Can dogs eat 3 small meals a day
The Pros And Cons Of Feeding Your Dog Once A Day
The most common feeding schedule for adult dogs is one or two meals daily. I recommend that most people feed their dogs twice a day. But feeding your dog once a day can work well in some circumstances.
The best feeding schedule for your individual dog will depend partly on the type of food you give them. And my advice is based on my own forty years experience of feeding both kibble and raw, to dozens of different dogs.You can check out what I feed my own dogs each day in this article
Considerations
Is it cruel to feed a dog once a day?
The short answer is no. Traditionally almost all adult dogs were fed once a day. This was the norm when I was a kid. The rationale behind this schedule is that dogs are carnivores, and it is natural for them to eat a large amount of food in one go, and then fast for many hours, before eating again.
In those days most dogs were fed on a mixture of canned (wet) dog food, and dog biscuits together with scraps leftover from human meals.
However, most modern dogs are fed on kibble. And with dry food, feeding once a day has some disadvantages. Lets dig into those, and help you decide how often to feed your dog.
Natural feeding patterns
Its true that your dog is genetically almost identical to the wolves from which they descend. Wild wolves or other dog species hunting in groups may bring down a large prey animal, and feast on it. Then not eat for a day or two.
Its also true that dogs have been catching much smaller prey and scavenging from humans for thousands of years, and have adapted well to eating smaller and more frequent meals.
Pros and cons large vs smaller meals
Feeding once a day is convenient. And with a raw diet, it can be safe and satisfactory for most medium to large dogs
The natural diet of a dog, raw meaty bones, organs, eggs, and even invertebrates such as worms and beetles, are all processed very quickly by a dogs digestive system. Its designed perfectly for the job. And because there are no fillers or carbs in this food, it isnt very bulky. Everything is digested with little waste.
With kibble, feeding once a day only, can be problematic for some dogs. Its all to do with the portion size. And of course once daily meals are twice as big as twice daily meals.
Big dogs
It can be risky to feed a large or deep chested dog their whole days ration of kibble in one hit. Thats because these types of dog are more prone to suffering from bloat.
When we feed our dogs on kibble, we are asking the dogs digestion to take on a task that it isnt quite designed for. Along with the protein, fat and minerals that your dog needs, are a lot of bulky fillers.
While the food looks and feels light and compact when you pour it into the bowl, at that point it is completely dehydrated. It starts to swell up inside your dog as soon as they start to drink.
Its worth thinking about what happens to the bowl of kibble your dog just ate, when they head over to their water dish. Try dropping a few pieces into a glass of water to see how much they expand!
Your dog needs that water so dont ration it. But be aware that they can end up with a lot of heavy food sitting in their stomach, and this may increase their risk of suffering from bloat.
Little dogs
Small dogs often need a minimum of two meals per day, in order to feel well. My own Jack Russell terrier will often vomit if she misses her breakfast, and this is quite common in little dogs.
Some small dogs also find it hard to consume enough in one sitting to keep their weight up. So feeding twice a day may be necessary for many dogs weighing much less than around 20lbs.
This rule applies with both raw food and kibble.
Puppies
All puppies need feeding more frequently than adult dogs.
Most kibble fed puppies need at least four meals a day until they are three months old, then three meals a day until six months.
Some raw fed puppies can drop a portion a bit sooner.
Food should be fun
Aside from the health and safety issues around eating kibble, food is a source of great pleasure in our lives, and dogs feel the same way. They enjoy their meals. And look forward to the next one.
Most dogs eat kibble quite fast. Its unusual for a dog to take more than five minutes over their meal. And twenty four hours is a long time for a kibble fed dog to go between meals, especially when the last meal was over so quickly!
Raw meaty bones take a lot of time to consume, and can keep a dog occupied happily for half an hour or more. But even so I think there is a lot of pleasure to be gained if this experience happens twice in each day rather than once.
Which is best? One meal or two?
Your adult dog will most likely thrive whether you divide their daily ration into one meal or two. However, if your dog is large or deep chested, and fed on kibble, I recommend you feed twice daily, dividing that ration into a morning and evening feed.
Obviously, twice daily meals doesnt mean twice the quantity. You feed the same daily ration but divide it into smaller portions
I do think it means twice the fun though!
And while once daily feeding is suitable for all but the smallest raw fed dogs, I feed all my dogs raw, and, twice daily
Let me know what you decide to do!
Im always interested to hear from readers about how they feed their dogs, so do drop a comment in the box below!
Get Pippa's free dog training tips delivered to your inbox
Dog Feeding Schedule for Puppies, Adults & Senior Dogs (Vet-Approved)
The information is current and up-to-date in accordance with the latest veterinarian research.
Learn moreIn addition to determining how much to feed your dog, establishing a feeding schedule can also be very beneficial. This means feeding your dog at roughly the same time every day, according to how many meals they need and how much you need to feed.
Starting a feeding schedule when your pup is a puppy means you both get into a positive routine. It can help with potty training, control picky eating, and better enable you to measure and control how much you feed every day. However, like feeding amount, a feeding schedule needs to be based on several factors, the most important being the age of your dog.
Below, we look at suitable feeding schedules for puppies, adults, and senior dogs. You can tailor these to suit your work or daily timetable, but they provide a good basis to start.
How Much Should My Dog Eat?
How much dogs will eat is highly dependent on the type of food offered and their age, health status, and activity level. When you select a food, look for something AAFCO (Association of American Food Control Officials) approved for your pets life stage; that is, whether they are an adult, puppy, or pregnant/lactating. Generally, these foods will give a feeding guide, but remember this is just a guide and adjustments may have to be made if your pet loses or gains condition. Use a body condition score chart to determine if your dog is over or under-nourished.
Puppy Feeding Schedule
Setting a feeding schedule not only ensures that you spread the total feed amount over the whole day but also gets you and your puppy into the habit of feeding on time, and it can help with house training. The younger the puppy, the more often they will need feeding. The schedule below gives feeding frequency and an approximate timetable you can follow.
| Age | Meals per Day | Meal 1 | Meal 2 | Meal 3 | Meal 4 |
| 812 weeks | 4 | 8:00 AM | 12:00 AM | 4:00 PM | 8:00 PM |
| 36 months | 3 | 8:00 AM | 2:00 PM | 8:00 PM | |
| 6 months+ | 2 | 8:00 AM | 8:00 PM |
Dogs are given puppy food, which contains more calories than adult food and essential vitamins and minerals that are important to the young dogs developing body until they reach around 90% of their full adult body weight. In most cases, this means changing from puppy to adult food when your dog is about 12 months old or when your vet recommends it. Generally, their calorie requirements will also drop after spaying or neutering.
A feeding schedule can help with toilet training. A young puppy will generally need to poop about 15 minutes after eating, but it could be as little as 5 minutes or as long as 30 minutes after. By feeding on a schedule, you can be ready to take your young dog outside when they need to poop, avoiding accidents indoors and allowing you to praise appropriate toileting behavior.
Adult Dog Feeding Schedule
Adult dogs do not need to eat as often as young puppies, but they tend to do best when their daily food allowance is split between two meals. Alternatively, you can feed three meals a day, with the following offering a reasonable schedule for meals. If you do feed three meals a day, it can be a good idea to spread the meals out over a longer period.
| Age | Meals per Day | Meal 1 | Meal 2 | Meal 3 |
| Adult | 2 | 8:00 AM | 8:00 PM | |
| Adult | 3 | 8:00 AM | 1:00 PM | 8:00 PM |
Adults will often poop around 30 minutes after eating or when they wake up. They may also choose to poop when out walking.
Senior Dog Feeding Schedule
Senior dogs can be fed on the same schedule as adult dogs, but some do better with smaller meals fed more frequently. As such, you can feed two or three meals a day using the same schedule as above.
The Benefits of Feeding on a Schedule
It can be a struggle for some owners to stick to a strict schedule. If your work shifts change regularly, or you have commitments on certain days of the week, for example, it is challenging to stick to the same time every time. Feeding on a set schedule might seem like a big commitment, but it does offer benefits over free-feeding or basing it on your own mealtimes and schedule.
- Gain Control of Their Diet By feeding on a schedule, it is easier to manage how much you are feeding. You avoid accidentally feeding too many or too few meals in a day, and you can weigh a half, third, or quarter of your dogs daily diet out at each meal. Portion control is important because too little food can lead to malnutrition or deficiencies in certain vitamins and minerals, while overfeeding can cause your dog to gain too much weight or become obese.
- Help Potty Train Puppies Dogs are creatures of habit, and they prefer to have schedules for most things. They will typically wake up and go to sleep at the same time. They will also tend to poop at similar times and will expect to be walked and let out in the yard at the same time. Most dogs will need to go to the toilet during or immediately after walks, as well as about 30 minutes after a meal. Puppies may need to be let out sooner than this, and by controlling when you feed your puppy, you can also get into an effective toileting routine.
- Help Prevent Picky Eating Feeding a daily schedule means your dog will expect their meals at certain times. They will naturally be more hungry at mealtimes and will be more likely to eat the food you put down, knowing they will have to wait until their next meal. If you have a picky eater, try feeding to a schedule. It can help eliminate pickiness.
Should You Feed Treats?
Sometimes its nice to give your dog a treat. Treats can be an effective tool in dog training. They can be given as a reward in positive reinforcement training techniques. Treats, however, should only make up 10% of a dogs daily calorie intake and you should adjust the amount of food you feed each day according to the calories in treats you give.
Are Set Meal Times Better Than Free Feeding?
It is generally agreed that scheduled feeding is better than free feeding. If you do free-feed your dog, you will need to weigh food out in the morning and consider staggering its release. Otherwise, if you put all of your dogs daily food allowance out in the morning, your pup may have finished it all by mid-afternoon, and you cant starve them for the rest of the day and night.
It can also lead to resource guarding if your four-legged friend feels they need to protect the food that is always in their bowl. Feeding set meals means you can stagger food access across the day, more easily manage the amount you feed, and because your dog will likely eat all of their food as soon as it is put out, they wont feel the need to guard.
Conclusion
A regular feeding schedule can be beneficial for your dog and for you. It helps prevent overeating and can potentially stop protective or aggressive feeding activity. As well as ensuring you feed the right amount each day, you will need to determine how many meals to give. Puppies need three or four meals a day while adults usually benefit from two or three meals a day, fed at the same times each day.
Featured Image Credit: AYO Production, Shutterstock
