Free feeding and the collapse of civilisation?

I’ve often been asked about free feeding dogs, or leaving food available for them to graze on throughout the day. It sounds like a great way to keep them occupied and out of mischief, right?

Yes, that’s exactly how it sounds. Unfortunately in practice it doesn’t work that way.

As with any sort of animal, the best way to enrich a dog’s life is by exercising its mind. A dog in the wild spends most of its time working out how to get its next meal. If the dog has food constantly available, it loses its primary motivation for using its mind.

If we make a human comparison, do you think everyone in the world would still get up and go to work in the morning if they could have everything given to them for free whenever they wanted it? How long would society continue to function under these circumstances?

The dog now has its entire mental capacity free to focus on other things, like escaping, barking at the neighbours or shredding your couch.


In addition to this, a free fed dog is more likely to develop fussy eating habits, weight problems and even eating disorders.

You may now be thinking, “How do I stop free feeding?” Fortunately it’s really quite simple. Just stop. Decide when you want to feed your dog – once a day is ample for most adult dogs – and do it. Other than at mealtime don’t make food available. Some dogs may protest at first, although I’ve found they rarely miss it, and they will certainly appreciate their meals more.

If you wish to make food available at other times it’s best to use something like a Kong or treat ball that requires the dog to work for the food. This will ease your conscience about leaving your dog without food whilst being an excellent enrichment activity for him.

While free feeding your dog probably won’t lead directly to the collapse of civilisation, it certainly won’t improve your dog’s behaviour or your relationship.