Free Feeding a Boston Terrier?

How much food should an 8 wk old puppy eat?? He will consume every morsel in the bowl if I do not take it away from him. He will eat so much his belly is very bloated. I was hoping to free feed him like my other dog but I am thinking that I will not be able to.

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Free Feeding a Boston Terrier?

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May 26, 2011
 feeding
by: Linda Galway/TurnerME

My two Bostons would eat way more than they should if I used the self-feeding method; therefore, we give them two, 1/4-cup meals of mini-chunks kibble daily, and they love it. We top that off with a "Duckie" for dessert, one of the small, thin pieces of dried duck jerky. Occasionally, they will get some cut up meat on the kibble, but that's only when it's available. We purchase those small, gumball-style biscuits from the pet store so that every time they get a biscuit, it's tiny and, essentially, portion controlled. You could also just use their kibble pieces as treats, if you prefer. Daily walks whenever possible use up some excess Boston energy and keep them in shape.
May 26, 2011
 EATS TOO MUCH?
by: Anonymous

We have used the same process with every dog we have ever had. We never let food sit around all day in their bowls. We feed them twice a day.......putting food in their dish at feeding time only. They come running because they are hungry. We have water available in a dish all the time. Because thy aren't grazing all day, they are hungry and lick the bowl clean when they are fed. That also helps with their house breaking, as they eat and then go outside just as soon as they have finished eating. Like clockwork. They do receive treats during the day when they have been good with going out to do their business.
Hope this works for you.
May 26, 2011
 Gobble Dog
by: Mary

+
We bought the Boston Care book and it says in the morning to put down a bowl of food (I would measure the amount-like put in one cup of food)and let your puppy eat for 15 minutes. After 15 minutes pick up the bowl and do not feed him again until the afternoon. In the afternoon do the same procedure. Then in the Evening do that same thing again. (Three times a day). After a couple of days you will get an idea of how much your puppy eats. You can also only feed twice a day (That's what we did). Our dogs eat 1/2 cup of dry food in the morning and 1/2 cup of dry food at night. That is all and they are not fat nor skinny. The vet says they are in perfect shape. One of our females actually gets 3/4 cup in the morning and 3/4 at night because she is more active than the others and eats like crazy. She is even thinner that the other two but eats a little more. If I would put down a bowl of food two of my bostons would eat the whole thing...heck they would eat 12 bowls and pop open! They are now 4 and 5 years old and we still feed them twice a day. The book said that eventually some dogs only want to eat once a day and in that case ours would probably eat a whole cup of food at the one feeding.

This procedure worked for us and has for over 4 years. I do know some people who keep a bowl of dry food on the floor the whole day and fill it back up when needed. I didn't like the idea of food always being available because it changes their potty times also. It just so happens that if their feeding is on a set schedule their potty breaks become habitual too! Also, other critters like to eat dog food too, like ants, bugs, and baby grand-daughters! But find out what works best for you and do that because the happier you are the happier your pup will be!

Good Luck!

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