooney & Stuart]

Rooney is 4.5 months and is going to be a large mini.  He eats Orijen Puppy and he gets a 1/2 or 3/4 c. twice a day.  He doesn't not get any extras except for organic chicken jerky that we use for reward treats.  The food group would be a wonderful place to get "expert" advice.

[Kimberly Keenan]

I feed her Orijen doog food which has no grains. The treats I give are low to no grain as well.They are 1 to 2 inches in size. She only gets 1 or 2 a day if that. i started giving her some more often because I bought her a puzzle game for Christmas and she has to find the treats.

Perhaps I will start feeding her more in the morning and less at night, good suggestion.