Hello Lamppost

We're trying to start free feeding our puppy. He was doing really well with scheduled meals (and he was quite food motivated, so it was a great time to train him), but when he started to go to the dog park, he seemed to loose weight. After about a week, we could see his ribs again and third parties also remarked that he looked thinner.

The dog was/is great at the dog park. He socializes with other dogs, gets to play, and really has a chance to stretch out his legs. The only problem is with his increased activity, we needed to feed him more. So after trying to titrate his meals with his activity, we decided to give free feeding a go.

Anyway, we're on day 3. I think he's getting the hang of it, but at the back of my mind (and I know my husband is even more obsessive about it), I feel like he might gain too much weight. He's a slender breed (that's the way I like 'em :) ), so I'd assume the weight would show. The thing is that he's eating so much these last few days. Unless we've been grossly under-feeding him, he hasn't learned to eat to satiation - he's eating until the tray is empty.

So here's to healthy weight gain, and crossing our fingers that he's not going to barf out the food he's over eaten onto our carpet. Even still, I won't be able to stay mad at his cute little puppy face, slobbery kisses, and smelly farts : )