Originally posted by Genia:
Angels3, I thought about that, but Bandit will eat a little, go lie down, eat a little more, watch TV, eat a little more, etc. If I were to enclose him in a room until he finished, he would be there for hours.
Genia, I agree with this point you've made because it was the same with 1 of our shelties, too. So, that's the dog that gets fed in the small downstairs laundry where there are no distractions & where the door is closed. ( Otherwise, that sheltie...like Bandit...would turn having dinner into a moveable feast.) I would check on that sheltie & when she finished her food, only then would I say,'Good girl' & let her out...to where all the interesting, distracting things were. I've found that this sheltie now eats her dinner more quickly & in one go...because she's learned that behavior gets her out of the laundry. She still is slower than the other 2 but it has improved the situation a little. Oh yes, I also divided the dogs' main meal into 2 smaller meals rather than 1 big meal. That way, sheltie 1 was far more likely to finish a meal & in reasonable time. Hope something helps, Genia, because this problem drove me crazy,too. I've modified it, rather than completely solved it.