Should you feed your dog on a daily schedule? Yes! And here are a half-dozen reasons why.
1. Who wants to eat stale food? No one. But leaving food out in a bowl makes food stale. Keeping food in a sealed container or bag before it’s time to serve a meal, keeps food fresh and tasty.
2. Food left out attracts flies, ants, and other insects. Flies lay eggs, which turn into larvae. Feeding your dog on a routine schedule with portion control keeps your dog’s food free of insects and parasites.
3. When a dog doesn’t feel well, they generally eat less or not at all. You will notice your dog’s well-being by their intake. If your pup isn’t eating normally, then time for a veterinarian visit.
4. When housetraining a dog or puppy, the pooch should be on a routine feeding schedule. This will regulate the time of output so you can plan for the where of output.
5. Dogs love treats just like people do. When using portion control to feed your dog, you can hold back on a regular meal if your dog is having a big snack day.
6. Portioning your dog’s food out and serving it up two or three times each day will control calorie intake. Add exercise and play time to that to keep your dog fit physically and mentally because free-feeding can lead to an overweight dog.
Most people have routine schedules, so choosing to feed our pets to coordinate with our schedules keeps everyone on track. Generally, with older puppies (6 months and older), a twice-a-day schedule is suitable. Younger puppies generally need a 3-time-a-day feeding schedule.
If you need help with housetraining your dog or pup, contact me. I do 2-week and 3-week board-and-train kick starts and can also accommodate clients who need housetraining lessons on-line.
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Helen Verte Schwarzmann
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Certified in Training and Counseling
Certified Pet Dog Trainer-Knowledge Assessed
Certified Trick Dog Instructor
AKC STAR Puppy, CGC, and Trick Dog Trainer and Evaluator
Your Board-and-Train Dog Trainer for southwest Florida, Cape Coral, Fort Myers, Naples, Collier county, Lee county
