How to transition 3 small adult dogs from free-feeding to schedule?

Feed him three times a day the amount specified on the bag. Take his food away ten minutes afterwards so he learns that he has to eat then or it is gone. If he missed a few feeds it is not really a problem.

Divide the daily allotment into two equal portions. Put their food down in the morning in separate rooms so they can't eat each other's food. Leave the food down for 30 minutes, giving them a chance to eat. After that time, pick the food up. Feed them again in the evening, again giving them 30 minutes to eat. They will learn to eat at those allotted times. Best of luck.

Hi and thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! I love the name Tigre. It really boils down to owner's preference and convenience like you state but I always like twice daily feedings. It gives you an opportunity to quickly assess their appetite and any changes that may occur with it which could indicate something is wrong. Smaller meals divided into 2 feedings are more easily digestible rather than one large meal, in my opinion. Free feeding can lead to obesity problems so strict attention must be made as to the amount that the pet has access to each day. Obesity is a very common problem in pets just as in people. I hope this helps and you are able to make an informed decision regarding Tigre.

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 Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! She is adorable by the way! What I recommend is actually limiting the amount of time the food is available to her. For example, you can leave her food out for 1 hour, if she does not eat it all, you take it away and offer it again the next day. Eventually, she will understand that her food is only going to be out for a certain amount of time and will have a more regular eating habit. Another thing you can do is split what you feed her in 2 feedings. Both ways could work well for her. Good luck and have a good evening!

Some dogs are just picky eaters or are not very food driven. So we have some dogs, like your typical labrador, that will eat anything and everything within 30 seconds of it being put down, and others that are more picky and graze throughout the day. There are not necessarily medical drawbacks to leaving her food down throughout the day, or at least leaving it down for a few hours in the morning and a few in the evening. Sometimes unfortunately with dogs who are picky we just have to be tough and not offer them a different food every time they decide they aren't excited about their current one. We can predispose dogs to food allergies if we are changing their foods all the time and we do get allergies later in life it is much harder to find a good diet for them. I would choose one food and stick with it, and she will eventually get hungry and eat it. The exception is toy breed puppies which can develop hypoglycemia if they go too long without eating https://veterinarypartner.vin.com/default.aspx?pid=19239&id=4952329 , but adult dogs should be able to tolerate this. I am a fan of the purina pro plan line, which is available at most pet stores and is good quality, they also have dry diets, wet diets, and their Savor line has kibbles along with softer/chewy kibbles which my dogs love. If there is some treat that she is very fond of you can mix it in with the food that you want her to eat and slowly decrease the amount of the treat each day so she gets used to the other food. Some people find putting some low sodium chicken broth on the food can entice them to start eating a food and you can slowly decreas the amount placed on the food, or warming food up slightly makes it more appetizing.

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! I think the best way is to separate them. I would recommend you continue to keep them separate when it is time to eat. If you continue to feed Molly only her diet, eventually she will understand that that is all she will get and most likely will start eating it. You can add canned chicken or chicken broth to it for example to entice her appetite which may get her going faster. Good luck!