Tips for Feeding Your Dog: What to Do Before and After

There are so many questions when it comes to feeding our pets. What time of the day is best? How much food do I put in their bowl? Can they eat vegetables? Plus, we pet owners we don’t always know what to do before and after feeding our dog. So today we’re going to give you some tips.

What to do before feeding your dog

An animal is a faithful reflection of their owner. How we act with our pets and how we train them will determine what they’re like for their entire lives. Some good habits to get into before feeding your dog include:

Leave a water bowl out

Dogs can get thirsty throughout the day and they need to have a full water bowl at the ready. But careful, we don’t want them to drink too much because that is also not good for their health. If you’re going to be out of the house all day, give him a larger water dish.

Soften the dog food

This tip is for those with puppies. Soak the kibble in lukewarm water to make them softer (even if it’s specially designed puppy food).

Careful with the portions

The fact sheet on the package will tell you how much food he should eat according to his age and size. Pay attention to what the vet tells you, too.

Store the pet food properly

Don’t put the dog food in the fridge or any humid spot. Don’t leave it within your pet’s reach either, since there’s no doubt that he’ll knock down the bag and eat until he can’t anymore. If you give him homemade food, make sure that it’s in good condition, well-refrigerated, and hasn’t gotten contaminated.

Clean the food bowl well

Even though this can be done before or after feeding the dog, we recommend that you take time to rinse the food bowl and then put food in it.

Separate your dogs

If you have more than one at home, try to make sure they don’t see each other when it’s time to eat. Put them in different rooms or parts of the yard. This will prevent them from fighting or eating too fast, afraid that the other will take their food.

What to do after feeding your dog

Now that you have learned what to do before feeding your dog, here are some good habits for after feeding:

Don’t go for a walk

As soon as he’s finished eating, it’s not a good idea to take him out for a walk or exercise. He needs to complete the digestion process. It is also not recommended to do it right before eating because movement will make him hungrier. He will most likely eat too much and too quickly.

Don’t save leftovers

If your dog doesn’t finish all of his food (it could be because he is full or because he doesn’t like it), throw it away. Don’t save it for another time.

Protect him from the weather

If it’s really hot or cold, raining or very sunny, let your dog inside while it digests. Let him stay inside the house and lie down to sleep as long as he needs.

Don’t play with him

Think about if it were you. When you just finish eating, do you feel like going out to run or riding a bike? Of course not. The same thing happens with a dog. Don’t bother him and insist that he go fetch. Don’t throw him the ball, and don’t force him to play.

Don’t let him drink too much water

When dry dog food reaches the stomach, it must break down and not “inflate.” This happens if your dog drinks a lot of water after eating. Give him a little and then take away the water bowl after a few minutes. Wait two hours to give water again.

These tips for feeding your dog are very easy. Keep your dog healthy!

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