The American Beagler Forum

greeting to all! i have been a fan of this site for some time,i have been
gathering info in preparation of getting my beagles after being out of the bunny-business for some time.i now have two males(brothers)15wks old
i'm looking fordward to hunting and training of both hunter and hounds!
i have one question .when is the best time to feed,prior to hunting/training
or after? i want to start out wright. thanks for any help.

I feed my dogs twice a day.... Morning and Evening... If i'm running that morning i feed when we finish... If i'm running that evening i feed when we finish...

-Jack

If I am planning to run I try not don't feed for an hour before or an hour after.

Ever tried to go for a jog after having just finished a huge meal?

-Pete

I'm not much of a Purina man, but I was watching something on OLN and they did a segment on this very subject. According to them, you should only feed your dog once a day and if you are planning on working them (hunting or trialing) you shouldn't feed them less than 4 hours before their workout. They quoted extensive research on the effects of twice a day feeding vs once a day feeding... how once a day feeding builds stamina and a healthier dog and so on. I guess if one was to take what they said to heart, then you would be well off to feed the dogs just before they go to bed at night. Then you can get up at the crack of dawn and not have to worry about the 4 hour thing and you can hunt all day and feed them before you turn in at night. You can take this for what you think it is worth.

Emery

Feeding should be done as far away from exercise as possible. When you fill the gut, all the blood goes to the stomach area to digest food. That leaves a shortage of blood in the rest of the system. If you put strenuous exercise (chasing rabbits) on a full stomach, you are asking for trouble. I was taught not to even massage an animal within 1 to 1.5 hours of feeding. Causes oxygen deprivation to the muscles and interfers with digestion. My dogs are now fed once a day, 5 o'clock usually, since they started the raw diet. Again, it takes more effort for the stomach and other systems to digest this raw, whole food (as opposed to grain loaded kibble)so dogs are more content. They run morning and I try to give the hour in the evening. Had a good chase this morning and at dusk into dark tonight. Carolyn

After im done running them that night. Since they know that they have to come back with me to eat. I think it kinda helps keep them from getting lost.

I feed once a day also in the evening. Lots of guys here in VA feed every other day and I have a male that was burying his food so I started doing the same with him to try and make him stop burying. It has not hurt him and he has really stepped up in the field and seems to have increased stamina. Winter time I plan to put him back once a day but am thinking of doing the same with other dogs next year during the summer. Like I said lot of guys do this year round here. Would like to hear comment on what you all think about it especially if your feeding every other day. Also I broadcast my puppy dog food in the grass to make them hunt for it(on dry days in bowl wet days). It seems to put them on the nose down hunting path from the get go does anyone else do that or have any other tricks to help in training while feeding.

Bobby

I feed my dogs once a day in the summer and twice a day in the winter. My dogs get fed at 7 pm every evening and in the winter they get fed about 1/4 cup every morning. On running days they don't get fed until after the run. I also feed my dogs the same amount everyday regardless of the weather or conditions. The worst thing you can do is over feed a dog. One pound of fat on a dog equals about 5 pounds of fat on a human. It is a lot harder to take off then put on.

I use self feeders from weaning age on. They go and nibble on food as they need it. I don't have a overweight dog in the kennel either. I was told a long time ago that if the food is always there they won't gorge themselves, and I have found this to be true.

Swampman, what you say is basically true, however if you take a dog that has been fed only once a day and had to compete for food with a kennel mate, and then put it on a feeder, it would gorge himself almost to the point of popping. You teach them from a very tender age on the self feeder and that is why it works for you.

Emery

I only feed once a day in the evening.