Is my dog feeding thinking right?

Alfasudcrazy

I have two doberman pups - both now 15 weeks old. I don't have regular feeding times for my dogs as such as I am out and about during the day so I just put a good bit of food in their dish in the morning and the dogs nibble away as and when they please during the day. I think this is a good idea as (a) I don't have to keep feeding them at regular times and (b) the dogs feel comfortable that there is always food available when they want it so don't gorge themselves as they would if left hungry until fed and it seems to me do not over eat either. Anyone any opinions if I am doing the right thing?

Ruu_Old

As long as you are sure that one isn't eating more than the other. They are young so they need plenty of food but make sure they don't get too fat.

Gillie

Dogs will eat when they are hungry.
The fact they are the same age is good. You will be able to notice if one of them is putting on more weight than the other.
I would say your method is fine.

Lurk

My vet (the nice Burns guy off the radio) told me about a year ago that among two dogs, one can be territorial about space, whereas the other can be territorial about food. It means that the food-alpha dog eats less than the other, as it knows that it has first choice whenever it wants. The other grabs the food whenever it can, so it actually becomes a little fatter. It's perfectly normal once they're both within the standard size range.

Alfasudcrazy

My two can eat the dried dog food happily out of the same dish with no problems. The only time they start fighting is if one has a bone and the other doesn't - but I would expect any dog to do that.

Why I asked was on some bags of dog food they list the quantity to be given at each meal - the amounts quoted seem incredibly small. My thinking is that a well fed dog is always a happy dog - once its not getting fat of course.

EGAR

Just be careful what you feed them, especially the protein content. You don't want them to grow too fast as this can invite possible health problems like OCD.

Alfasudcrazy

Thanks - what is the correct protein content as I don't know? What is OCD?

EGAR

Hi,

Osteochondritis Dissecans (OCD), is a syndrome of an immature joint characterized by an abnormal thickening of the cartilage. There often exists either tears in the cartilage or actual flaps of cartilage separated from the bone. There could also be fragments floating around in the joint called joint mice. OCD occurs in rapidly growing breeds who weigh in excess of fifty pounds. So you need to keep the protein content between 18 and 20 % to keep them from growing too fast. It mostly occurs in Mastiffs etc but I have had 2 DM here who had it...