1St Scarey Argument

[buddibear]

Usually the boys eat in different rooms. Today the foster pushes the kitchen door open and gets too close to the still feeding guy. My neighbors heard the dogs and ME through 2 walls.I found a few scratches,but after everyone takes a nap,I see the puddle of blood. Under the collar looks like a puncture and a trail of blood.I listerined,and chlorhexidrined. After 4 hours not a lot of clotting happening.I will sleep on the floor and keep pressure if that's needed. I have a whole container of Keflex 500 but I think a trip to vet in the am is in the plan. It can happen in the blink of an eye. I am now rethinking the small children feeding our dogs treats at M&G.

[GeorgeofNE]

I'm not sure what the point is about children/treats/meet & greet.

 

You had two dogs squabble over food. Not the same situation at all--but personally I don't let very small children near my dog unless they are children of people I know. Just not worth the trouble if, heaven forbid, anything should happen.

 

And of course I think parents who have very small children who let them get too close to large dogs they don't know are not thinking clearly--but I don't think the situation you describe is reason to be concerned about the meet & greet issue.

[Trihounds]

Hopefully you were able to get the bleeding under control last night. Puncture wounds can be scary as it is hard to tell how deep they are, not to mention treating them can be a challenge as infection can propagate inside while the surface may look reasonably clean and healthy. If you didn't go to the vet, do keep your eye out for any swelling and hardness at the wound site and ensure there is nothing going on under the skin.

 

I agree with George's mom above - almost all dogs are possessive over food and will protect it fiercly but that doesn't mean children can't give him treats. As long as the boys aren't aggressive at the sign of any high value item, there shouldn't be a problem. How do they react at treat time? Any squabbling? Food dishes are something completely different from a casual treat or reward.

 

Good luck - hope that wound heals up without issue.

[Guest Greyt_dog_lover]

I agree with the others, there is nothing similar between two dogs interacting when eating and a child handing a treat to a dog.

 

I am sure you have learned your lesson that your hound needs to be separated while eating, but you also should realize that you need to work on his agression issue as well so that if another slip-up occurs you dont have to worry as much.

 

Chad

[TheFullHouse]

More squabbles happen over food, toys and high value treats. Hope everything is okay.

[KF_in_Georgia]

I do understand your uneasiness about children feeding the dogs treats. If the child drops the treat, there could be a free-for-all with the child in the middle, especially if the child tries to pick up the treat.

 

But you can work on your guys (and they'll enjoy the practice). At my place, I started naming the dog about to get a treat, but making it clear that there were more treats in my hand. But, "Sam, sit"--with a treat visible in front of him--just gets Sam sitting, while Jacey licks her lips and plots her strategy. Then, "Jacey, down" (her sits are horrendous), and she'll try to decide whether she has to go all the way down to get the treat or not. (She does.) And treats are always dispensed in a controlled way. I never just toss a treat to each dog. It's my-hand-to-their-mouths and only when the dogs are under control.

 

When I was doing M&Gs with my guys, though, sometimes the treat situation could get awkward. If another mom was treating her dogs, my guys didn't understand why there weren't treats for them. I tried to keep a little distance from the other dogs, and keep kibble in my pocket for a reward when my guys needed one. If children wanted to feed my guys, I told them to hold the kibble on the palm of their hands and hold their hands flat. My guys know about "take it nicely," but they are liable to forget if they think the treat will disappear--or get gobbled up by another dog.

 

My two are truly food motivated, and food is the only thing that would prompt a fight between them. Fortunately, so far, each has realized that the other is serious about the food, so whoever actually has teeth on the food--and growls--(when I'm not right there and someone has raided the kitchen) has won the battle, and the other just whines. But at meal time they eat in different rooms, and I'm in between them. They eat so fast that waiting for them hasn't been a problem for me.

[Guest Greyt_dog_lover]

Just an idea, feed everyone in a crate. I have three crates that are kept up for just this reason, as well as I have three hounds with a rotating foster. Two of my hounds and a foster are in crates, and my fourth is outside the crate, separated as well due to the crate itself. I have had food agressive fosters in the house and feeding this way tends to help the situation as nobody can wander around and get in each other's "zone".

[Guest LindsaySF]

I agree with a vet trip. Better safe than sorry.

 

I feed all of my dogs in crates and ex-pens. Makes life so much simpler.

 

 

Like BrucieDad said, treats are different from food bowls. But if you are worried about meet & greets, I would provide small treats (like pieces of kibble or training treats) that the dogs can just swallow. No pieces or crumbs on the ground to fight over.