Feeding the hounds

First thing every morning my dogs eat a snack. I do not like to be cast into a feeding time like many people fall into. Dogs can really get set into a routine and I for one am for and against routine. Some dogs need routine, it helps them feel grounded much like some humans. Others like to just wing it, that's me in a nut shell. I drive my whole family crazy because I don't like to make plans, I like to do what I feel like doing at any given moment. As far as feeding my dogs; they are fed twice a day everyday but the time varies.

The most important thing when not feeding them first thing in the morning is to make sure that they have something. I've written before about how we eat breakfast in bed, not always but mostly. Ah............you could say that we have the breakfast in bed routine, and that is one that I really enjoy. Anyhow; when we have breakfast the dogs have their morning snacks but even that is switched up. Sometimes on the floor, sometimes in bed, sometimes we share, other times they get their own doggie snacks. But they get some sort of food and this is to tide them over until breakfast time.

Because I live in Southern California; it is often too hot to walk the dogs even after 8:00 in the morning so I don't feed the dogs before they walk. They have their snack, I go to the gym and then we do some sort of activity. Like I said we switch it up but everyone gets their turn and their exercise for the day. Today it was spending the morning outside with me while I gardened. Tilley was up for lots of retrieving this morning, Luke stayed in bed. But this afternoon he was all over the tennis ball.

Once everyone has had their exercise for the morning; they have chill time, literally. They must cool down before they eat. The reason for this is bloat and stomach torsion. A common scenario is that after a dog is exercised, they drink a ton of water and then eat. The food in the stomach then grows to a far larger amount because of the fluid in the stomach. Typically this is an issue with dog food or kibble but I don't take any chances even when they are eating real food. So we don't eat until we are all cooled down. Once cooled down it is usually real food; how and where that food is delivered varies. Sometimes in a bowl, other times tossed around the yard, fork fed, used for training etc. etc.

Dinner is much the same, different. I have no dogs standing, staring, drilling a whole into my head with their laser beam eyes. I will not be told when it is time to eat; I do the telling and because we do not have a set time, there is no dinner time anxiety. I don't have dogs standing waiting. I will often wait until all the dogs are sound asleep to ring the dinner bell. It's good to keep'm on their toes. ;) Dogs and humans alike.