Twenty-four-hour free-feeding patterns of dogs eating dry food

In order to provide some detailed information on the feeding behavior of freely-feeding dogs, four adult beagles were maintained in an isolated outdoor environment where food and water were freely available. Observations across an 8-month period indicated that the dogs are episodically (in "meals") and that the total daily intake of food and water changed as the observation period progressed, most likely as a consequence of change in the ambient environmental conditions across seasons. Within-day changes in ambient temperature, and the timing of daily maintenance activities in the animal's runs influenced the temporal distribution of meals with the day.