My dog grazes her food. Is this normal or a problem for her health?

Thank you for submitting your question regarding Arielle Reign. If she is not overweight and you are not having difficulties potty training her, then it should be fine to allow her to graze on her food throughout the day. Be sure to accurately measure how much you are offering her each day so you can monitor what she is consuming. Some dogs do prefer to be fed in this manner. I hope this information helps!

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! It is probably that her eating habits have changed. This is actually not uncommon and to correct it, this behavior has to be discouraged as much as possible. What I recommend is to give them their food and give them a certain amount of time (about 1 hour) to eat it. If she does not eat it then you can remove it and feed her again whenever she is due to eat again. This usually will get this resolved as she will eat it at more controlled times giving her less time to graze. Good luck and have a great day!

Every puppy is different. Chloe may just be a grazer and not eat the entire meal in one sitting, as some dogs are. As long as she is eating, continues to gain weight appropriately, and acting like herself I wouldn't worry too much. If you leave the remaining food down she may go back and eat it at her leisure.

Exactly! I would still measure it out morning and night to get a sense of how much they are eating but don’t stress if the bowl seems untouched for a day or two (as long as they are otherwise active and normal). Of course if they start getting fat, you’ll have to change things but that hasn’t yet happened for my doodle and he is 7 years old! Best of luck to you three!

Dogs thrive on routine. Begin a feeding schedule and be consistent. Prepare the food at mealtime, then leave it down for 20-30 minutes before picking it up whether they have eaten or not. Repeat this at the next mealtime. Do not offer any other food between meals. Provide fresh water at all times. You can mix in some warm water or a teaspoon of baby food to stimulate the appetite. As stated, be consistent yet firm. They will not starve. Once they learn the food will not always be there, they will eat when fed. A 60lb dog should get two cups of dry food a day. You can adjust the amount up or down until you find an amount that satisfies them without losing weight.

Thanks for using PetCoach! It is definitely common for puppies especially to eat like it’s a race! There isn’t generally any problem with it except that Brixy may be more likely to regurgitate that meal right back up (looking almost the same!) If you’d like to try and slow her down, consider a puzzle bowl like this, or a slow feeding toy like this https://www.petco.com/shop/en/petcostore/product/kong-wobbler-food-dispensing-dog-toy Hope this helps and best of luck to you and Brixy!

This is not unusual behavior. In the wild, cats eat 9-16 times in a day. Since she is not over weight, you can continue free feeding her. Make sure she is checked regularly for worms and watch for any signs of illness. I hope this helps.