Breakfast, dinner or both?

[The Food Group]

Sherlock is almost 2 years old and Noah is 1.5 years old.  In the past week, I've started to only feed them once a day in the morning.  They don't seem to miss dinner and I think having two meals a day was throwing them off.  They would pick a little bit, but I usually ended up throwing most of the food away.  Now that I only feed them once a day, they actually eat!

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

Puppies need much more structured nutrition than adult dogs. Even Jane, who feeds Guinness a homecooked diet exclusively (no commercial food at all) is feeding her new puppy Orijen, because of the need to be sure the puppy is getting all the vitamins and minerals he needs for this period of growth and development. So yes, Sheila does need to be getting a good portion of her diet from a balanced premium food, IMO.

[Jane, Guinness and Murphy]

Yes, all the nutritionists who are proponents of home cooking clearly state that puppies need to be on a premium food until they reach full skeletal growth. My vet concurs with that as well. I didn't move Guinness (a mini) over until he was nine months. The puppy gets Orijen (puppy formula) twice a day with one tablespoon of Guinness's home cooking mixed in. Just that tablespoon makes him LOVE his food.

[Nancy, Ned, Clancy, and Charlie]

What about using some kibble for training treats?

[F, Calla & Luca]

I feed twice a day and now neither of them are that interested in the morning.By lunchtime all of Calla's food is gone and usually some but not all of Luca's. No matter how much is eaten they get dinner and Calla will eat hers all at once usually while Luca may or may not eat all of his. If he seems shortchanged, that is if he had leftover kibble in his bowl when I went to fill it for dinner, or Calla snuck in some of Luca's food, I'll give some more by the guesstimate method and hell almost always eat during the night. Works for us. They eat 2 bowlsful a day and I don't think they should have it all at once but they are much bigger than Noah and Sherlock.

[Joanne ~ Spud*]

We free feed. Spud will chow down about every third day. That's all. Starlit, being a puppy takes what she needs when she needs food. I have always free fed my dogs and none have been overweight.

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

Joanne, by "free feeding", do you mean that you keep food in the bowl all the time? If Spud only eats every third day, do you leave the same food there for three days, or do you throw it away and put out fresh each day? And after a bowl is empty, do you immediately fill it again?

[Joanne ~ Spud*]

When it was just Spud, I left out a bowl that was only about 1.5 cups. It would take him all day to eat this amount. When emptied, I would wash and refill. Every few days Spud will eat this bowl and a wait for one or two more refills. If he wants more, he brings it to me. If he is done, he would get up and walk away.

No, food is not left out long periods of time. Bowl is washed. But there is always something to eat if he wants food. Yes, I keep food in the bowl at all times.

Reason: For example, my Pete ate every night at 9pm. Every night. But Spud might eat in the morning, might eat at 1:00 pm, or he might wait until 9pm. I never know. It is up to him. I am just glad he eats.

Right now, there are two bowls out because I have a puppy who is still somewhat underweight. When and if there are leftovers, I fill up the kongs with kibble and yogurt for the crate in the mornings.

[Joanne ~ Spud*]

PS.
I think dogs, like humans, can have different eating habits. My husband likes 3 meals a day. I prefer 5 small ones. It keeps my sugar more stable. To each their own.

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

I ask because there are those who believe in a set time for meals, and they take up the bowls after a certain amount of time has gone by...usually 30 minutes. Then they don't offer food again until the next "mealtime".
I guess I do a combination...I give Jack half his daily amount of food in the a.m. and leave it. If he eats it all up, he doesn't get more until dinner. But if he doesn't eat it until later, I never pick it up after a certain time, so he is free to take all day to eat it. At dinnertime, he gets the other half of the day's allotment, whether he's eaten all or none of the morning amount.
Right now, he just finished dinner, and his bowl is empty. Now he won't get more until tomorrow a.m.
So I guess the only difference is that you put more food in the bowl if it's empty, and I only give food twice a day, whether it's empty or not.

[Joanne ~ Spud*]

I once brought Spud's eating style up to the vet. He said. " If you think about it, in the wild, many animals eat every few days."

I just don't worry about it anymore. As long as he keeps his food down, and he has for months, he seems to do okay with his style. Strange style, but it is his style. :)