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  • Nutrition
    • Healthy Diets
      • Choosing A Dog Food
        • Choosing the best high-quality kibble dog food
        • You’re feeding your dog wrong! 10 Reasons why you are feeding your dog the wrong way
        • Choosing treats for a dog with a sensitive stomach: 7 rules of thumb
        • Feeding your dog: How much, how often, and what you should feed your dog
        • How to read dog and cat food labels like a pro
        • Essential Tips for Choosing Dog Food for Small Dogs & Puppies
        • 10 Things Every Pet Owner Must Avoid In Their Dogs Food
      • Homemade Diets
        • What to avoid when making your homemade treats
        • Choose the best flour for your homemade dog treats
        • Bone Broth for dogs: What you need to know!
        • 7 rules of thumb when making your pets treats
        • 13 Binders to use in your homemade dog treats
      • Grain-Free Diets
        • The link between grain-free diets and DCM
      • Raw Food Diet
        • Article Review: How a raw diet affects the feline gastrointestinal tract
        • Feeding your cat a homemade or raw diet? You should know about these 3 deficiencies
        • How a Raw Food or BARF Diet Affects Your Dogs Microbiome
        • Five reasons your vet doesn’t agree with raw diets
        • How a Raw Food or BARF Diet Affects Your Dogs Microbiome
    • Healthy Treats
      • Choosing treats for a dog with a sensitive stomach: 7 rules of thumb
      • What to avoid when making your homemade treats
    • Holistic Health
      • Adaptogens & Nootropics: biohacking your dog
      • Dogs & Vitamins: Do dogs need them? Vitamin Deficiencies in dogs
    • Chia Seeds
      • The Benefits & Hazards of Feeding Your Dog Chia Seeds
      • Chia Seeds & Dogs: Which dogs benefit the most from chia seeds?
    • Flax Seed
      • Is Flax Seed Safe To Feed Dogs?: 8 Things to Keep in Mind
      • Flax Seeds & Dogs: Can My dog have flax seeds?
  • Gut Health
    • Probiotics
      • 4 All Natural Probiotics for Dogs we Love
      • How to choose the best probiotic for your dog
      • The pro’s & con’s of giving probiotics to dogs with pancreatitis
    • Microbiome
      • How a Raw Food or BARF Diet Affects Your Dogs Microbiome
      • Your pets microbiome & 4 things you can do to keep it healthy
      • Your pets microbiome & 4 things you can do to keep it healthy
    • 16 Holiday Foods that Can Harm Your Dog or Cat
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    • Camping with a dog that has digestive issues
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      • What’s the big difference between IBS & IBD?
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      • IBD in Dogs
        • FMT: Could this be the cure for your dogs IBD?
        • Irritable Bowel Disease (IBD) in dogs, important things you need to know
        • FMT: Could this be the cure for your dogs IBD?
        • Budesonide or Prednisone, finding the best treatment for IBD in your dog?
    • Diarrhea In Dogs
      • 6 Things to do when your dog has diarrhea
      • 7 safe over the counter medications for diarrhea & vomiting in dogs
      • 13 Foods that can help if your dog has diarrhea or vomiting
      • Chronic Diarrhea in Dogs: 7 Questions your vet will ask
    • Pancreatitis
      • Pancreatitis in Cats
      • Pancreatitis in Dogs
        • Pancreatitis in dogs: Causes, Prevention, and Treatment
        • Best Petco treats for dogs with chronic pancreatitis
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        • What a veterinarian feeds her dog with pancreatitis
        • Camostat mesilate as a treatment of canine pancreatitis
        • The pro’s & con’s of giving probiotics to dogs with pancreatitis
        • 6 Possible Complications of Pancreatitis
        • Pancreatitis in Pets: Pet safety during the holidays
        • What Dogs are more Prone to Pancreatitis
        • 8 healthy low-fat natural treats for dogs with chronic pancreatitis
    • 5 things you should always have on hand if your dog has a chronic intestinal disease
  • Food Allergies
    • Chicken Allergies In Dogs: The Ultimate Guide
    • The differences between food intolerances and food allergies in dogs and cats
  • Diet Therapy
    • Feeding For Arthritis
      • What to look for in a quality joint-support dog food
      • Types of arthritis in dogs & how food can help
      • Arthritis in dogs: how the dog gut microbiome affects arthritis
      • How food can help prevent or delay arthritis in dogs
      • Arthritis in Dogs: 10 important ingredients in a joint supplement
      • The top joint Supplements to stop arthritis pain in dogs
    • Common inherited diseases in Golden Retrievers and how food can help

7 Simple Strategies for Combating Overeating In Your Dog

dog overeating overfeeding kibble bowl
Table of Contents[Hide][Show]
  • Do dogs stop eating when they are full?
  • How do I stop my dog from overeating?+−
    • 1. Measure out your dog’s portions
    • 2. Discourage grazing
    • 3. Feed nutrient-rich diets and treats
    • 4. Avoid feeding table scraps
    • 5. Incorporate chia seeds into their meals
    • 6. Use a schedule
    • 7. Plan with your vet
  • How much kibble should I feed my dog?
  • What are the consequences of overfeeding my dog?

Overeating and overfeeding dogs can be troublesome if it gets to be excessive. It can lead to serious health complications like diabetes and excessive weight gain.

In fact, in one instance pet owners overfed their dog to the point where he could not walk!

Keep reading to learn the right strategies, to help your pup strike a healthy balance between meals, treats, and snacks, and discover the secrets to keeping your pup full, happy, and well-fed without overeating.

Do dogs stop eating when they are full?

Some dogs will stop eating when they have had enough, however, others won’t. It is very specific to your dog’s appetite.

Most dogs can and will overeat, if the palatability of the food if something they enjoy, they will probably continue to eat no matter how much food is offered to them.

This is especially true when it comes to puppies as many times they do not seem to have an off switch when it comes to eating.


How do I stop my dog from overeating?

three dogs eating from bowls in a line

1. Measure out your dog’s portions

If you notice that your dog is overeating start measuring out their food. This is one of the simplest ways to prevent your dog from overeating. You can use measuring a measuring cup or a bowl that includes a scale like this one to account for accuracy.

2. Discourage grazing

Don’t leave your dog’s food out throughout the day because they can easily overconsume calories this way. Instead, opt to feed your dog two or three times a day with a snack between feedings if they can afford it weight-wise.

3. Feed nutrient-rich diets and treats

Ensure that the foods and treats you feed your dog are high-quality, whole foods to ensure they are actually receiving all of the nutrients they need and not overeating to account for a lack of quality in the diet. Healthy snacks don’t have to be pre-made dog foods either, you can feed healthy foods like apples and carrots as well. To learn about more healthy alternatives read our article here.

4. Avoid feeding table scraps

While feeding a couple of pieces of unseasoned chicken in their meals should not cause an issue, feeding seasoned meals may seem harmless but it is actually adding to your dog’s overeating. They will begin to associate your meal time with a time to beg for people’s food. If they are fed too much table food and their food this can lead to overeating.

5. Incorporate chia seeds into their meals

Chia seeds are a healthy option to add to dog’s meals because they can help them to feel full. To read more about how to feed your dog chia seeds read our article here.

6. Use a schedule

Stick to a feeding schedule, if you have a large family use a chart to note when the dog was fed so no one doubles up on feedings! While this may make your fur baby happy to get double portions it won’t do much to help them not overeat.

7. Plan with your vet

Ask your vet for advice about how much you should feed your dog


How much kibble should I feed my dog?

Unfortunately, there is no one size fits all answer as to how much pet parents should feed their dogs.

How much you feed your dog varies depending on the size of the dog, age, and activity level. Puppies will need to eat more often than seniors as they are growing and highly active dogs, like working cattle dogs, will need to have their food intake increased to account for the number of calories they burn off during activities.

The chart below based on Purina’s recommended feeding guidelines is a good place to start but you should always read the recommended feeding weights on the back of the food bag and go from there.

As these are recommended feeding amounts, you may have to increase or decrease the amount based on your individual dog.

Adult Dog Size

3-12 pounds

13 to 20 pounds

21 to 35 pounds

26 to 50 pounds

51 to 75 pounds

76 to 100 pounds

100+ pounds

Cups of Dry Food

1/3 to 1

1 to 1/3

1.3 to 2

2 to 2 .75

2-2 &2/3 to 3 & 1/3

3 & 1/3 to 4.25

4.25 plus 1/4th cup for every 10 lbs of body weight over 100 lbs


What are the consequences of overfeeding my dog?

  • Weight gain
  • Gastrointestinal Issues: vomiting, diarrhea, nausea, upset stomach
  • Immobility
  • Diabetes
  • Lethargy/sluggishness
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Reference

The Times

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