Possible Leadership Issues....with Food

[ShellyBeggs]

.... at home I have

Sarg, 12yo lab - generally the boss of the dogs, sleeping tiger, doesn't get involved much but a slight grumble from him and the others move!

Diesel, 2.5yo border collie - very sensitive dog, will sulk in the corner if you move a bit of furniture - but he isn't a submissive dog at all and will stand up to his playmates when they come to play if they get a bit rough or go somewhere not allowed.

Anzac, crazy hypo 18week kelpie pup - New kid on the block but taking charge.

For the past 2 years Sarg and Diesel have gotten on great, will even eat out of the same food bowl and chew bones all day without a bicker.

Add crazy kelpie puppy and things have gone pearshaped.

Anzac will take the food off Diesel and run off with it. I have been trying to do the "leave it up to them to sort out"

and secretly keeping an eye on Diesels weight (he hasn't lost any at all so is at least eating the bones I leave for them during the day).

Sarg will grumble at Anzac if he tried to take his food and so Anzac gets the hint and leaves him be, why risk getting nipped if the other dog is an easy target.

Its now to the point where Diesel will spit out his treat for Anzac to take before Anzac even looks at pesting him for it and is still chewing his own treat.

Each day Diesel is looking more and more 'nose out of joint' and sulking. I thought by now he would have realised that the pup is here to stay and would have started to deal with it.

I have tried seperating them at feed times but then none of them eat, even just taking Anzac out of the mix and none of them will touch a mouthful (not even the lab who is usually a food scoffing machine).

so the question is.......

Should I let them work it out for themselves and not get involved in their heirachy? (keeping in mind that Diesel isn't loosing weight)

or could Diesel be looking for me as 'leader' to stick up for him???

and if he is.............what should I do???

Thanks guys, I know you are all so much more knowledgeable than me and I will really value any help!

Cheers

Shelly

P.S on a side note which may help, when inside at night Diesel ignores Anzac and will have nothing to do with him. When outside running around (5 acres) if you don't look they will play and wrestle and round things up (the cars, the house etc.....) together but as soon as Diesel knows you are watching he hates Anzac again and wants nothing to do with him. So his dislike seems to be for my benefit only.....

[PAX]

Personally I would never feed dogs together as you do.

My dogs are crated and fed so I know exactly what each one gets to eat. If you do this they will soon learn they need to eat while seperated or they will be very hungry. :D

[ShellyBeggs]

Thanks Pax!

I don't believe in crating (waiting to be hit over the head with a big stick)....... But i did think about really sticking with seperating them when feeding. But there are a lot of situations in our lives where they would be required to eat together......camping, family BBQ (yes the dogs get their own BBQ snags cooked for them), picnics etc......

I would prefer to work within the situation than try and change it.....not to mention it doesn't seem fair to the two older dogs who have always eaten together every day to suddenly be locked iaway in a room and expected to eat. I am sure they see being seperated as punishment not to mention they are with us 100% of the time when we are home so to be locked away from the 'people family' would be double punishment.

Thanks for your ideas!!!!

[PAX]

You don't have to crate, you could just tie them up.

I don't believe dogs think about whats fair or not, only what is. I'm sure someone will come along and offer some advise for your problem. :D

You could just tether Anzac while they are eating until he learns better manners.

Edited May 28, 2007 by PAX

[Kavik]

I am the same as PAX

Mine are crated or at least separated (Diesel is a messy eater and often eats outside to reduce the spillage ) so I don't have to worry about who is getting what and any spats over food. Especially as Zoe is possessive, it would never work feeding them together. They can be given treats where everyone sits first together no problems, but dinner is separate.

If only one dog is causing the problem, maybe that one can eat separately.

When it is dinner time mine will go into their crates to wait for their dinner

[PAX]

Kavik, mine do that too and people say 'they are so well trained', no they are just hungry.

[Miranda]

Personally I would never feed dogs together as you do.

My dogs are crated and fed so I know exactly what each one gets to eat. If you do this they will soon learn they need to eat while seperated or they will be very hungry.

Agree 100%, feeding separately is the way to go.

[ShellyBeggs]

Thanks , you are all the best!

I may try to feed them seperately and well I guess when they stop sulking about being seperated or get really hungry .......they will start to eat!

Cheers guys!

[noneybur]

Everyone is right. Each dog should be feed separately. I chain my dogs up to feed them. I am top dog and they get fed when I decide. If I want to feed my dogs all together in the open, I place each bowl down some distance away from each other and when 1 finishes before the other if they take a step towards another bowl I step forward and block them and they know I'm the boss. This reinforces the alpha leader ME. This is especially useful with new puppies and dogs that have no manners. You must be the leader in your house.