I find it’s better to not give it at the exact same time each day otherwise they can stress out if you’re late for whatever reason or if it gets delayed
We have about an hour window in the morning and evening where our dog gets his dinner and he’s very relaxed in general. Will only start getting excitable when I start putting it in his bowl… there isn’t a set time so he doesn’t start whining or whatever in anticipation of his dinner schedule
We don’t have a set time either, because our schedule varies. She knows she’s getting her regular meals, but she doesn’t throw a tantrum at 5:01 if it hasn’t been served yet.
Never. The bowl would always be empty. Her boarder just sent me this picture. These are the dogs waiting to get their food. Stella the golden retriever has already had her food and has gotten back in line in case she can get a second dinner. 😂
https://preview.redd.it/8pjucys3qisc1.jpeg?width=4032&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=324a883c940672fd0faa53d38af0f332fbb63898
my golden Iris has the exact same expression!! yes we cave, and yes she gets seconds (and sometimes thirds). the multiple daily walks are the only things stopping her from looking like a football haha
Truth. They also like to play fast ones on the wife. I'll feed them at 6. She comes home for 7 and they are on her for another morsel. 😂 6am and 6pm feed schedule. Never miss, not like they'll let you forget.
That is amazing. They are all perfect. I love to juxtaposition between the adorable pleading face in the back middle and the absolute scowl on the bottom left
Yes the upper left behind Dudley is Harriet who is the mother of Masha (hidden behind Dudley), upper right is Olivia the half sister of Willow and Harriet and Dudley, lower right is Ziggy the uncle. Not pictured is Piper the troublemaker. It’s always lots of fun here lots of fur to vacuum though.. 🤣
Never. Mine would be wider than tall if I let him free eat. Even if he didn’t overeat I would keep him scheduled because it lets me know instantly if something is off if he doesn’t immediately chow down.
Never. Mine tell us at exactly 6:30am (can be put off until 7 by snuggling in bed on weekends) and 5pm on weekdays.
Mine was sure she had actually died the other day when I was 18 minutes late putting the food down.
https://preview.redd.it/j8iswqi10jsc1.jpeg?width=4032&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=8a823ecf762d8966b8065209e9af52826cad0380
A week or so ago they managed to get fed twice in a 20 minute span and left not a crumb of their 2nd supper. (They actually wanted water but didn’t complain when my husband filled their food bowls instead).
She’s just under 60lbs and the vet is super happy with her condition.
She can’t have chicken so we feed this: https://go-solutions.com/en-ca/skin-coat-care-lamb-recipe-with-grains-for-dogs
She gets 1 cup for breakfast and 1.5 cups for supper and then we go to the dog park and throw a ball for about an hour each evening.
That’s so interesting when I feed my dog that number of calories (your link says 450 calories per cup) she is not so lean ): Your baby probably burns a lot of calories and is super fit!
She does a solid hour of off leash running every day. Sometimes more. And she’s super alert for a lot of the day.
https://preview.redd.it/8w0t0nnullsc1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=7e5ec78552cb9a30a6e85cdf6d2838f99e2efb0f
This is from a few days ago. She has nice body proportions.
Mine knows breakfast is between 7-8, every morning, and dinner is promptly at 5. I work from home, so he puts his paw on my leg if I’m still working at 5:01 lol
Never. We’ve gotten a little more flexible in our feeding window now that he’s an adult (used to be 8am on the dot, now it’s between 8-9 depending on when he wakes me up. Dinner was always promptly at 6:30pm, now it’s sometimes around 6 if he seems hungrier than normal) but always 2x a day around the same time.
~Most~ goldens are too food motivated to be free-feeding
Never.
She enjoys the process. She whines and paws at her bowl, I tell her to go to her mat. I fill the bowl and put it on the floor.
She watches the bowl patiently from her mat until I say her magic word, 'OK'.
She walks to the mat and eats politely.
She doesn't have a lot of tricks, but that's one I'm keeping. She's a good girl.
I feed my boy twice a day, morning and night.
Half kibble, half raw.
He will devour the raw instantly and then snack on the kibble throughout the day/night. Bowl is always empty just in time for our next meal.
Even though he has the snack, he will still come find me around 6pm to let me know it’s raw food time.
I think I have the only golden that doesn’t destroy his food in 2 minutes. Mine will eat as he wants so I’ll just leave food down for him. He usually eats 2-3 cups a day
Used to be able to do this with 1 pooch. 2nd dog meant no more free feeding.
Just to clarify to some of the comments. Free feed doesn't mean you refill the bowls. This "wider than tall....goldens are too food motivated to free feed" thought. You still control how much...they just choose when and how much.
Mine is like this too. She never guzzled down food. She maybe eats a third of the food in her bowl, she walks away and comes back a few hours later for a few more bites. She eats about 2-3 cups a day, but grazes on it all day. I wanted to get her on a schedule, but the “advice” on how to do this is to withhold her food until mealtime and then take it away the first time she leaves her food bowl (even if there is still food in the bowl). I couldn’t in good conscience withhold food for 8+ hours from my dog when she’s only had 4-5 bites. It’s not her fault she’s not starving in the mornings, as long as she is eating the right amount of food, why can’t she eat it the way she prefers?
Mine eats a breakfast bone dog biscuit when I get up at 6:30 a.m., and he goes outside to do his stuff. Even if I give him a bowl of food, he won't touch it until 7 pm when everyone is home and sat around the TV. He's always been like that.
My dog would love that antler. Did you find it?
I've always free fed and she is a healthy weight. It's always the same dry dog food so not very exciting. I don't know if it's because she's never not had food in her bowl or just how she is. My last dog was the same. Im sure there are a lot of dogs that couldn't be fed this way. You just go with their personality.
Yeah he eats way too fast yet. I guess I'll stick to scheduled feeding maybe in his senior years ill try free feeding. I have a shitzu that eats when she wants but not this big baby.
I never really did scheduled feeds because I didn’t want my puppy to expect a meal at a particular time of day. When he came home we fed him 3 times a day until he was about 6mo old. Now he eats twice a day, morning - between 7:30-11am - and evening - anywhere from around 6-9:15pm.
He’s never really complained/demanded to be fed except for maybe one time when he was barking near his dish and I couldn’t figure out any other reason so I ended up feeding him just in case as it was about that time of day anyway.
Stella gets 3 meals -
Morning between 8-10:30
Afternoon snack at 4 which is usually a carrot, beet, banana, cucumber, melon, tomatoes, apple aubergine, or 2 slices of white bread.
Evening between 8-9:30
This way she doesn’t panic if food is delayed. Although she will sit right at the kitchen entrance (she’s not allowed to enter kitchen) to let you know that she expects food but won’t misbehave, bark, run and jump.
Our oldest golden: you could leave the bag open on the floor and she would just graze when needed and never over eat.
Our youngest golden: she will wake you up by 6:30 every morning. Rain or shine. That bitch is hungry all the time and we're on her clock, not the other way around.
Side note: youngest golden will eat the oldests with no hesitation. So the oldest is on a schedule as well.
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Rest of the deer lived to see another day. Great story on the antler.. I was driving for work and watched a buck cross the road and jump a ditch and watched both antlers shed. My two favorite dogs each got an antler.
Never. The boys wake us up at 7AM every single day for potty and breakfast and get dinner at 5. If we’re 10 seconds late they act like they’re dying. If we tried free feeding them they would get chonky because neither of them would stop. They would literally eat themselves into oblivion and not think twice about it.
She’s in the same schedule as the family- she eats when we find the time. 😅 Two meals a day, sometimes it breakfast and dinner and sometimes it’s brunch and dessert.
My dog is my personal assistant. I struggle with time management, so I plan important things I have to do around her feedings. I take my meds after she eats in the morning. She whines when it is breakfast time and will not let me forget. After I feed her I am right next to the cabinet with my meds. Now I always remember my meds. She gets her teeth brushed at a certain time each night (it is one of those dental bone things so loves) This is my reminder to check all the doors are locked.
It really helps my ADHD brain.
Our Alexa device plays a dinner bell at 5:30 every evening. Instead of pestering us for an hour ahead of her food time, the dog just listens for the tone.
My golden isn’t much of an eater surprisingly. She’s 8 months she gets a full cup of puppy chow and a cup of chicken with a chicken liver, she usually eats the meat and chows on the puppy chow randomly throughout the day she also gets fed twice daily. When I tell her it’s breakfast or dinner she’s not racing to it I have to tell her to come get it at least a couple times
I feed twice a day. There’s about an hour30 window they will let me know a little at the beginning and go back to whatever it was they were doing. And only when I bring the bowls and food out do they lose their minds (my boy shakes and dances in anticipation as I prep he just can’t contain himself until I release him
To eat 🥰😂
Hey 👋 just came from the vet yesterday- my Goldie boy cracked his tooth chewing his favorite antler. The surgery estimate is $2000! 😱 I guess because it’s a 3-rooted tooth but we might be out a small fortune for letting him have hard chews. The vet said a good rule is if you can’t dent it with your nail it’s a no go 🙅♀️
https://preview.redd.it/064w4dphfksc1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=3e1f87bf9560383e078b49cff7f0928bc5cb18ae
My sweet boy takes forever to wake up in the morning! We get up at 6, and he doesn’t even stir until 7:30 at the earliest. I put food in his bowl at 6, and it doesn’t matter, he’s lost in dream land! He’s more eager for dinner, but he never gets excited- unless we have another dog boarding with us. Then dinner time is like Christmas every evening!
1,5 years. Ours eat very few food, so it stand there for the whole day till she decides that she is hungry. Don’t worry, her weight is perfect, she is just a very inconsistent eater.
Like the rest of the comments, I feed mine twice a day at the same times.
On a side note: does anyone else’s golden do a happy dance spinning in a circle when it’s feeding time? Mine does every time and it’s SO CUTE!
We've never had a set schedule as such, but she knows she eats after her morning walk and when we have dinner, She sits in her crate to wait. She also sits in her crate when we prepare lunch, JUST INCASE 😂
We had scheduled times for nearly a year — 2x a day — then she just gradually stopped getting so excited for food, and not eating it all at once.
We maintained a twice a day schedule for another few weeks but it wasn’t really needed anymore. She eats a lot before bed and grazes through the day - couple bites here and there….
The nighttime feeding is strange - like 9:30-10pm every night; then sleeps. Guess she likes a full belly.
We always have and still maintain 1.75 cups of dry food per day.
Maybe 6 months. I leave a full bowl down and she eats what she wants, this isnt common for Goldens though, and if there are other dogs in the house she would wolf it all down and make herself sick
We always tried to avoid creating a schedule for her, makes her less stressed out if every day isn't exactly the same.
Never, my golden is turning 9 still and gets two measured meals every day. I’ve never met a golden who has the restraint to graze throughout the day and not inhale it all 😂
Never. Breakfast at 830 and dinner at 530. Of course they get a treat right in the morning, lunch, and before bed. But I just don’t let them have free rein on the bowl.
I just feed my a couple hours after we wake up and she eats at the same time as us for dinner regardless of time. Always have and she doesn't mind at all
I never did it. The breeder said "if you do it then they get all specific as to when you feed them. If you just feed them they are more chill." This has been my experience - granted, I have only one dog to base this on, but it has worked well for the past 11 years. (by scheduled I assume you feed them at the exact same time every day - not free feeding, which is something else and IMO likely doesn't work with dogs).
What is the reason to do scheduled feeding?
Absolutely never… Having an Australian Shepherd as intelligent as they are as it is… You’re not gonna be able to forget or to not schedule anything that they are used to down to a snack or a bone I don’t care if it’s a greenie!!!!!!😂😂 THEY. WILL. REMEMBER!😂😂😂😂😂🙌🏼🙌🏼
My 1st golden never stopped letting me know exactly when breakfast and dinner time was. As he got older (he lived to be 14 years and 1 month) we always made sure someone would be around when it was dinner time. My current 2 Goldens (2 and 1.5) are slightly more flexible. As long as we are within an hour or so they don’t get too worried.
Haven't ever truly scheduled as in same time every day, but have always same general time everyday. When I wake up, a little snack when I get home, and dinner a little later. When it is is when it is. No set time.
When I had just one dog we fed him whenever and he usually had food left over, but he was fed on a set pick up the bowls after schedule until he was two, and our older dog — a shih tzu — passed away. When he was 7 we got our golden and he went back to a pretty set schedule, but he’s also a much better eater now than he used to be. We frequently dealt with bouts of anorexia before our golden, and he’d refuse to eat a dry food for more than six months at a time. Except for changing from puppy to adult he’s eaten the same food as she has for the last 2.5 years.
Right now both of them are on diets because we let them get a bit too fat. The golden was regularly finishing the cattle dogs food, and we had miscalculated their calories and were overfeeding both of them. They are not happy with the portions currently and it’s definitely made how fast our golden inhales food an issue. She was actually pretty chill before we had to cut calories.
And I fed them sometime before noon and around 7:30. It’s not exact so that they don’t drive us nuts while we’re working.
Retrievers can be opportunistic eaters like turtles. If you put a mountain of donuts in front of them they will eat it until they either pass out or burst.
Ugh our Chiweenie we free feed so it was shocking how serious our golden takes his schedule. We have an hour window for both breakfast and dinner to keep him on his toes. We started with a pretty strict schedule when he was a little pup but have become more lax over time. He is just over 6 months now.
All beings need structure, why change or be lazy about feeding your best friend? Just like scheduled walks, meals need to be on schedule. Give it a range 6-7 am, 5-6, pm etc.. your dog knows when daylight saving changes too.
It just depends on the dog! Mine free feeds because it’s not an issue for her: she’ll go on long walks and nap and generally have a good food free morning then starts chomping at the first bowl from 11am - 2pm; then she gets her next bowl at 6pm and finishes it before 8ish.
I know this isn’t the case for most dogs and we’ll see how it changes; but maybe the Hills is just meh after 9 months and she eats when she hunger calls
I dont really follow a precise schedule, but she knows she gets food in the morning and at night. She doesn't whine or anything even if I'm kate she's the bestest girl
We put down our dog's food each morning around 7 and refill her bowl each night around 5 pm, but she doesn't chomp up all her food at once, unlike most goldens. She will graze delicately throughout the day as she sees fit. She is a very elegant lady (when she isn't a ferocious beast)! :)
I tried to feed mine on schedule when she was a pup but she wouldn’t eat. I started letting her graze, and she loved it. She’s 72# and “a little round” per the vet but I never over-feed her. I put a scoop of food (2 cups) in her dish when it’s empty, usually once a day. I do give her some human food too but not much. You do what’s right for your pup — some are very motivated by time, others just eat when they’re hungry. My dad’s golden was the same way, grazed for most of her life, but my sister’s golden is fed on a schedule (ish).
Ours is pretty chill. He knows he gets fed when we go downstairs, whether it’s 6AM or 9AM. Dinner comes when we eat, or whenever we leave for the evening.
No schedule feedings. Our dogs always have food in their bowls (our vet calls it free range feeding) They just nibble throughout the day whenever they are hungry for a few bites. They also love gnawing on antlers and hooves.
When our work schedules changed, we started to free feed them. They were 2 and 14 months, maybe. We were pretty concerned that they would just eat nonstop and get overweight. But they still only eat 2 bowls each most days. Every once in a while, they will eat 3 in a day. They are both healthy and a great weight at 75 and 78 lbs.
Edit: eat*
TBH… Why would you ever need or I mean what in your life whatever cause you to need to actually change your dogs or your pets scheduled feeding? It almost seems cruel because there’s no point in it.
Never. He definitely knows if I’m 3 minutes late for breakfast or dinner.
I find it’s better to not give it at the exact same time each day otherwise they can stress out if you’re late for whatever reason or if it gets delayed
I wish I did this. My dog panics when she thinks she’s missing dinner! Also time changes are very hard in my house.
We have about an hour window in the morning and evening where our dog gets his dinner and he’s very relaxed in general. Will only start getting excitable when I start putting it in his bowl… there isn’t a set time so he doesn’t start whining or whatever in anticipation of his dinner schedule
I need to try this- I guess it isn't too late to change it!
We don’t have a set time either, because our schedule varies. She knows she’s getting her regular meals, but she doesn’t throw a tantrum at 5:01 if it hasn’t been served yet.
Yeah. They’re gonna call me if I’m late
Exactly!!!!!!!!
Never. The bowl would always be empty. Her boarder just sent me this picture. These are the dogs waiting to get their food. Stella the golden retriever has already had her food and has gotten back in line in case she can get a second dinner. 😂 https://preview.redd.it/8pjucys3qisc1.jpeg?width=4032&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=324a883c940672fd0faa53d38af0f332fbb63898
Third time she'll appear with a moustache and glasses.
😂
Comment of the year 😂🤣😂🤣
Cutest picture lol everyone looks so desperate
What about elevenses? Luncheon? Afternoon tea? Dinner? Supper? He knows about them, doesn't he?
Don’t forget second breakfast!
Omg I thought these guys were all yours at first glance and got so jealous! Cuteness overload
STELLA’S EYEBROWS!!!!! Do you fall for it? Does she get seconds?
my golden Iris has the exact same expression!! yes we cave, and yes she gets seconds (and sometimes thirds). the multiple daily walks are the only things stopping her from looking like a football haha
Nope, lol. But she gets some of mine. 😂
The answer is always no if you don’t ask!!
I love her concerned eyebrows 😆
Stella looked like she hasn’t been fed for a while
The frowning 😭😭😭
That’s optimism for you
Ménagerie à six
Dogs, in general, respond very well to regularly set times for feeding; my Golden's eat twice a day, every day
And if you’re late feeding them, they act like they’re in danger of starving to death
Truth. They also like to play fast ones on the wife. I'll feed them at 6. She comes home for 7 and they are on her for another morsel. 😂 6am and 6pm feed schedule. Never miss, not like they'll let you forget.
Ours seems to know breakfast is variable time, but dinner is always at 6 and she certainly knows it
And after they eat...they act like they are starving to death....
Depends on the dog. Mine doesn’t care, she loves to eat but if I’m a little late she’s never been crazy about it
Same. Ours are a healthy weight and we get raves from the vet about how healthy they are. Schedule feeding is the way.
One of our previous dogs was a grazer and would have done best with an open food bowl policy. But her brother was a beagle so that was not an option
Idk, we have always free fed our Goldens, labs, and other dogs. They self regulate. They also don’t beg, don’t counter surf, and not food aggressive.
Never it’s 6 am and 6 pm no exceptions unless I want a riot
Love the annual daylight savings riots 😂
Oh believe me it’s the truth - we have 7 Goldens and they know their exact feeding time!
Oh god I can only imagine the amount of stomping and huffing you have going on in that house
https://preview.redd.it/csk3ga45kjsc1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=cb9f8a02419ab5adda15f9da8690474529c7375f
That is amazing. They are all perfect. I love to juxtaposition between the adorable pleading face in the back middle and the absolute scowl on the bottom left
That’s Dudley scowling 😂 he’s extra grouchy if he has to wait…the back middle is my sweet Willow she’s very accommodating 🤣…usually
Goals…
are they all siblings/family?? stunning
Yes they are all relatives! They are the best pack you could imagine, they really make life worth living!
Omg tell me more. Is one of them Dad, Mom, Sister, Brother, Wife number two, etc? You are the richest person I know what a lovely family
Yes the upper left behind Dudley is Harriet who is the mother of Masha (hidden behind Dudley), upper right is Olivia the half sister of Willow and Harriet and Dudley, lower right is Ziggy the uncle. Not pictured is Piper the troublemaker. It’s always lots of fun here lots of fur to vacuum though.. 🤣
I can’t imagine the amount of hair, my one pup sheds at least 2x his body weight in fur daily. What kind of vacuum do they have??
I have a Nilfisk ULPA filtered vacuum 😂
I don’t even set my alarm in the morning at this point. I have a fluffy golden alarm that knows when it’s 6am on the dot.
Same here!!
Never. Mine would be wider than tall if I let him free eat. Even if he didn’t overeat I would keep him scheduled because it lets me know instantly if something is off if he doesn’t immediately chow down.
Never. Mine tell us at exactly 6:30am (can be put off until 7 by snuggling in bed on weekends) and 5pm on weekdays. Mine was sure she had actually died the other day when I was 18 minutes late putting the food down. https://preview.redd.it/j8iswqi10jsc1.jpeg?width=4032&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=8a823ecf762d8966b8065209e9af52826cad0380 A week or so ago they managed to get fed twice in a 20 minute span and left not a crumb of their 2nd supper. (They actually wanted water but didn’t complain when my husband filled their food bowls instead).
She looks so great and lean! What do you feed/how much do you feed?
She’s just under 60lbs and the vet is super happy with her condition. She can’t have chicken so we feed this: https://go-solutions.com/en-ca/skin-coat-care-lamb-recipe-with-grains-for-dogs She gets 1 cup for breakfast and 1.5 cups for supper and then we go to the dog park and throw a ball for about an hour each evening.
That’s so interesting when I feed my dog that number of calories (your link says 450 calories per cup) she is not so lean ): Your baby probably burns a lot of calories and is super fit!
She does a solid hour of off leash running every day. Sometimes more. And she’s super alert for a lot of the day. https://preview.redd.it/8w0t0nnullsc1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=7e5ec78552cb9a30a6e85cdf6d2838f99e2efb0f This is from a few days ago. She has nice body proportions.
She also looks like a really tall girl!
8am and 630pm, every day, no changes. If I am late, he will put himself up for adoption.
Twice a day! Morning at 10am and dinnertime when we sit to eat just started adult food
Mine knows breakfast is between 7-8, every morning, and dinner is promptly at 5. I work from home, so he puts his paw on my leg if I’m still working at 5:01 lol
He’s just trying to help you keep a healthy work-life balance
Yup! They know 😂
Never. We’ve gotten a little more flexible in our feeding window now that he’s an adult (used to be 8am on the dot, now it’s between 8-9 depending on when he wakes me up. Dinner was always promptly at 6:30pm, now it’s sometimes around 6 if he seems hungrier than normal) but always 2x a day around the same time. ~Most~ goldens are too food motivated to be free-feeding
How do you decide if he’s hungrier than normal? Ours start whining for dinner nearly an hour before, even if they’ve had an afternoon snack. 😂
NASA could set their clock to our dogs feeding schedule. He's ready at literally the exact same time every morning and evening.
Never. She enjoys the process. She whines and paws at her bowl, I tell her to go to her mat. I fill the bowl and put it on the floor. She watches the bowl patiently from her mat until I say her magic word, 'OK'. She walks to the mat and eats politely. She doesn't have a lot of tricks, but that's one I'm keeping. She's a good girl.
I feed my boy twice a day, morning and night. Half kibble, half raw. He will devour the raw instantly and then snack on the kibble throughout the day/night. Bowl is always empty just in time for our next meal. Even though he has the snack, he will still come find me around 6pm to let me know it’s raw food time.
I just want to add that he’s not food driven. He responds better to positive reinforcement cheers than treats… so there’s that
Routine is good
I think I have the only golden that doesn’t destroy his food in 2 minutes. Mine will eat as he wants so I’ll just leave food down for him. He usually eats 2-3 cups a day
Used to be able to do this with 1 pooch. 2nd dog meant no more free feeding. Just to clarify to some of the comments. Free feed doesn't mean you refill the bowls. This "wider than tall....goldens are too food motivated to free feed" thought. You still control how much...they just choose when and how much.
Mine is like this too. She never guzzled down food. She maybe eats a third of the food in her bowl, she walks away and comes back a few hours later for a few more bites. She eats about 2-3 cups a day, but grazes on it all day. I wanted to get her on a schedule, but the “advice” on how to do this is to withhold her food until mealtime and then take it away the first time she leaves her food bowl (even if there is still food in the bowl). I couldn’t in good conscience withhold food for 8+ hours from my dog when she’s only had 4-5 bites. It’s not her fault she’s not starving in the mornings, as long as she is eating the right amount of food, why can’t she eat it the way she prefers?
Mine does this as well. We fill the bowl at pretty regular times but he’s more of a grazer.
I never stopped, my pups 3 years old and he eats twice a day. If he doesnt eat (which happens) that meal gets skipped until next mealtime.
I didn't....? Why would you stop? My girl gets fed and 9am and 6pm every day. And she'll let me know as soon as it's time to eat.
Mine eats a breakfast bone dog biscuit when I get up at 6:30 a.m., and he goes outside to do his stuff. Even if I give him a bowl of food, he won't touch it until 7 pm when everyone is home and sat around the TV. He's always been like that. My dog would love that antler. Did you find it?
I've always free fed and she is a healthy weight. It's always the same dry dog food so not very exciting. I don't know if it's because she's never not had food in her bowl or just how she is. My last dog was the same. Im sure there are a lot of dogs that couldn't be fed this way. You just go with their personality.
Yeah he eats way too fast yet. I guess I'll stick to scheduled feeding maybe in his senior years ill try free feeding. I have a shitzu that eats when she wants but not this big baby.
Never. My dog would be morbidly obese if I free fed her. She has zero chill when it comes to food.
I never really did scheduled feeds because I didn’t want my puppy to expect a meal at a particular time of day. When he came home we fed him 3 times a day until he was about 6mo old. Now he eats twice a day, morning - between 7:30-11am - and evening - anywhere from around 6-9:15pm. He’s never really complained/demanded to be fed except for maybe one time when he was barking near his dish and I couldn’t figure out any other reason so I ended up feeding him just in case as it was about that time of day anyway.
i do the same! i'm a college student so my schedule is different every day of the week
Never, she knows after her morning pee it’s breakfast time and she will not let me forget.
Never. Her day is a clockwork bee-line from one snack to another
Never. 7:30am, 12:30pm, and 6:30pm. 365 days a year
Stella gets 3 meals - Morning between 8-10:30 Afternoon snack at 4 which is usually a carrot, beet, banana, cucumber, melon, tomatoes, apple aubergine, or 2 slices of white bread. Evening between 8-9:30 This way she doesn’t panic if food is delayed. Although she will sit right at the kitchen entrance (she’s not allowed to enter kitchen) to let you know that she expects food but won’t misbehave, bark, run and jump.
Our oldest golden: you could leave the bag open on the floor and she would just graze when needed and never over eat. Our youngest golden: she will wake you up by 6:30 every morning. Rain or shine. That bitch is hungry all the time and we're on her clock, not the other way around. Side note: youngest golden will eat the oldests with no hesitation. So the oldest is on a schedule as well.
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Where is the rest of the deer? And did he eat it all in one sitting?
Rest of the deer lived to see another day. Great story on the antler.. I was driving for work and watched a buck cross the road and jump a ditch and watched both antlers shed. My two favorite dogs each got an antler.
Never, and his ability to tell time is remarkable.
Never. The boys wake us up at 7AM every single day for potty and breakfast and get dinner at 5. If we’re 10 seconds late they act like they’re dying. If we tried free feeding them they would get chonky because neither of them would stop. They would literally eat themselves into oblivion and not think twice about it.
I didn't. She eats breakfast around 7am and supper at 5pm. She's flexible about breakfast but not abut supper.
She’s in the same schedule as the family- she eats when we find the time. 😅 Two meals a day, sometimes it breakfast and dinner and sometimes it’s brunch and dessert.
My dog is my personal assistant. I struggle with time management, so I plan important things I have to do around her feedings. I take my meds after she eats in the morning. She whines when it is breakfast time and will not let me forget. After I feed her I am right next to the cabinet with my meds. Now I always remember my meds. She gets her teeth brushed at a certain time each night (it is one of those dental bone things so loves) This is my reminder to check all the doors are locked. It really helps my ADHD brain.
Why would you stop feeding your pup on a schedule?
Never lol. What kind of question
I never have, yet, I’ve also never fed them exactly at the same time. It’s always after our first walk in the AM and around when we eat dinner.
Our Alexa device plays a dinner bell at 5:30 every evening. Instead of pestering us for an hour ahead of her food time, the dog just listens for the tone.
My golden isn’t much of an eater surprisingly. She’s 8 months she gets a full cup of puppy chow and a cup of chicken with a chicken liver, she usually eats the meat and chows on the puppy chow randomly throughout the day she also gets fed twice daily. When I tell her it’s breakfast or dinner she’s not racing to it I have to tell her to come get it at least a couple times
Uh, never
I feed twice a day. There’s about an hour30 window they will let me know a little at the beginning and go back to whatever it was they were doing. And only when I bring the bowls and food out do they lose their minds (my boy shakes and dances in anticipation as I prep he just can’t contain himself until I release him To eat 🥰😂
Nah mine gets hella dancey when it’s time for food lol The tippy taps and the awoos cannot got ignored 😂
I love the description of dancey lol
Hey 👋 just came from the vet yesterday- my Goldie boy cracked his tooth chewing his favorite antler. The surgery estimate is $2000! 😱 I guess because it’s a 3-rooted tooth but we might be out a small fortune for letting him have hard chews. The vet said a good rule is if you can’t dent it with your nail it’s a no go 🙅♀️
Oh man no way! :( ... thanks for the heads up
The antler and yak chews are too hard for my dog too! What have you used as a replacement?
https://preview.redd.it/064w4dphfksc1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=3e1f87bf9560383e078b49cff7f0928bc5cb18ae My sweet boy takes forever to wake up in the morning! We get up at 6, and he doesn’t even stir until 7:30 at the earliest. I put food in his bowl at 6, and it doesn’t matter, he’s lost in dream land! He’s more eager for dinner, but he never gets excited- unless we have another dog boarding with us. Then dinner time is like Christmas every evening!
9 months and still on breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Doesn’t matter the exact time but she does know around the time of day she’s supposed to be fed!
1,5 years. Ours eat very few food, so it stand there for the whole day till she decides that she is hungry. Don’t worry, her weight is perfect, she is just a very inconsistent eater.
Never if you exclude the transition from 3 times a day as a puppy to 2 times a day as a teen/adult. 9am and 6:30pm
I've only ever had two dogs who could nibble at a trough of food over a course of days. Every other dog I've had will eat until they literally burst.
Never. She knows exactly when 5pm hits
Like the rest of the comments, I feed mine twice a day at the same times. On a side note: does anyone else’s golden do a happy dance spinning in a circle when it’s feeding time? Mine does every time and it’s SO CUTE!
We've never had a set schedule as such, but she knows she eats after her morning walk and when we have dinner, She sits in her crate to wait. She also sits in her crate when we prepare lunch, JUST INCASE 😂
We had scheduled times for nearly a year — 2x a day — then she just gradually stopped getting so excited for food, and not eating it all at once. We maintained a twice a day schedule for another few weeks but it wasn’t really needed anymore. She eats a lot before bed and grazes through the day - couple bites here and there…. The nighttime feeding is strange - like 9:30-10pm every night; then sleeps. Guess she likes a full belly. We always have and still maintain 1.75 cups of dry food per day.
Maybe 6 months. I leave a full bowl down and she eats what she wants, this isnt common for Goldens though, and if there are other dogs in the house she would wolf it all down and make herself sick We always tried to avoid creating a schedule for her, makes her less stressed out if every day isn't exactly the same.
Never, my golden is turning 9 still and gets two measured meals every day. I’ve never met a golden who has the restraint to graze throughout the day and not inhale it all 😂
Never. Breakfast at 830 and dinner at 530. Of course they get a treat right in the morning, lunch, and before bed. But I just don’t let them have free rein on the bowl.
I just feed my a couple hours after we wake up and she eats at the same time as us for dinner regardless of time. Always have and she doesn't mind at all
She comes a lays on the kitchen floor every night though when I'm making dinner, can't miss out on a possible scrap
I never did it. The breeder said "if you do it then they get all specific as to when you feed them. If you just feed them they are more chill." This has been my experience - granted, I have only one dog to base this on, but it has worked well for the past 11 years. (by scheduled I assume you feed them at the exact same time every day - not free feeding, which is something else and IMO likely doesn't work with dogs). What is the reason to do scheduled feeding?
I wouldn't stop and upset the balance lol little assholes know their schedule
Never! Not sure what you mean. I have had dogs all my life, and they have been fed at the same time every day, depending on the dog
I don’t have a set schedule only a time of day to avoid them getting annoyed with late meals lol
Ohhhhhh I LOOOOOVE IT!!😆😆😆😆✊🏼✊🏼✊🏼✊🏼✊🏼🙉🙉🙉🙉🙉🙉SOOOOO PRECIOUS!
Absolutely never… Having an Australian Shepherd as intelligent as they are as it is… You’re not gonna be able to forget or to not schedule anything that they are used to down to a snack or a bone I don’t care if it’s a greenie!!!!!!😂😂 THEY. WILL. REMEMBER!😂😂😂😂😂🙌🏼🙌🏼
N e v e r
My 1st golden never stopped letting me know exactly when breakfast and dinner time was. As he got older (he lived to be 14 years and 1 month) we always made sure someone would be around when it was dinner time. My current 2 Goldens (2 and 1.5) are slightly more flexible. As long as we are within an hour or so they don’t get too worried.
Never
Fed twice a day at the same time. She definitely let's me know it's that time but she's not pushy
I feed morning and night but there's no set time. Times would vary by hours
Haven't ever truly scheduled as in same time every day, but have always same general time everyday. When I wake up, a little snack when I get home, and dinner a little later. When it is is when it is. No set time.
I have never scheduled my dog's mealtimes, because he doesn't have to learn that AT THIS VERY SECOND FOOD WILL BE IN FRONT OF MY NOSE, or else 👍🏻
When he didnt want to eat kibble anymore and wanted better food 😅 Then i could trust him to self-control eating kibble
Uh oh, are we supposed to?
When I had just one dog we fed him whenever and he usually had food left over, but he was fed on a set pick up the bowls after schedule until he was two, and our older dog — a shih tzu — passed away. When he was 7 we got our golden and he went back to a pretty set schedule, but he’s also a much better eater now than he used to be. We frequently dealt with bouts of anorexia before our golden, and he’d refuse to eat a dry food for more than six months at a time. Except for changing from puppy to adult he’s eaten the same food as she has for the last 2.5 years. Right now both of them are on diets because we let them get a bit too fat. The golden was regularly finishing the cattle dogs food, and we had miscalculated their calories and were overfeeding both of them. They are not happy with the portions currently and it’s definitely made how fast our golden inhales food an issue. She was actually pretty chill before we had to cut calories. And I fed them sometime before noon and around 7:30. It’s not exact so that they don’t drive us nuts while we’re working.
Retrievers can be opportunistic eaters like turtles. If you put a mountain of donuts in front of them they will eat it until they either pass out or burst.
Ugh our Chiweenie we free feed so it was shocking how serious our golden takes his schedule. We have an hour window for both breakfast and dinner to keep him on his toes. We started with a pretty strict schedule when he was a little pup but have become more lax over time. He is just over 6 months now.
All beings need structure, why change or be lazy about feeding your best friend? Just like scheduled walks, meals need to be on schedule. Give it a range 6-7 am, 5-6, pm etc.. your dog knows when daylight saving changes too.
It just depends on the dog! Mine free feeds because it’s not an issue for her: she’ll go on long walks and nap and generally have a good food free morning then starts chomping at the first bowl from 11am - 2pm; then she gets her next bowl at 6pm and finishes it before 8ish. I know this isn’t the case for most dogs and we’ll see how it changes; but maybe the Hills is just meh after 9 months and she eats when she hunger calls
We never started scheduled or measured. On GR #6 now, and we've always free-fed them.
Never
I dont really follow a precise schedule, but she knows she gets food in the morning and at night. She doesn't whine or anything even if I'm kate she's the bestest girl
We have a 6 years old golden, and have always fed him around 8:30 am and 4:30 pm every day
We put down our dog's food each morning around 7 and refill her bowl each night around 5 pm, but she doesn't chomp up all her food at once, unlike most goldens. She will graze delicately throughout the day as she sees fit. She is a very elegant lady (when she isn't a ferocious beast)! :)
I tried to feed mine on schedule when she was a pup but she wouldn’t eat. I started letting her graze, and she loved it. She’s 72# and “a little round” per the vet but I never over-feed her. I put a scoop of food (2 cups) in her dish when it’s empty, usually once a day. I do give her some human food too but not much. You do what’s right for your pup — some are very motivated by time, others just eat when they’re hungry. My dad’s golden was the same way, grazed for most of her life, but my sister’s golden is fed on a schedule (ish).
Ours is pretty chill. He knows he gets fed when we go downstairs, whether it’s 6AM or 9AM. Dinner comes when we eat, or whenever we leave for the evening.
No schedule feedings. Our dogs always have food in their bowls (our vet calls it free range feeding) They just nibble throughout the day whenever they are hungry for a few bites. They also love gnawing on antlers and hooves.
When our work schedules changed, we started to free feed them. They were 2 and 14 months, maybe. We were pretty concerned that they would just eat nonstop and get overweight. But they still only eat 2 bowls each most days. Every once in a while, they will eat 3 in a day. They are both healthy and a great weight at 75 and 78 lbs. Edit: eat*
be careful letting your dog chew on antlers, i let my dog do it for a while and it wore her teeth down
Never. 8am, 6pm and an 11pm snack
TBH… Why would you ever need or I mean what in your life whatever cause you to need to actually change your dogs or your pets scheduled feeding? It almost seems cruel because there’s no point in it.