Healthy Feeding Schedule: 7 Steps for Dogs

[Music] 0:09 let's talk about 0:11 feeding schedules and why this is such 0:13 an important foundation for your dog's 0:15 overall well-being 0:17 if you're in the habit of cycling 0:19 through new types of dog foods or trying 0:21 to bribe your dog to eat with a long 0:23 list of extra toppings and you still 0:26 can't get your dog 0:27 excited for their main meal this video 0:30 is for you 0:31 the novelty of new foods usually works 0:33 for a short time before dogs revert back 0:36 to being disinterested 0:37 so what can be done to get dogs 0:39 genuinely excited about 0:41 meal time let's start with a simple 0:43 question first 0:44 [Music] 0:50 how important is it for our dogs to be 0:52 on a feeding schedule 0:54 a good feeding schedule can have a 0:56 positive impact on your dog's physical 0:58 emotional and behavioral health the 1:01 nutrients that are found in your dog's 1:02 main meals 1:03 can help their brains function better 1:06 this means that good eating habits can 1:08 improve your dog's ability to learn 1:10 and can help to regulate their mood poor 1:13 eating habits can lead to dogs that are 1:15 either 1:15 under or overweight dogs that are not at 1:18 their ideal weight 1:19 are prone to weakened immune systems 1:22 skin infections 1:23 and may be more susceptible to diseases 1:26 leaving food available throughout the 1:28 day can devalue food 1:30 and could lead to a dog that is not 1:32 motivated in training 1:33 or a dog that is less likely to engage 1:36 with food in more challenging training 1:38 scenarios 1:40 last but not least if you know that your 1:42 dog is typically excited for each meal 1:44 then you will also have a better 1:46 indication of when they are sick 1:47 because you will see an immediate change 1:50 in their appetite 1:54 you'll know right away that you need to 1:55 schedule an appointment with your vets 1:58 this indicator is less clear for a dog 2:00 that is not on a healthy eating schedule 2:08 why won't they eat first off 2:11 know that dog food bags usually 2:12 recommend that you provide 2:14 more food to your dog than they actually 2:17 need 2:17 or want it's possible that some dog food 2:20 companies 2:21 view the food as a product and they 2:23 simply want you to use more of their 2:25 product 2:26 if you use more you'll also buy more 2:29 one dog food company was cited in an 2:31 article by lisa freeman 2:33 a veterinary nutritionist at cummings 2:36 veterinary medical center at tufts 2:38 university 2:39 as recommending 61 percent more 2:42 food than a dog would actually need 2:45 lisa freeman also notes that feeding 2:47 directions can leave 2:48 a lot of room for interpretation feeding 2:51 charts are usually written in this way 2:54 dogs between 0 to 15 pounds should eat 2:58 one half to one cup per day this leaves 3:01 a lot of room for error in trying to 3:03 determine 3:04 the appropriate amount another point to 3:06 consider 3:07 is that every dog is unique you could 3:09 take 100 dogs that are all 3:11 50 pounds and they will require 3:13 different quantities of food to maintain 3:15 their ideal body condition 3:22 how do we find the right quantity 3:26 if you're trying to determine how much 3:28 food your dog actually needs simply by 3:30 going off of the feeding directions 3:33 there's a really good chance that you're 3:35 actually over feeding your dog 3:37 it's a better idea to consider these two 3:39 things 3:40 first assess your dog's body condition 3:45 if you have a dog that has long hair or 3:47 a thick coat 3:48 it might look as though they are heavier 3:50 than they actually are 3:52 it's also important to take their breed 3:54 into consideration 3:56 cattle dogs and greyhounds for example 3:58 have different body tapes 4:00 and so looking at their figure alone 4:02 could be misleading 4:03 this might seem pretty obvious for 4:05 purebred dogs but it can get a little 4:07 bit more confusing when we have 4:09 mixed breed dogs the best way to assess 4:12 your dog's body condition 4:14 is to run your hands down your dog's 4:15 back sides 4:17 and hip bones you should just be able to 4:19 feel the outline of their ribs 4:21 and hip bones under a healthy layer of 4:24 fat 4:25 many times people go out of their way to 4:27 get their dog to eat 4:28 more when the reality is their dog is 4:31 actually at a good weight 4:32 even if it's not from an ideal food 4:35 source the calories 4:36 are coming from somewhere second 4:39 listen to your dog if you have a dog 4:42 like my dog fritz who has a bottomless 4:45 stomach 4:46 and is always ready for a second 4:48 breakfast this might not apply 4:50 but if you have a dog like one of my 4:51 terriers and your dog is 4:53 snoozing on the couch when you're 4:55 preparing breakfast 4:57 that could be an indicator that you 4:59 might just be offering them a little bit 5:01 too much food 5:02 the key here is to find that sweet spot 5:05 the amount of food that keeps your dog 5:06 excited at meal times 5:08 maintains a healthy appetite and keeps 5:10 your dog at an ideal weight 5:17 how do i help my dog develop healthy 5:20 eating habits 5:21 here are seven simple steps to get your 5:23 dog on track with healthy eating 5:26 feed high quality dog food look past the 5:30 marketing 5:30 do your research look for a food that is 5:33 healthy for your dog and within your 5:35 budget 5:36 healthier dog foods have fewer fillers 5:38 which means that your dog won't be 5:39 eating as much at each meal 5:41 take this into account when you are 5:43 comparing prices 5:46 use measuring cups 5:52 when feeding dry dog food it's important 5:54 to remember that each of those little 5:56 nuggets is packed with calories 5:58 estimating quantities is a big mistake 6:02 pick up the bowl if your dog walks away 6:05 from their food bowl 6:06 pick it up and then feed them their 6:08 regular portion 6:09 at their next meal don't combine their 6:12 breakfast and dinner 6:13 if they skip their previous meal find 6:16 the sweet spot 6:18 pay attention to how much your dog 6:20 actually wants to eat 6:22 write down how much food they are 6:23 actually eating out of the total 6:25 provided at each meal 6:27 these are your data points average this 6:29 number over the course of a week and use 6:32 that as a rough guideline 6:34 some dogs will eat all of their meal for 6:36 a day or two 6:37 and then stop eating on day two or three 6:40 averaging the quantity your dog eats 6:42 over the course of seven days 6:44 will factor into those fluctuations 6:47 avoid wet toppings i generally avoid 6:51 adding wet toppings or gravy to entice a 6:54 dog to eat more 6:56 this can backfire especially if the 6:59 toppings are paired with an 7:00 overabundance of food it's probably just 7:03 a matter of time before your dog begins 7:04 to turn their nose 7:06 away from that food as well that being 7:08 said it's not wrong to dress up your 7:10 dog's meals 7:11 with more appetizing foods you just have 7:13 to find the right quantity 7:15 first sprinkle in a little love 7:19 follow the steps above to find the right 7:21 quantity of food for your dog 7:23 once you've found that sweet spot you 7:25 can begin to spice up their meals 7:27 by grading in a meat roll like a happy 7:30 howie roll 7:31 grating in the meat roll will allow 7:33 small pieces to fall into the crevices 7:36 of the food your dog will be able to 7:38 smell it and it will stimulate 7:40 a healthy appetite most dogs will find 7:43 it to be a welcome addition to meal time 7:45 happy howie rolls are also a perfect 7:48 training food 7:48 [Music] 7:53 add healthy toppings it's okay to add 7:56 foods like 7:57 carrots apples blueberries 8:01 or broccoli not only is it okay 8:04 it's a really good idea for your dog's 8:06 overall health 8:08 start with small quantities to help them 8:10 acquire a taste for fruits and veggies 8:12 with time you might notice that these 8:14 whole foods become some of their 8:15 favorite snacks 8:19 what if my dog is underweight here are 8:22 four things to consider 8:25 one medical issues 8:27 [Music] 8:29 if you think your dog has a poor 8:30 appetite due to health issues 8:32 make sure you consult your veterinarian 8:36 two less is more animals are 8:39 biologically programmed to feel that 8:41 food that is offered in smaller 8:43 quantities 8:44 is more desirable this means that if you 8:47 provide 8:47 small quantities of food more frequently 8:50 throughout the day 8:51 you'll see your dog's appetite increase 8:54 leaving large quantities of food out 8:56 throughout the day 8:58 usually has the opposite effect 9:01 3 chronic stress 9:03 [Music] 9:04 address chronic stress like that related 9:06 to separation anxiety 9:08 sound sensitivity or other 9:10 stress-related behavioral issues with a 9:12 qualified 9:13 behavior consultant this video i created 9:16 on this korean jindo 9:17 named lucky is a good case study on the 9:20 relationship between 9:21 appetite weight and stress lucky started 9:24 off being extremely 9:26 underweight i trained with him for just 9:28 under four weeks 9:29 in that time his confidence grew his 9:32 appetite 9:33 improved and his weight improved this is 9:36 a common occurrence with dogs that are 9:37 struggling to adapt to their day-to-day 9:39 routine 9:40 and environment four 9:43 hand feeding a lot of dogs will be more 9:46 interested in food when it becomes part 9:49 of a social 9:50 activity sitting down with your dog at 9:52 each meal to hand 9:54 feed meals can help increase their 9:56 interest in eating 9:57 nutritious meals this will be familiar 10:00 to you 10:00 if you've seen my video on hand feeding 10:04 you might also be interested in this 10:06 video i created on 10:08 how food shapes behavior 10:11 [Music] 10:12 tell me about your dog's eating habits 10:14 in the comments below 10:15 and if you like these videos please 10:17 consider subscribing 10:19 thanks for watching 10:33 [Music] 10:51 you