Feeding Puppy

[koalathebear]

I've read so much about how you should never, ever let your dog eat before you because then h'ell lose respect for you or think that he's the alpha dog Also the whole 'don't let him go through doors before you'.

We try to make sure we eat first and also make sure we go through doors first, but sometimes we forget and he darts through the door first. In terms of food, sometimes because of this or that arising, we end up eating a bit later than usual and think it's unfair to make Elbie wait so long for his meal so we'll feed him at his usual time of 6 or 6.30pm. Is this really a big deal that we have to worry about? Some sites make it sound like we're damaging his psyche forever ... Of course we'll try to make sure we eat before him if it otherwise means we're creating a psycho or something.

Edited May 22, 2010 by koalathebear

[labsrule]

I don't subscribe to this "eating before the dog to show you are the alpha" theory I feed my dogs whilst I am preparing/cooking my breakfast/dinner (they get fed twice a day) and they are normally settled/snoozing whilst I eat mine, albeit with one eye open in case I drop a crumb . Have always done it this way as it suits me best.

[jerojath]

I think it's a load of rubbish!

Some nights my dogs eat before the family, while other nights we eat before the dogs.

My dogs have to fit in with my lifestyle on any given day... NOT the other way around.

AND my dogs normally go through a door before I do because it is easier to just let them all out and then follow!

While none of my dogs are obedience champions they are all well mannered, loyal and easy to live with.

They respect me regardless of when I feed them!

[Kempe]

I feed my dog after the family out of habit, but it's not a hard and fast rule, I dont think it makes any difference regarding leadership etc.

I also enter a door before my dog but again because I find it easier to command it to "wait", then let it in after myself.

Nothing worse than trying to open a door with a couple of bags of shopping and a dog trying to beat you in at the same time, so for the sake of consistency I always enter first.

[wuffles]

I feed them whenever I get around to it, which is usually before us. I have no problems with dominance, however, if I did, I would be feeding them after us.

[corvus]

It doesn't make sense when you think about it. Dogs generally can't make associations between events that happen more than a few seconds apart, and to make the connection that Person is eating before me, so therefore Person must be socially dominant over me is, I think, a case of transitive inference. I believe there have been studies that suggest dogs are capable of TI, but there are also studies that suggest what we thought was TI is actually associative generalisation. Anyway, to cut through all the psychology stuff, the bottom line is we don't really have solid evidence that dogs are even capable of inferring information about social status through isolated activities. On top of THAT, it's questionable that there even is a feeding order related to dominance status in wolves, which is where this idea came from. Probably in times when food is scarce, but generally it's a free-for-all and everyone feeds pups while they are eating themselves.

So no, I don't think it matters if one eats before their dogs. :p

[koalathebear]

So no, I don't think it matters if one eats before their dogs. :p

Hee! I'm glad because we I have to say that we often feed him first and then while he's snoozing off his meal on his dog bed, we take the time to eat our meal Eating first while he sits there staring at us with puppy dog eyes isn't so much fun

[Sandra777]

The dogs have always been fed before the people in this house and I don't have any issues.

They will all wait at the door if told and know better than to try and take me out by shoving through when I'm half way in or out (which I do think is a manners/respect issue) but apart from that sometimes they go first sometimes I do.

None will rush out the gate but that is because they have been taught they can only come out the gate if asked and you can leave the gate open say to bring the shopping in and they won't come through without an invitation. We live on acreage 400m from the road before anyone starts screaming and no I would never ever gamble their lives on them doing this on a regular basis or closer to a road, and I'm sure if the local hares or roos went past they would forget their manners on that one.

The only thing I always insist on is that if I am walking they get out of my way, adults get stood on or a gentle kick in the butt to remind them, puppies get pushed aside firmly with a foot.

[Bubitty]

My dogs always eat before me and I have had no problems at all.

I also send them through doors before me! I think its more important that a dog understands to wait when asked.

[Rebanne]

I think it's a load of rubbish!

Some nights my dogs eat before the family, while other nights we eat before the dogs.

My dogs have to fit in with my lifestyle on any given day... NOT the other way around.

AND my dogs normally go through a door before I do because it is easier to just let them all out and then follow!

While none of my dogs are obedience champions they are all well mannered, loyal and easy to live with.

They respect me regardless of when I feed them!

This is my life with dogs as well, now with greyhounds, previously with GSD's

[Elsha_UK_AU]

I feed my two as I am dishing up my own dinner and we are all usually eating at the same time. This stops Porthos (my little one) from sitting there begging at us as he is too busy scoffing his own dinner.

[Guest belgian.blue]

Dogs fed before I aswell.

Never had a problem and it makes them leave me alone while I eat. Badg tends to sleep after eating his dinner.

[Dogsfevr]

feed time here is anywhere between 8am/6pm.

They go through doors first ,they s;eep on my bed,sit on the couch & enkoy all aspects of our home BUT they are dogs first & foremost & treated as such .In return we have well rounded loving dogs who are a joy to own & take out.

I truly believe in the last 10 years owning a dog has become like the new parentingg fads & common sense has gone out the door & all these new fads have appeared with total confusions.

Yes there are some great basic methods out there but it has really got to a stage that simple & successful works very well

[pebbles]

Showdog Same here

[MavericksMission]

Mine eat before me.

We often eat late and I don't think it is fair to make them wait

[tez]

dogs eat first with us too.

Its just that I like to get all the jobs done before I sit down and relax with a meal so the chooks are fed and locked up, the cats fed and the dogs fed. They do go out when we eat as we don't have a table at the moment so eat dinner on the couches and two sad deprived faces looking at me would cause me to weaken and give in. With a new pup here I MUST BE STRONG and not create bad habits!

[zoozoo]

Showdog, I completely agree.

At my house, Zeus eats beakfast after me but dinner before me.