One cup for Jasmine and a cup and a half of kibble for Frisco. That’s how much my dogs eat every morning. The same portion is then served in the evening.
Friends have always told me I was weird for keeping a cup in the storage bin where I keep the dog food.
They say, “dude, you don’t fill their bowls to the top? That’s messed up! They then begin to interrogate by following with, “you don’t keep their food bowl full all day?”
They say this genuinely, and it gets to me because it’s the shear innocence of passionate dog ownership that leads to bad habits. Much like the world suffers from obesity, it is now all too common with pets as well.
Dogs, to many of us, they’re like children. With that, comes the side effects of spoiling your dog. Not a bad thing, but many dog owners do more harm than good.
Keeping your dogs on a food schedule while controlling their calorie intake is one of the most responsible things a dog owner can do.
Some dogs, believe it or not, can and will eat all day if you allow it. Keeping a dog’s food bowl full every second of the day is the leading reason why dogs are overweight. Also, feeding too much, even on a schedule can lead to obesity.
Think about athletes who run and play every day. They require a high quality balanced diet to burn into energy… too many calories and they’ll gain weight in the process.
The same thing goes for dogs. If your dog is an active dog, meaning, they hike and run just about every other day, your dog will require a higher quality calorie diet to stay in full drive. If your dog hangs around the house and plays fetch every once in a while, it’s wise to just stick to the recommended calorie serving.
Now the big question, how much is the right feeding amount? And if my dog is an active dog, how much more do I feed?
The secret to that question is in the food you feed. Serving recommendations are printed on the bag. For active dogs, it’s always better to just feed a higher quality food than to overfeed.
But….
Every brand of dog food is different. Even flavors within the same line of dog food will have different nutritional values. Chicken, lamb, and beef are amongst the most popular. Bison, water fowl, and venison have also made their stamp in the dog kibble game because these brands are usually super-packed with protein and vitamins.
Higher quality kibble will have lower serving sizes for dogs while cheaper quality foods require a higher serving size. The reason for that is higher quality kibble provides your dog with the required nutrients and supplements in a more packed form. A quality kibble is recommended for active lifestyle dogs.
Cheaper kibble has a lot of cheap fillers like corn and grains and have the nutrients much more spread out… thus requiring a larger serving size to absorb their daily nutrition.
This is a whole topic on its own. You can learn more about the difference between cheap and quality dog kibble later if you’d like.
Feeding your dog appropriately will benefit your dog in so many ways. A healthy lifestyle is the key factor in a happy and long life free of vet visits. As dog owners, we owe it to our furry friends. After all, they do help relieve our stress so we can live longer and happier lives. 
This post was written by...
Samuel Nieves – who has written 23 posts on Dog Learning Center.
Dogs rule everything around me! That pretty much sums up my life. Yep.
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