Dog Training - Food

[calibra]

Hi

I was wondering if anyone knows the asnwer to this question...

My dog has started training school (1 hour a week) and the trainner has told me I must give the dog it's food at set times. However after 5 mins the food should be taken away. Why does she insist on this?.

At the moment. My dog just nibbles it's food though the day and will share it with my sisters dog when it comes round.

If I take her advise, wouldn't I be telling the dog you must eat it all now. In turn, would that stop her letting me take food away from her or sharing her food with other dogs.

I never got the chance to ask her why she feels this is a must as theres loads of us in class.

Thanks

James

 

[RedyreRottweilers]

Feeding dogs at set intervals is recommended for several reasons:

you know what time of day your pup is hungry, so he is more likely to work briskly and attentively for food rewards

You are put in the position of being the provider, which reinforces you as the leader figure.

Some dogs who are free fed can develop issues with picky eating, since they are not on a regular cycle of "get hungry, and then eat to be satisified when food is presented."

I personally feel that dogs who are free fed miss one of the great joys of their lives, which is feeding time. It sure is the favorite time of day around here.

 

[calibra]

I kinda see where you are coming from, and I do feed her at set intervals, but I do not see why the food must be taken away after 5mins even if they do not finish it. In my mind, this encourages to the to "scoff" it's food down.

My dog gets fed at 7:30 am and 5:30 pm.

Normally she's eaten her food by 5:30 pm, however it takes her hours to eat it as she has a bit here and a bit there. She has always done that.

Hell, what do I know, I have only had her 2 months.

Thanks

James

 

[PFC1]

Also, it helps with house training. Feeding at regular times means going outside at regular times. You should be taking your dog out immediately after he eats, after he wakes up from a nap or in the morning, after he has had a good chewing session (like on a nylabone), or a hard play session. These are the times that he will naturally need to go. If you take him out after each of these events, he is likely to do his business. You can praise him when he does it outide where you want him to. He will probably learn to be house broken fairly quickly. Crate training also helps with this, too. If the crate is properly sized for him, he won't go inside the crate. When you take him out of the crate after he has been in it a while, he will need to immediately go outside. Take him out, let him do his business, and praise him. This really helps reinforce appropriate elimination etiquette for the dog.

 

[RedyreRottweilers]

Normal eating behavior for dogs means eating all food up quickly when it is presented. Dogs are naturally gulpers. They are not intended to chew food, but to tear off chunks and swallow them whole.

While your dog may be domesticated, his body and his mouth are not far removed from his wild cousins. Watch ANY carnivore eat.

Removing the food after 5 minutes (you really can allow 10, but my dogs NEVER take 10 mins to eat unless they have a lot of larger raw meaty bones to deal with) encourages the dog to eat when food is presented.

 

[CanadianK9]

I personally feed them at 2 set points in the day.

The reason she says for you to take it away after 5-10 minutes is because the dog learns not to be picky or food possessive, if it chooses to not eat then it gets hungry, and will end up eating his next meal because nature always wins, helping the dog face the fact that it is not the boss on changing food and helping reinforce your role as the leader and provider.

For some it sounds cruel, because you think "oh my! but what if my dog starves?, that sounds cruel" it truly isnt, because in the end the dog will get hungry and eat the food you present. So really its no different than your parents saying "eat what I give you or go hungry till next meal"

 

[Mordy]

personally i find 5 minutes excessively short. i'd give the dog 10 to 15 minutes to finish the meal, especially if it's dry food only.

 

[DanL]

I agree with feeding at set times and picking it up if they don't finish, but also think that 5 mins is too short a time. 15 mins should be good enough. If your dog doesn't eat it all, don't feel bad, and pick it up anyway. Soon it will learn that dinner time is dinner time, and eat it all at once.

 

[Saje]

I only feed my dogs once a day but if letting your dog graze all day works for your dog then you have to do what works.

 

[LabMumSF]

Here are some good articles on this issue:
http://www.veterinarypartner.com/Content.plx?P=A&A=1549&S=1&SourceID=47
http://www.canismajor.com/dog/nutrit3.html
http://www.lucythewonderdog.com/free-feeding.htm

 

[Doberluv]

I agree with the reasons for feeding at set times and taking up the food after some time. I also agree with Mordy that 5 minutes is too short. I leave my dogs' food down for up to 20 minutes then put it away if they don't finish. Some breeds of dogs are prone to bloat which is quickly deadly....it's better if they take a little longer to eat if they wish. I sure don't want my Doberman eating 3 or 4 cups of food in 5 minutes. He is not a gulper, thank goodness.