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Best way to feed dog



What is the best way to feed a dog ***& WHY***......Free choice (food and water available 24 hours a day) or having a "mealtime"?

How about if I tell you what I do with my dogs, may not be "the best" but it works for me. I feed my adult dogs twice daily a good quality dry kibbled food with free choice water available all day. I like to feed the dogs a set amount because it's easier for me to monitor what each dog eats and increase/decrease the amount of food as needed for proper body weight or conditioning. I make my dogs "hup" (sit) and wait till I give a release command before they eat which reinforces some basic ground manners every day. I always tell people not to get hung up on how much a dog eats but worry about what the dog looks like. My 85 lab needs 1 cup twice daily to maintain (the bag recommends 6-8! He'd be a blimp if I fed him that much!) and my springers need 2-3 cups twice daily depending on the season and they only weigh 40 lbs. Clear as mud? Rule of thumb....most dogs are overfed and underexercised (so are most vets).

Dr. Mike


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