Eating Habits

[ramanth]

When I think of a dog at it's dinner time, I think of setting the food bowl down and the dog inhaling it's meal with a happy wag of it's tail.

Maybe I'm doing it wrong.

I go to feed Kia and 60% of the time she'll take a couple bites and then walk off. If the cats dare to eat her food she'll come racing back into the kitchen and then will proceed to lay there guarding her bowl.

She has this attitude that she can eat whenever she wants, expects the food to be there when she feels like eating, and I'm getting a little fed up. I hate to waste food but and I don't want to starve her but I'm at the point where I'm just going to take her food if she walks away and say, "Too bad. Should of eaten it when I gave it to you."

Any suggestions?

P.S. I'm doing everything I can to get her not to eat the cats food. I don't think she's getting full on the stuff.

[purrley]

R - I was told to put the food bowl up if the dog doesn't want it. However, my little Tess likes to take a few kibble, move it to a different area and then go back again. I can't see that this is a real problem - only if I get another dog, which I know I won't do. One of my cats (Braydee) like to eat the dog food but the other 3 haven't messed with it so I'm not too worried. The dog can't get to the cat's food cause I wont let her, but she'd eat it if she could. I wish Tess would just eat all at once and be done with it, but I doubt she ever will. I do, against what a lot of people believe in, leave food for her all day, but she's not a very big eater just a picker.

[Logan]

I wouldn't get too frustrated. I know some people are firm believers in having them "finish" their food immediately. Lilly does that, but Honey has gotten to the point that she would rather savor her food all day. I just leave it there for her. I feed them twice/day. Whatever she leaves at night is picked up and put away until the next morning.

Are you feeding Kia wet food? If so, I can certainly understand why you would have a problem, but with the dry, it shouldn't be. Just don't leave ANY food outside overnight......I learned the hard way and had all sorts of critters coming to visit us. :eek:

[Dixieland Dancer]

Before Dixie had puppies I left her food out and she grazed all day. She became a finicky eater. Now that Dusty is there and he eats ANYTHING, I can't leave her food down. I feed her twice a day and if she doesn't finish it then she waits until the next meal. They quickly learn because she knows she better finish it or it won't be there.

I have Marty's food up where the dogs can't reach it. Being a typical cat, he love's to climb and eat up high. He sometimes munches on the dogs food but not enough to matter.

In training a dog who thinks it is the boss and won't do what is expected, we sometimes resort to hand feeding. If the dog does not get rid of the attitude and insists on doing the wrong thing there is no reward. You would be amazed that by the second day, at the latest the third day, they are bending over backwards to do what you ask them too. Please note that this is usually done only on dogs that think they are the alpha and they are going to "SHOW" you they are boss. Don't try this on a timid pup.

In short, I would not leave the food on the floor so the dog could eat whenever. There are established meal times and they should abide by them. Humans don't leave breakfast out all day to graze because they didn't want to eat it all in the morning. Why should dogs? This only helps to enforce finicky eating habits.

[ramanth]

I mix in wet food with dry kibbies. Some days she inhales it but others she doesn't.

This morning she wouldn't eat her oatmeal breakfast and so I took it from her, told her to stay, and gave it to the cat. She gave me such a horrified look.

Maybe tomorrow she'll eat her breakfast in a nice timely fashion. *grins*

[LoudLou]

Louie eats twice a day. He gets his 1/2 cup of kabibles AM and PM. Louie takes a mouthful and takes it over to the carpet, drops it, then eats it! It's kinda his game;) My Shadow(RB) used to do the same thing.... As for eating fast Louie has never done that, he even shares food with the cats.:D

[Dixieland Dancer]

Kimmy,
I should of asked. Is this a new problem that has just started with the breakup of your boyfriend or has it been going on for some time?

Dogs sometimes grieve too. If this is a new behavior then you might want to continue your stratagy but try to give her a lot of extra lovin too and give her a little time to adjust to Michael being gone from her life too!

[ramanth]

Kia would do that when we lived in the apartment. At that time I only fed her kibbies. At times I'd add some wet food.

But with the stress of the breakup, she wasn't eating very well, so I started mixing in wet food everynight.

[ramanth]

I wondered that too Dixie. But she's always acted like this. When we were at the apartment she'd not eat her kibbies when we gave them too her and I'd leave them out and when I got up the next morning, she had eaten them during the night.

[sabies]

There was another thread going about this topic, called poor appetite, with some suggestions from Carrie there. My dog is a picky eater, sometimes she goes to the bowl and eats like a "normal" dog, most of the time she picks it out of the bowl, brings it to the carpet, drops it, eats it there but leaves a kibble or 2.

My advice - leave the food out at the same time every day and take it back after an hour eaten or not.

I can't say I took my own advice but maybe with my next dog-Sadie's too old and it is my fault. We did have a critter problem in one apartment due to leaving food out at night (they might have showed up anyway, I don't know) so definitely no food out at night!

That reminds me - for a while Sadie seemed to prefer eating like in the middle of the night. Why would she do that??

[ramanth]

Probably to keep you up Sabies! LOL!

You had a Midnight snacking pup.

[carrie]

Most people do not realise the importance of food to a dog.
If you have a dog that is fed, eats it and goes away happy you don't know how lucky you are.
The bad bit of feeding problems is that they are usually pretty extreme before the owner notices there is a problem - this is not a reflection on the owner, by the way.

For this problem... taking the food away from the dog and letting it watch the cats eat it will only prove to the dog that gaurding the food was the right thing to do. I can see why you thought of it... "if you don't eat it someone else will".
What the dog is seeing is, "I was sooo right to tell those kitties where to go 'cause they doooooo want to steal this stuff!"

Your dog is seeing feeding time as a daily dose of Look Who Is Boss Here.
You are getting worried about it, result for the dog.
The cats have decided doogie food is tasty and WANT it so dog asserts his authority - result for the dog.
You take food from dog and give it to cats - reinforces dogs belief that the most important TOOL in the house is it's food. - If you have control of the food you have total control.

Take control yourself.

Give the dog very small rations, I would suggest that you cut what your dog usually has in one day by half. (The reason for this is that your dog has forgotten what it is like to have an empty stomach. Empty stomach is a natural state for all carnivores - they have to have an empty stomach to trigger the hunt (not to be confused with the prey drive). It is not healthy for a dog to go through a twenty four hour period without feeling it is hungry.)

For very small rations give half in the moring and half in the afternoon/evening for three days.
Give the dog a break and do not allow the cats into the room where the dog is eating.
Put the food down, making the dog sit, and then , at first give the dog ten minutes to eat. You have to leave the room too.

As soon as ten minutes are up - go in and take the food away.
Do not give the same food to the dog at the next feeding time - give him fresh (it can be the from the same can or bag - just not the bowlful of food he didn't eat earlier.) (Also, don't change brand!)

What you need your dog to understand is that he doesn't have a dominance issue with the cats - it is with you!!!!

You are the giver of food - you decide on a fair time to eat it - you decide that it is taken away .....you are the boss, not the cats.

As the dog is never really hungry he can afford to use food as a trophy.

Please understand - I am not saying starve your dog- that would make things a lot worse!! Over a few weeks you need to find the balance of what your dog needs to stay healthy and what it can eat in ten minutes. An overload of food ar an overload of time to eat it is giving the dog the wrong messages.

Your dog is having a problem deciding who is boss in the house and is trying to use the food you give him as a lever. You need to make it clear to the dog that you are in control.

[sabies]

Carrie - you say not to use the same food at the next feeding, I was wondering if it's ok to put uneaten food back in the bag or in a tupperware container for next time, mixed with fresh food. Sadie always leaves about the same portion, and it's a good size portion that would add up considerably! I always wondered just what I should do with her leftovers - and if she could tell the leftovers were back in her bowl.

Sadie's eating habits are much better than they were when she was young and insecure, so I decided I will try to put her on a regular schedule. Besides, now that she's older I really want to keep track of just how much she eats.

2 other curiosities - 1. sometimes Sadie takes food to another room to eat rather than over her bowl, and 2. Sadie would like me to leave the room when she eats, if I walk in she stops eating and doesn't return, sometimes she will eat when I'm there but she constantly looks at me to see if I'm watching her - any idea why?

[carrie]

For Sadie is there anyway you can feed her three times a day?

If you can I would suggest you give her a very small amount of food at each meal and, again, pick it up after ten minutes. Leave her alone to eat undisturbed in the ten minutes and pick up the dish without saying anything or looking at her. Walk away again and wait for her to settle before you pay her attention.

In her mind she is doing the right thing - she backs off food if you show any interest at all - as a subordinate in a wild pack would. She is rather over- reacting so try not to let it become more of an issue.

If you can't feed her three times a day then for a couple of days give her very small feeds and then increase it back up to the normal amount over a couple of days.


It will help her ernormously if she feels that the correct pack order is kept so as you prepare her food put a plate next to her bowl. Put a biscuit, a couple of pieces of breakfast cereal, a couple of grapes - anything small that you can eat - on the plate. When you have finished preparing Sadie's food eat the human food off the plate (it is important that you pay no attention to Sadie - don't be tempted to see if she is watching, she will know what is going on!). When you have finished put her food down and leave her. She will feel more relaxed in the knowledge that the leader has, in her eyes, already taken the best bits of the meal and that it really is her turn to feed now.

Hope that helps. If she is still leaving a large amount of food after that get back to me.

[mary_jsn]

I suggest to all owners of small breeds that are puppies that they soak a little the dog's food. Purrley maybe eating in bits 'cause she might have problems chewing her food as small breeds don't have strong teeths like bigger breeds. Soaking won't do any harm!

[carrie]

That's a good point and a really good idea.

Make sure the food is soaked for at least twenty minutes and using warm water can make it even more appetising.

[sabies]

Thanks Carrie, I'll try the idea of grapes next to her bowl so she feels it is her turn to eat. She has always been a high anxiety submissive type dog and I'll do anything to help relieve that. I think she's part whippet and she seems to have whippet skittishness.

I cannot do 3 times a day due to work, but can do 2 times. This weekend her bowl sat empty most of the day til what is now her feeding time. After my boyfriend and I ate I filled her bowl, didn't look at her - in 10 minutes the bowl was clean!! I think she'll do fine, she's happy with her food (Innova) and she isn't super nervous anymore. I'm hoping the regular food schedule makes her feel even more secure.

Thanks again, you give great advice :)

[purrley]

Mary - Tess will not eat it if it's soggy - she's doing OK on the dry stuff - she still like to take it out of the bowl and move it to a different area, but I'm not making a big deal out of it. She'll eat in the morning and in the evening - I've taken food away during the time I'm at work to cut down on the grazing activity so she's usually hungry when I get home. She also gets the doggie biscuits when she does her potty thing as a reward.

[carrie]

I hope you both let me know how it goes - glad to be of help!

[ramanth]

Originally posted by carrie
Put the food down, making the dog sit, and then , at first give the dog ten minutes to eat. You have to leave the room too.

Thanks for the suggestions carrie. Any suggestions if the dog follows you out of the kitchen? She does that from time to time.

She's been doing better.

I give her oatmeal for breakfast. One reason I gave it to the cats when she acted finicky. Dad didn't want the food going to waste and was complaining that she wasn't eating it. The 5 cats made short work of it.

She's licks her bowl clean in 3 minutes flat now since that day I gave her oatmeal to the kitties.

She didn't touch her dinner at all on Saturday. So I put foil over it, refridgerated it, heated it up and gave it to her for din din on Sunday. She gobbled it down.

Friday she ate with no problems.

I guess we're making progress.

[carrie]

If you can feed her somewhere you can shut the door and leave her for ten minutes that would be ideal.
If not, can you go upstairs or into another room and shut the door if she follows you>
If that is not practical then just pretend she IS eating the food for ten minutes - then go and lift it up and ignore her until she has settled down and stopped following you.

[mary_jsn]

Purrley, what kind of brand are u giving Tess? I think I know what the 'snack food' problem might be. If you are giving Tess a normal puppy food, i mean the size of the food, it might take longer time for Tess to eat it, and more difficulties. If you use a regular puppy brand, I think you should switch to those brands that have for smaller breeds. For instance, Leika , eats Eukanuba for puppies of small breeds. I soak her food everytime she eats, the other day I went to the pet shop where i bought her for a 2kg bag of food (I think it was 2kg, well it wall the smallest) and they only had 3kg which I thought was too much for a puppy like her. Well they did have the regular puppy which is mostly for medium breeds and I felt the food (crumbs, whatever) and there was a really big difference on the size from the one that Leika ate. I bought the 3kg one.

[purrley]

Mary - Tess eats a brand of puppy chow called Authority put out by Petsmart. These are real little pellets and she really like it. It's a good puppy food, keeps her poopies nice and firm and easy to pick up when she has an accident. No problems with gas either. A few weeks ago I gave her a scoop of IAMS wet puppy food that I had bought when I first got her. She didn't like it then but she ate it right up a couple weeks ago. Then she had an upset stomach all day long - threw up several times. I haven't given her that again and I doubt I'll change to another dog food until she's a year old. But like I said before, she will not eat this food if its soggy and she's doing really well eating it dried anyway.

[sabies]

Sadie is still doing great. I may have even been giving her too much before, now I measure out portions according to her weight for morning and night and not a kibble is left 10 minutes after serving.

Sadie follows me right out of the kitchen after I put her bowl down. I just ignore her, stare at the tv or look busy in another room. Within moments I hear crunching. It's like she wants to make sure I'm doing something else and will not enter the kitchen. I never realized just how aware she is of my presence and how interruptive I am to her.

[ramanth]

Definately making progress. Kia ate both breakfast and dinner yesterday and breakfast this morning in one sitting. :)

[sabies]

yeah Kia! isn't it great when your dog eats right!

[ramanth]

Originally posted by sabies
yeah Kia! isn't it great when your dog eats right!

SURE IS! :D

[carrie]

WOW!!!
You guys are great!!!
Well done!

Like I've said before, unless you have a dog that has a food problem you just don't appreciate how stressful and upsetting it can be. To then be told to ignore the dog, give it a time limit to eat ..etc. etc. goes against your instinct to nurture and comfort the dog into eating.

But....as you see, it works to think like a dog!!!

I'm so impressed!

Good job, you should be feeling well pleased with yourselves.

[ramanth]

Thank you carrie. It does feel good to know she's eating better. :)