guarding food

[myboys]

My Butchie will guard his food for hours if I let it sit there......very sad really. Neither of my boys will wolf down their food. They are very casual about eating. Butch learned the hard way...with bones and toys, that if he left them to go watch out the window, Sundance would be lying in wait to grab them and keep them for himself. Butch still leaves his bones to investigate and play but NEVER his bowl of food. I have learned that if I have to leave the house I take the bowl away otherwise when I return he will still be standing on alert beside the bowl. This happen to anyone else and what did you do to help your poor baby out? Jean

[Sirchow]

We have a cavalier that guards food and anything else if he is allowed even his leash if he finds it lying on the floor. And he too would stay there all day without moving. We never leave food down. Ours get the amount of food they are meant to have twice a day and they either eat it or it is lifted up. Appart from the guarding of his own food he would guard and eat everyone elses. So I feel it is better that they all eat when I tell them they can. It is one small way of showing them that I am the provider and and they look to me for food and they have to stand quietly in their places before they get fed. It asserts my authority and I think my dogs are happier and more relaxed knowing I keep their food safe. They eat side by side and never steal even when they are finished and someone else isn't. Dont know if this helps.

[myboys]

Yes, this does help. thank you.

[Tippsy'smom]

I do like Siriol and only feed what they should eat twice a day and then it gets picked up. Too much risk of fighting if I didn't.

[Ursa's daddy]

While I cannot site a source on this information, I believe there is support for feeding at fixed times. The Chow Chows are fed out in the breezeway, and the terriers are fed in the kitchen. There is a door that isolates the big dogs from the little dogs, to keep down on the arguments. Each dog has his/her bowl, which a measured amount of food is placed, and the dogs are required to sit and wait for the food bowl to be put down. We feed at 6:30 AM & PM. That is the way it works at my house. If any of the animals don't eat all their food during the allotted time, then the food bowl is taken up and not re-offered until the regular feeding time. This goes for the cats as well as the dogs. The dog bowls are always taken up, and the cat bowls are taken up only if there is still food in them. The difference being that the dog bowls are on the floor and the cats are fed on elevated platforms. Usually everyone finished the meal.

The only possessing/guarding things is done by Ursa should my wife hand out cow hooves for the dogs to chew. Ursa will gather them all up and put them between her paws and chew on them. There is no sharing. After a day or two, and she has put some tooth marks on all of them, she quits guarding them and will usually carry one around with her, leaving the rest for the other dogs. That is typical Alpha dog action, and she knows she is the alpha female.

Another thing, is that any guarding doesn't include me. I can take the chew toys away, pretend to eat them, carry them off, etc, without any problem other than having an additional shadow. I can also take the food up. As a pet owner, you have to be able to do this. Your dog should know that you might want to examine the food or the item the dog has in her mouth, and you will return it at some time. Your dog needs to allow you to do this, because both your safety can depend on it, and your dog's safety and health can depend on it.

[JasonandNat]

It used to similar around here with ShenLung and FengHuang. He still goes through the motions some days, but since his sister is Alpha he really has little choice. He still does 'attempt' to stand up as the larger dog (physically), but only so far as she has little sense of humor. We provide her food then him (actually everything in that order), he has until she is done. She eats one piece at a time, so he should be good. However if she is still hungry and he hasn't eaten it all, she'll just walk right over and take it. Once we got this all sorted all the violence stopped (we had a rough time in year 2). That said ShenLung has a toy beaver that he recently acquired and does not share it with his sister, which is very amusing to watch, we almost think he wishes she had interest. We also generally keep them apart so that personal space is kept at feeding time. All this is with each other though, not visiting dogs or temporary rescues which is kind of interesting.

[bellachow]

JasonandNat: really cool to hear someone else has an alpha female with a larger male.

*knock on wood* I always leave dry food down and have never had any problems. But each has their own bowl in different rooms of the house. However, Chumley is not allowed, by Bella, to have squeaky toys which is rather funny. Like Ursa'sDaddy I make sure they know as puppys all toys, food, etc is mine to take because I am the surpreme alpha (lol). My little alpha girl, Princess Airebella, lives up to her name and will occaisionally growl at me when I try to wipe feet, tend to a hot spot, etc. but she is just voicing her opinion because she knows that makes no difference I go on and do it anyway. (I have the rare chow chow that is very vocal...noises, playtime.. everything). In your case, I would have to agree with SirChow... your baby will be more relaxed if you use set feeding times.

[Ursa's daddy]

Hey Bellachow, JasonandNat: really cool to hear someone else has an alpha female with a larger male.

Ursa weighs 50 pounds, and 10 of that is fat which she put on after we started the steroids for the Pemphigus Foliaceus. We measure and regulate her food, but she has packed on the weight. Malachi weighs 75 pounds and stands at least 6 inches over her, and he always gets the short end of things from her. Of course, he is a gentleman, and a most respectful dog, and gives way to cats as well as Maggie, the rat terrier, who he would like to play tug of war with the chew toys. Maggie doesn't want to play and will talk quite nasty to him.

Sirchow has it right: I feel it is better that they all eat when I tell them they can. It is one small way of showing them that I am the provider and and they look to me for food and they have to stand quietly in their places before they get fed. It asserts my authority and I think my dogs are happier and more relaxed knowing I keep their food safe.