Doggies, Please Explain:

[Loving my Oldies]

My dogs' frustrating eating foibles have been well documented over the years LOL, but I think today adds yet another chapter. .

I recently stopped feeding them in the morning and although that worked for a while, they were desperately hungry and barking and jumping by about 5pm. Therefore, I started giving them roo jerky to chew on in the mornings. This seemed to give them diarrhoea, so I went back to giving them just a very small meal in the morning.

Bunter would eat anything in gold medal wining time, to he is shut in one of the bedrooms for his meal. Myrtie eats very slowly and deposits her food all over the floor, so I put down newspaper in the kitchen for her. The other three are shut out on the deck with Tamar's bowl on her bed and the other two just on the floor a fair way apart.

After a few minutes, I checked on the deck three only to see them just standing around with the food untouched. I knew they loved what I had given them (raw meat, mashed vegetables and tuna lightly warmed), so I was not amused.

What to do? All I did was to putt all the bowls in different places and told them they had 5 minutes.

I went back a few minutes later and the bowls were licked clean.

Edited March 20, 2013 by Danny's Darling

[minimax]

There you go, it was the 5 minute threat that did it :laugh:

[persephone]

:)

silly!!

Their waiter had not placed bowls in preferred positions!

Tsk tsk...

[Loving my Oldies]

There you go, it was the 5 minute threat that did it :laugh:

Yes, that probably was it as I usually tell them 15 LOL

:)

silly!!

Their waiter had not placed bowls in preferred positions!

Tsk tsk...

Water bowls at least can stay in the same position :laugh:

[kiesha09]

I can so relate to your frustrations - lately I have one dog that when I put her food down will often look at it, smell it, lick it, then jump on her bed and scratch at it, then lick the candle holder (on a shelf near the bowl), then look at it, smell it, walk up the hall way etc. until the other dog has finished its food. Then will go to the bowl and some times eat it and sometimes sniff and walk away.

My mum looked after and started hand feeding her because she was worried she would get hungry (insert eye roll).

So like you I just said you've got 5 minutes - if its not eaten it gets taken away.

Its the same food everyday. So annoying!

[Loving my Oldies]

I can so relate to your frustrations - lately I have one dog that when I put her food down will often look at it, smell it, lick it, then jump on her bed and scratch at it, then lick the candle holder (on a shelf near the bowl), then look at it, smell it, walk up the hall way etc. until the other dog has finished its food. Then will go to the bowl and some times eat it and sometimes sniff and walk away.

My mum looked after and started hand feeding her because she was worried she would get hungry (insert eye roll).

So like you I just said you've got 5 minutes - if its not eaten it gets taken away.

Its the same food everyday. So annoying!

:laugh: :laugh: Oh, I shouldn't laugh Kiesha09, but your description is so spot on. I have posted in the past that you'd think I was putting a bowl of poison in front of them.

Quite often, I will put out the food for the deck three, check on them and they are all standing at the glass sliding door looking in with such pathetic looks on their faces. The deck is covered by the way and about 4 metres wide - LOL - so not a scary, exposed to the elements place.

[HeelerLove]

My girl is a bit like this. Put her food in her bowl and she just looks at you like 'what am I meant to do with this?'. Sometimes she won't start eating until I've told her 'eat your tucker' then will take a couple of bites and look at me again until I repeat it. Other times she gobbles it down as quickly as she can. She has been a lot better since I adopted my boy who inhales his food rather than eating it and is always on the look out for more. Without fail he always checks her bowl once she has walked away just in case she left any crumbs lol.

[Pollywaffle]

the scariest part in all this is that we think we can reason with our dogs...and that they will understand, for instance, the concept of five minutes...I hear myself doing it...'look, if you eat this worming tablet, we'll think about a nice treat later on'....scary!

[Loving my Oldies]

the scariest part in all this is that we think we can reason with our dogs...and that they will understand, for instance, the concept of five minutes...I hear myself doing it...'look, if you eat this worming tablet, we'll think about a nice treat later on'....scary!

I do laugh at myself when I tell them to do something or, more often, not to do something. But then my excuse is that they are my live in companions - LOL.

[HazyWal]

the scariest part in all this is that we think we can reason with our dogs...and that they will understand, for instance, the concept of five minutes...I hear myself doing it...'look, if you eat this worming tablet, we'll think about a nice treat later on'....scary!

You're so right PW I try to reason with them all the time. I know it's pointless( especially Stan *rolls eyes*) but when you get busted it's worse. I had the dogs down at the boatramp the other day, I drive down and then we go for a walk. I opened the back hatch and as I was putting their muzzles on Maddie was being a little antsy at a couple of dogs walking past so I cupped her face in my hands and said " Listen.... we haven't even gotten out of the car yet and you're carrying on...do you want to go home??" Didn't see a friend standing behind me who just rolled his eyes and said " You've lost it" :laugh:

DD as far as meal time goes here it's all over in under a minute

[kiesha09]

Yep I went through a stage of begging 'Kiesha c'mon pleeeaaassseeeee eat your dinner for me.... we'll go for a nice walk after if you do'.

As soon as I mentioned the 'walk' word she would forget about her food and run straight to the front door. Sigh.

[Little Gifts]

Well I am here to tell you they can change! My sister used to leave an assortment of tasty food out for her husky/shep all day. Usually concerned she hadn't eaten anything my sister would sit and hand feed her and talk to her and fuss over her every night. My sister and her dog moved in with me in 2005 (or 2006 - can never remember) and at the time I had 2 sbts with competitive eating issues so we couldn't leave food down. My sister started feeding her dog sitting on her bed! Then someone else came to stay temporarily and bought a 4th (tiny) dog - it was also used to grazing all day.

I put my foot down and said they will eat if they are hungry. They all started getting fed at the same time twice a day in different spots, with us humans guarding the fast eaters from trying stand over tactics on the fussy ones. It didn't take long for the fussy ones to realise if they took too long they'd lose what was still in their bowls when nasty me picked them all up, finished or not.

Today, my sister's dog eats quicker than my sbt! She has gone from gourmet meals of 4 varieties (which she'd pick at) to quality kibble with extras on top (same as the rest of the household). She did still have an issue for a bit about only eating small kibble and my sister was giving her loads of treat food at night but that is gone now too. They all still have their spots but they also have different bowls so sometimes I still mix it up a bit and feed them in different locations but from the same bowls. They would follow their own bowls anywhere!

So I think the trick is to get a nasty Aunty to do the feeding, one who doesn't buy into all the emotional eating stuff, ignores the bad and encourages the good. Even when I house sat for Tapua she has one dog who they expected to go off his food while they were away. Nope! I followed their routine, didn't buy into his mood in relation to it affecting his eating (although he got lots of extra attention aside from food), gave him a timeframe, left him to it and he'd eaten it all from the first night onwards!

Just keep telling yourself "they will not die of starvation!".

[Loving my Oldies]

My dogs are not fussed over when it comes to food. Food is not left out through the day (that is something I will never understand - like feeding children a never ending supply of lollies and crisps ).

They are offered food twice a day and if they don't it in a certain time frame, up it comes.

Once or twice a fortnight, if not less, they will get pieces of dried roo tail which they will chew off and on for days. I never buy things like schmackos (rubbish). Their treats are the roo bones and roo jerky.

[hankdog]

What, dogs don't listen to reason , when did that happen!!

Send your dogs to the pound for a bit, all mine have been rescues and they all eat like hoovers, think they may learn that while they're in jail.

[kiesha09]

My dogs are not fussed over when it comes to food. Food is not left out through the day (that is something I will never understand - like feeding children a never ending supply of lollies and crisps ).

They are offered food twice a day and if they don't it in a certain time frame, up it comes.

Once or twice a fortnight, if not less, they will get pieces of dried roo tail which they will chew off and on for days. I never buy things like schmackos (rubbish). Their treats are the roo bones and roo jerky.

This is me too now. I don't have time to stand around and wait for the fussy one to eat her breakfast or dinner so she literally gets her bowl of food and if its not gone it 5 minutes she gets it for dinner instead.

[teekay]

What, dogs don't listen to reason , when did that happen!!

Send your dogs to the pound for a bit, all mine have been rescues and they all eat like hoovers, think they may learn that while they're in jail.

You'd think so wouldn't you? But not Mya. She was skin and bone when rescued from Blacktown pound by K9angel on here, 3 years ago. You'd think she wolf everything down, glad of a good meal but nup.

I am far more relaxed about it now though. To begin with i would worry if she refused to eat because she was still pretty thin but she has settled at an appropriate weight for her now. 16kgs. Light for a husky but it's a good weight for her and if she doesn't eat her evening kibble it just gets picked up and offered again the next day. Luckily she does usually eat her RMBs in the morning so rarely goes without anything.

[Loving my Oldies]

All my dogs are from various pounds, handkdog. :) And I have given up worrying if they don't eat, it just means they get it for dinner LOL. None of them is about to fade away :laugh:

Apart from my first two dogs who were bought from breeders and one who was rehomed directly from a home where he was being neglected, all my dogs (10 in urns and 5 still with me) have been rescues.

They are regularly threatened with being sent back to where they came from, but that means I'd have to look up their paperwork to check which pound.

[hankdog]

Well see DD that's the problem you're not being specific enough and the dogs aren't getting a clear message. You need to clearly say "you are going to Blacktown" or wherever they came from, good training needs to be precise!!!???? I am so lucky to have a food motivated dog, he actually cues me when he knows he's done the right thing, he'll look and give me a little nudge if I'm not quick enough with his treat.

[HazyWal]

Well see DD that's the problem you're not being specific enough and the dogs aren't getting a clear message. You need to clearly say "you are going to Blacktown" or wherever they came from, good training needs to be precise!!! I am so lucky to have a food motivated dog, he actually cues me when he knows he's done the right thing, he'll look and give me a little nudge if I'm not quick enough with his treat.

Nope that doesn't work for Stan..." That's it you're going back to Hawkesbury Pound" clearly has no effect on him :laugh:

[Loving my Oldies]

Oh god, isn't it awful that we even joke about it . Actually reading this this morning made me realise I'd made a mistake and that my third dog. Flora, was from answering an ad in the paper - people needed to rehome their dog. That was in 1995 before I knew about the dreadful need of dogs in pound, long before I knew such a thing as "rescue" existed. I thought the only pound was the RSPCA and I knew that I wouldn't be able to cope with going there.

Anyway, Stans Mum, when you were taking him back to Hawkesbury LOL you'd have to pass by the turnoff to my place, so you could drop him off here.

I do have one vacuum cleaner, Hankdog, and that is Bunter. I put down Myrtie's bowl first, then take Bunter to the study and shut him away with his bowl and then back to put down the bowls of the deck three. I then go back to check on Bunter and he has finished ..... the deck three are still just staring at their bowls. LOL. Poor Bunter has to stay shut away for 10 to 15 minutes while the deck three decide whether to eat or not.