Are you wondering if your dog is hungry by lunchtime after eating a scoop of dog food in the morning? A healthy dog will let you know when it is hungry. It’s a good sign when the dog sits in the kitchen staring at you while you make food for yourself. Read on for tips for Feeding Your Dog Healthy.
Choosing when to eat
An active, healthy dog will decide on its own when to eat. Fill the dog’s bowl with dog food daily and fill their water bowl. The dog will choose when to eat. I have found that the dog will eat a little throughout the day. The bowl is empty—Ready for more.
This works well for one dog that doesn’t have any competition. However, the food bowl becomes a territory with multiple dogs in the same house. If this is your situation, put out two bowls and separate them. Maybe put one bowl in the kitchen and one in the bathroom or on opposite sides of one room.
I’ve had multiple dogs, and sometimes, one dog will eat the food out of the other dog’s bowl while you’re not looking and then stand guard by theirs.
This method works best with dry dog food. You can leave food out all day, and it won’t spoil.
Suppose your dog or dog stays outside—just feed and water once a day.
One downside to feeding outside or in a garage is rodents. Rodents like mice, rats, and raccoons love dog food. They will sneak in and get the food as often as they can, and mice and rats will find places to store it.
While spring cleaning the garage, I found an old boot in the corner full of dog food and moldy. Another place I have found food is in the heater vents in your car. I’m unsure how the mice got in there, but food was in the heating ducts. You could hear it rolling back and forth when rounding corners. The heated air had a slight dog smell. You got to love your dogs.
Food quality
Before we move on, let’s talk about food quality. The quality of food will determine how much your dog eats. Getting the cheapest food in a fifty-pound bag to feed your dog daily is tempting. Providing the most inexpensive food to your dog is like eating fast food for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. After a while, you don’t feel so good. Your dog is the same. The nutritional value isn’t there. So, the dog eats more, trying to compensate for the lack of nutrition.
Do some research on types of food. Look for high-quality food; it will improve the dog’s health in the long run.
Low-quality food will seem less expensive in the short run, but your dog’s health will suffer later in life. So, pay for the higher quality food, and you’ll be glad you did it in the long term.
Another way to feed is to control portions. Suppose your dog is overweight or doesn’t do well deciding independently. This method will be more work for you, but it’s worth the effort if your dog has a health issue. Look up the amount of food a dog should eat by weight. Most manufacturers have this information printed on the back of the bag.
Dog treats are a great way to reward your dog. But use it in small quantities. Break up the treat into small pieces to use for training. There is nothing wrong with giving your dog treats because you love them.