HOW OFTEN SHOULD I FEED MY DOG?

How often you feed your dog depends on their age to a large extent.

Puppies under 3 months of age should be fed at least four times a day. Puppies between 3 and 5 months of age should be given three meals a day. Adult dogs can be fed once, twice or three times a day.

Dogs are creatures of habit. Much of the anticipation of their daily routine is based around their feeding times, so establish a feeding schedule and stick to it. A good time to feed your dog is during the family meals. This will occupy them while you are eating.

A feeding routine makes any food transition, either necessary for health reasons or simply for variety’s sake, easier on both you and your dog. When your dog is used to eating at the same times each day, their body learns to expect their meals at those times.

After 8-10 hours your dog’s stomach begins telling them they are hungry. If their routine is set for increased hunger followed by meals at regular times, then transitioning to a new food will often be a painless and easy transition.

Feeding at intervals longer than 12 hours can lead to your dog’s stomach becoming hyperacidic and cause them to experience feelings of nausea.

It is important that no matter the feeding routine you choose for your dog that they consume the correct number of calories each day – divide their total required daily calorie needs by the number of meals they enjoy each day and feed them this amount each day.

Feeding them in excess of their needs is likely to make controlling your dog's weight difficult and lead to them being overweight, worse still obese, potentially leading to inflammation and chronic disease, both of which are extremely damaging to their health and wellbeing.