Bowl Envy!

[isanbirder]

I have four toy poodles (approximately), three adults at 6-8 kgs each, and a four-month old puppy at just over 3kgs. (Not approximately four; approximately toy poodles!)

The latter is still on three meals a day. The first two, out of her own small bowl, she eats without any problem.

The third is when all the dogs have their daily meal. Each has his/her own bowl, always in the same place, while she has the same small bowl as for the other meals But she won't eat from this bowl. She stands and yaps at the others and, if one of them moves away from his/her bowl, the puppy dashes in and eats any food left. Sometimes she stands a few inches from her father, and barks at him (and sometimes he moves away). The other dog sneaks off and eats the puppy's food. If I turn her food into one of the bigger bowls, she eats it immediately.

If I buy her a bigger bowl, will she then eat her food? It's actually quite important, because I need to know how much she is really eating.

The problems of keeping dogs! This is a new one to me.

Edited May 31, 2013 by isanbirder

[meatboy]

my beloved has been taking the mick lately,some days the wf.has to feed him by hand,other days she has to throw meat and biscuits up in the air for him to catch,last night he didnt want it till we went indoors[8pm] he jumped up on the settee then asked the wf.to put his bowl on it,our neighbours dog little miniature has dinner with him every day only has a small bowl but ours always wants his.its a dogs life.

[Mosha]

Ours doesn't like to be watched eating, then gets cross when the cats sneak in and steal it.

[Cuban]

Beware of submitting to the puppy's desire to eat the other's food, although the parent dog will some times indulge the pup as she grows this food competition will require correction and that will come from the older dog in the form of bark>air-snap>bite etc.

If she does not want her food then fine she gets it removed, go without for that meal time.

I suggest that free movement is restricted while you train her in this, set her up for success by introducing her being on a fixed lead for her dedicated meal times first, so there is no confusion about having a lead on and being fed. I will assume the other dogs go about their meals happily without needing leads to confine them to their bowls.

There is no rule that dogs need to eat at the same time, in a pack the leaders/senior dogs eat first and then the lower ranks. It might be easier to feed the three adults first and then put puppy's food in the father's empty bowl.

Look at the situation as a training issue not a problem eating one.

[isanbirder]

I didn't really look at it as a problem eating issue. Only two of my five dogs have ever had leads! That shows how remote we are.

My answer was to shut the small dog away while the others are eating, and then pour her uneaten food into another's bowl. She then eats it all. Then I shall buy a larger bowl (we can always do with a spare), and use that.

[Cuban]

We are also remote rural, currently 5 dogs inc two unplanned pups of differing ages, and leads are part of everyday walking.

We do not leave the grounds without leads and keen dogs know that without a lead on we don't go. It's part of the walk ritual, lead-on to leave, when away from the edge of the village we will go off lead, but can go on-lead again for walking through the Wat or if there might be cattle issues ahead, or just for the hell of it to show that the going on-lead is not a sign for the end of the walk. (Our house is next to our fields to the West but sometimes we might go North or South out of the village and do a few mile loop.)

Hopefully not often but most dogs need to go visit the vet or animal hospital from time to time so IMHO best to be lead trained even if this is a novelty.

[Naam]

our two dogs (Dachshunds) are crazy about any "human non-dog" food no matter what taste or even very spicy hot. does that apply to all dogs?

another question concerns soi dogs. some time ago i discovered a forgotten 1 kilo sealed packing of smoked salmon at the bottom our chest freezer which was bought more than three years ago. as i did not want to throw it in the garbage bin i cut it in small pieces and wanted to provide a feast for half a dozen soi dogs which always hang around outside our gated village. they sniffed and did not touch the salmon whereas our dogs wolfed down a small piece each and demanded more. i did some more "tests" with fresh roast leftovers and some different pieces of sausage. one of the soi dogs devoured a piece of smoked sausage the roast and other sausage were neglected.

[meatboy]

ours is the same never mind what we eat he wants to try some,he loves to have a cooked dinner on a plate and gravy[beef],mango yellow or green,durian crisps,plain greens,any soup from the market,cumberland sausage[fatboy]and he loves ham plain or smoked,and not forgetting xmas dinner[turkey].

[sustento]

I used to have boxers. They will eat anything at all. They will steal it off your plate while you're distracted. They will watch you opening the fridge door, learn how to do it and rifle the fridge. The will tip up dustbins and eat the contents. They don't mind sharing. The cat next door used to come and eat at the same bowl. They get bored very quickly. Our last dog ate the kitchen carpet because we left him on his own for too long.

[isanbirder]

I gave my puppy his food in a new bowl this evening, the same size as the other dogs' bowls. No problems! It seems that was all she wanted.

[Naam]

ours is the same never mind what we eat he wants to try some,he loves to have a cooked dinner on a plate and gravy[beef],mango yellow or green,durian crisps,plain greens,any soup from the market,cumberland sausage[fatboy]and he loves ham plain or smoked,and not forgetting xmas dinner[turkey].

same same!

[Mosha]

I gave my puppy his food in a new bowl this evening, the same size as the other dogs' bowls. No problems! It seems that was all she wanted.

Size matters 555

[Cuban]

Apart from size is there any difference in color between the bowls?

I know dogs have different color vision than humans with, please correct me if I am incorrect, greater response to blue / yellow than reds.

[isanbirder]

The three 'big' bowls were pink (2) and violet, and the small bowl was red. The new bowl is blue.

I can't explain it.... but it worked!

The small puppy is very determined to be one of the boys (except that she's a girl); she joins them in baiting the water buffaloes, and is the first to bark at a stranger. Her favourite playmate is the big GSX (but she didn't try to raid his bowl).

[overherebc]

Beware of submitting to the puppy's desire to eat the other's food, although the parent dog will some times indulge the pup as she grows this food competition will require correction and that will come from the older dog in the form of bark>air-snap>bite etc.

If she does not want her food then fine she gets it removed, go without for that meal time.

I suggest that free movement is restricted while you train her in this, set her up for success by introducing her being on a fixed lead for her dedicated meal times first, so there is no confusion about having a lead on and being fed. I will assume the other dogs go about their meals happily without needing leads to confine them to their bowls.

There is no rule that dogs need to eat at the same time, in a pack the leaders/senior dogs eat first and then the lower ranks. It might be easier to feed the three adults first and then put puppy's food in the father's empty bowl.

Look at the situation as a training issue not a problem eating one.

Never interfere with the dogs if you have 3 or 4 or more when feeding them. Always let the dogs sort out who eats first and who eats last or who eats more or who eats first, you will confuse them.

If you, as you should be, are the Alpha male or female, put down the same number of bowls as dogs and let them sort out the pecking order.

In their minds the food you give them is food that you have hunted for and brought home for them

.

My gsd had 5 pups, father was a thai dog, and when it came time to feed them they were closed off and the bowls were put out, well apart, and then they were allowed to go to the food.

They will sort themselves out as to which one gets what or how much.

The only interference you should make is training them to accept the fact that you should and must be able to go to any one of the bowls while they are eating and pick it up without the dog reacting to it.

Goes against my opening sentence but I'm sure you will understand.

Now I only have the two dogs and I can pick up the bowls half way through them eating and all they do is sit and wait until I put it back down.

[isanbirder]

Each of my dogs has his own bowl, and I put it down in the same place every evening. The dogs know where to go, and don't go for each other's bowl, unless a dog walks away leaving uneaten food, in which case it is anybody's to take..

I am the alpha male. There is only one other unneutered male, and he gets his bowl fourth, because I acquired him fourth.

The new baby was breaking the rules, but I now have her toeing the line (almost literally). She gets her bowl last.

(Well, in fact I get fed last).