When should I be feeding my dog?
With a few of the reasons in mind as to why you should not feed your dog late at night, you are probably wondering what time is best. For the most part, there is not a specific time that dogs need to be fed. However, they should be fed at least 3 hours before bedtime. This is so that they have enough time to burn off some energy before going to sleep.
As we previously discussed, dogs should not be walked for two hours after eating, to ensure proper digestion. Therefore, feeding at least 3-4 hours before bedtime gives you enough time to feed your dog, let their food go down and give them a walk before bed so that all of their energy is expelled, and they are ready to curl up and sleep.
Your dog will have excess energy to burn in the night
When you dog eats food, all that goodness in the protein is converted to energy. It’s energy that your dog would normally be able to burn off during the day when running around and going for a walk.
If your dog is being fed before bed, perhaps due to begging, all those calories are being loaded into his system with him not having his usual opportunities to use them up in play and exercise.
This is particularly true with puppies who have a lot of energy to burn already, so feeding a puppy before bedtime is asking for trouble! This is particularly true if the puppy has not had enough mental and physical stimulation during the day, meaning they will not be tired enough to sleep.
As a general rule of thumb, it’s not okay to feed a dog a couple of hours before bed, unless they will be getting exercise in the next couple of hours. Even then, you should really be waiting two hours before walking your dog after eating, to reduce the risk of twisted gut.
If you do feed your dog late at night, there’s every chance he will be up and about during the night and won’t be able to get to sleep – possibly even keeping you up in the process!
If he then has a disrupted sleep, he could be really tired in the morning, and not have the same inclination to want to go for a morning walk with you if that’s what your routine dictates.
How late should you feed a puppy?
Puppies have various different needs than more mature dogs. Whereas fully grown dogs can be fed twice a day for a good diet and lifestyle, puppies need to be fed three times a day. These times are breakfast, lunch and an evening dinner.
This is largely down to the fact that puppies have a lot of energy, and lots of growing to do. However, the same rules apply. You should not feed puppies too late in the evening, and we would recommend sticking to the three hour rule. You should feed puppies 3-4 hours before bedtime, so that they can burn off their food, and it gives them time to poop or pee. In addition, this also gives you enough time to clear up any mess that they make before you head off to hit the hay yourself.
How Many Times a Day Should DOGS EAT? – Puppies and Adults
Many people feed their dogs late at night. It can be for a number of reasons; forgetfulness, work commitments, or simply that you have a dog who isn’t hungry before bedtime. But I don’t think you should be letting your dog eat late at night, and let me explain why…
Is it bad for dogs to eat late at night or before bed? Yes, it is bad to feed a dog late at night, and there is scientific evidence to suggest it could possibly lead to unhealthy weight gain. Dogs that eat before bed will also have more energy to burn and will need night-time toilet trips, which can make their owner’s lives trickier.
That’s the short answer, but I wanted to also share with you some interesting research that shows how the circadian timing of food intake can contribute to weight gain in animals.
Below you can find out what the circadian rhythm means, plus read more reasons on why it’s bad for dogs to eat before bed.