# how to train a dog to eat on a schedule if he's been free fed his whole life?



## AquaClaraCanines (Mar 5, 2006)

This is VERY easy.

Put food down twice a day for 10 minutes and then take it away, eaten or not. Do not mix anything in it or anything. Believe, your dog will learn to eat in a day or two.


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## AquaClaraCanines (Mar 5, 2006)

PS either Eagle Pack or Canidae is good... MUCH MUCH better than Pedigree (yuck)


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## Elway&Prince (Sep 6, 2007)

Should I start that from day one? I don't want him to be too upset with all the changes. I don't know which I would like to feed. I guess I'm just gonna have to see what he does better on. I want him to get on a really good food but don't want to rush he'll come home with like half a big bag of pedigree and than when he's almost done with that I'll switch to something better.


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## GoldenJoyx'stwo (Feb 25, 2007)

Shadow was free fed his first year with us. When we got Tucker we had to stop free feeding. Tucker was overweight and to this day is food obsessed. Bailey (I dog-sit for him) eats on our schedule when he comes here. He has no issue with our feeding schedule at all!

You can start mixing his pedigree with what you are now feeding.


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## Brandy's Mom (Oct 5, 2005)

Start it from day one on the feeding schedule. If you ease into things, then he'll think he can push you on the house rules. Let him know from the start that this is what will be expected. 

Believe me, the love you give him will more than compensate for any confusion (NOT upset) over the changes to his routine. 

As for changing the food: change it over gradually. I usually do it over the course of about a week.


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## harlowsmom (Feb 25, 2007)

I would start the scheduled feeding from the begining. Also I would pick one of the foods as opposed to seeing which he does better on. The less changes with food, the better! Don't wait until the pedrigree is almost gone, because you'll want to be mixing the foods. Start very slowly with mostly pedigree and a small amount of the new food. Than over time change the ratio until he's eating all new food.


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## Goldilocks (Jun 3, 2007)

I think you may find that once there are two dogs in the house, he will eat when the other dog eats for fear of losing it. My brother's Golden usually doesn't eat his breakfast portion until sometime around 4:00 (his choosing) or picks at it all day long when he's at home. He also has a bizarre "circle the kitchen 5 times and think about whether or not I want to eat" routine when food is put out for him. However, when he's been at my house with our dogs, he gobbles up his meal the second it's put down and he eats like he's starving. We have also been on his turf with our dogs and it's the same situation - he eats his food immediately, and no antics.


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## Elway&Prince (Sep 6, 2007)

Thanks! I'll start from the day we get him than. They also mentioned he may be a tad overweight but I plan on getting out for some walks and I'm hoping that feeding him on a schedule, and feeding him a little less than reccomended for his weight should help that one.

He has been housed with two smaller dogs so I'm guessing they are all free fed.

I just don't know if I want to feed Eagle Pack large breed senior or Canidae senior. I mean I know they are both good foods but I think I am leaning more towards feeding the Eagle Pack senior formula because I feed my two now the Eagle Pack large breed puppy formula. My husband always likes the Canidae though (I think more so for the cost).


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## kalkid (Feb 22, 2007)

Not to start a dog food war again but for what it's worth the Canidae senior is rated much higher than the Eagle pack senior in terms of quality of ingredients. 5 star recommended vs. 3 star not recommended. Or feeding all three of them Canidae All Life Stages may be an option if you're trying to stick with just one food.

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## Elway&Prince (Sep 6, 2007)

kalkid said:


> Not to start a dog food war again but for what it's worth the Canidae senior is rated much higher than the Eagle pack senior in terms of quality of ingredients. 5 star recommended vs. 3 star not recommended. Or feeding all three of them Canidae All Life Stages may be an option if you're trying to stick with just one food.
> 
> Dog Food Reviews - Main Index - Powered by ReviewPost


Actually my two were on the canidae chicken meal and rice and after about 4 months or so they started getting really runny poop and just decided they didn't like the taste of it anymore which is why we switched to the eagle pack.

I am so confused about what to feed him now I like both foods I'll probably start with the canidae senior formula though that's what my husband likes.


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## Maggies mom (Jan 6, 2006)

Crazydog said:


> Thanks! I'll start from the day we get him than. They also mentioned he may be a tad overweight but I plan on getting out for some walks and I'm hoping that feeding him on a schedule, and feeding him a little less than reccomended for his weight should help that one.
> 
> He has been housed with two smaller dogs so I'm guessing they are all free fed.
> 
> I just don't know if I want to feed Eagle Pack large breed senior or Canidae senior. I mean I know they are both good foods but I think I am leaning more towards feeding the Eagle Pack senior formula because I feed my two now the Eagle Pack large breed puppy formula. My husband always likes the Canidae though (I think more so for the cost).


Give him green beans along with his food..... If he is use to eating 2 cups a day give him one and 1/3 cup of the green beans ..it is a filler and he will eat less..with the walks he will lose the weight in no time


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## Elway&Prince (Sep 6, 2007)

Maggies mom said:


> Give him green beans along with his food..... If he is use to eating 2 cups a day give him one and 1/3 cup of the green beans ..it is a filler and he will eat less..with the walks he will lose the weight in no time


I told my husband we should feed him green beans and he almost puked:yuck:! Vegetables are like posion to him! I'll try them and see how he does can I feed him frozen ones or canned does it matter? I guess he eats like 7 cups of pedigree a day!


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## GoldenJoyx'stwo (Feb 25, 2007)

Crazydog said:


> I told my husband we should feed him green beans and he almost puked:yuck:! Vegetables are like posion to him! I'll try them and see how he does can I feed him frozen ones or canned does it matter? I guess he eats like 7 cups of pedigree a day!


Just make sure they are *unsalted!*


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## AquaClaraCanines (Mar 5, 2006)

Seven cups of Pedigree per day? GOOD GOD! That dog must be morbidly obese, and must poop six times a day!

That's INSANE... that's more food than ALL OF MY DOGS COMBINED eat in a day!


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## GoldenJoyx'stwo (Feb 25, 2007)

AquaClaraCanines said:


> Seven cups of Pedigree per day? GOOD GOD! That dog must be morbidly obese, and must poop six times a day!
> 
> That's INSANE... that's more food than ALL OF MY DOGS COMBINED eat in a day!


Holy crap! LOL Tucker gets two cups of Canidae Plantium a day. Shadow gets a lot. He eats almost 4 cups, not quite, of Canidae Lamb. I can't keep weight on him.


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## AquaClaraCanines (Mar 5, 2006)

Well, Epic gets two... Rigby eats raw so he doesn't get kibble, but if he did, he'd only get one cup... so that's three... Keira gets two... so that's five... Chrissy only gets one, plus some other stuff (ie green beans), and the IG puppy only eats 1/3 cup twice a day! (She weighs six pounds). Of course my dogs eat way better food than Pedigree, but it's actually that high carb cheap stuff that in my experience packs the pounds on...


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## Maggies mom (Jan 6, 2006)

Crazydog said:


> I told my husband we should feed him green beans and he almost puked:yuck:! Vegetables are like posion to him! I'll try them and see how he does can I feed him frozen ones or canned does it matter? I guess he eats like 7 cups of pedigree a day!


Either is fine.... Unsalted..... I usually buy the can ones..... Even tho all mine are at there right weight I still give them green beans.... OMG............ 7 cups.... that dog can stand to go to 1 cup in the am and 1 in the pm.....


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## Elway&Prince (Sep 6, 2007)

Yeah she told me thats how much is put in his bowl. She did say that he could probably stand to lose a couple pounds but I have a feeling it's going to be a little more than a couple.


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