Feeding Time With Three

[Guest Avisher224]

Hi all, long time browser, infrequent poster but just upgraded to a three grey household:) and need some assistance! I'm struggling to manage meal times with three dogs. My first baby (Orion) is now ten and he's very used to grazing (yes, seeing now why that isn't always a great idea!) Our second dog (Turbo, five) has only been with us a few months but he adjusted quickly to a similar routine. We just adopted a third dog a couple weeks ago (Maverick, a feisty little two year old) and he is a food scarfer and unfortunately, gets aggressive if you mess with his food. We learned this the hard way- I was trying to distract/remove him from Orion's food bowl since he was trying to eat his food and he lunged out at Orion and bit him. Orion was okay (just a couple surface wounds, thank goodness!) but I'm obviously afraid to feed them together now. I've been having Maverick eat in another room and put a chair in the doorway to try and block him in until the other dogs are done eating, however he finishes WAY quicker than them and will just barrel his way out and come looking for food. Turbo will stand his ground and continue to eat most of the time and Maverick mostly leaves him alone (Maverick and Turbo did a ten week prison training class together and Turbo kept Maverick in check so I'm not too worried about their interactions). However Orion will abandon his food (if he hadn't already either because he gets distracted or he just doesn't feel like eating then) and Maverick will just eat it all if I don't take it away (which, again, very nervous about doing after the bite incident). I feel like I have to manage the meal time which, for one, i don't always have time to do in the morning before work and two, I'm not sure if it's actually helping or hurting. Any ideas on how to make meal time at least fairly "set it and forget it" again? I don't love the ideas of having dog bowls in every room of the house, but I could break them up if needed.

[GreyTzu]

Baby gate him in an area with his food and leave him there until everyone is done.

 

Also, I suggest practicing "trading up" treats to help the issue with moving his food bowl.

[smurfette]

Isolate him during feeding. Feed him in a room where you can close the door. Leave him alone with his food.

Or if you can manage hand feed him. One piece after another. He will be focused on you while the others eat in peace - use collar and leash in the beginning.

[Fostr_Mom]

When I bring in a new foster, I feed the foster in her crate. She doesn't get to come out until the other dogs are done eating. Keep Orion safe by feeding him in a different room behind a baby gate.

[cleptogrey]

crate and feed the chow hound. that's what i would do.

 

it's the grazing that i see as a problem. i now have a grazer here. the whippet who has just come to our home(last week) has ALWAYS grazed(he's 3.5 yrs old). i have tried just about every topping/mixture and he will not just chow down of a bowl of food. yes, to finishing off felix's mix of sardines/kibble/yogurt(optional) with out a snarl out of felix, but it's bite and run with his own dry kibble. i can't let it make me crazy. he's just learning the rules and i don't want to make him crazy. feeding at GIG will be a challenge, the grazing might just end due to starvation!

 

either stop the grazing or only let them graze in the kitchen w/ gate up and give them a 1/2 hr. while your chow hound is crated(let them eat while you prepare dinner). then lift the food, out of sight out of mind. fortunately felix doesn't go for the dry kibble that is left out unless he's famished and once he's done he doesn't care at all about his left overs. will your grazers eat a mix and get used to feed and remove(10 min max of food down)? it's worth a try.

[mom2four]

Good suggestions above- to isolate the gulper somehow.

 

I feed 9 hounds at the same time. Everything is all done within 10 minutes. Everyone has their feeding station to themselves, with at least 4 feet of space in between. I supervise all the time.

 

Our old Greyhound girl who is food aggressive eats in the office with the door closed. She stays there until everyone is done eating.

Our food gulper eats in the hall with the baby gate closed. He has to wait until I let him out.

Then three eat in the kitchen, and three in the living room. These are the ones that do not try to eat each other's food. That leaves one...the patient one....

 

When the 6 are all eating, the gulper in the hall is done. I take him by his collar and put him outside for a potty break. Then the patient one moves into the hall and eats peacefully- that's all he wants.

 

As they finish eating I take the 6 that are eating in the kitchen and living room and put them outside for potty breaks as well....and let them in once they are done pottying. When the patient one in the hall is done eating he goes outside. Then I go get the old girl who eats in the office and put her outside. Ta-Da! Everyone has eaten. It is 10 minutes of being in the military but everything goes smoothly.

[Guest Avisher224]

Thanks all, these are great suggestions! I think I'll try just shutting Maverick in the office to eat tonight- if he gets rowdy while he's waiting, we could always try a gate or crate as an alternative to a closed door. I'm also going to have to just get a little tough with Orion and retrain him to eat at meal time (he's absolutely my love bug so I'll admit, I have been sneaking him food when he give me sad eyes, but no more!!) He LOVES yogurt, so maybe I'll mix some in his kibble to entice him. I also liked the idea of hand feeding Maverick- probably can't go that route in the morning before work but I could probably do this at night. He's way more of an alpha dog than any grey I've had- do you think me hand feeding will help him realize I'm the boss?

[XTRAWLD]

Wow, military efficiency - that's a well oiled machine right there.

[cgs]

I have a little dog who's always been a grazer. The advice to isolate Maverick until the other dogs are done doesn't make sense if the others are true grazers--having food out pretty much all day. We used to just keep Lulu's bowl full and she ate when she wanted. What we do now is put it down, and pick it back up if she doesn't eat. At some point, she'll ask for it by sitting where her food should be and looking a little forlorn. If her bowl is on the floor, but empty, she'll push it to let us know she wants some food. If it's taken up, she'll either sit until we notice, or she'll grr or whine to get our attention. I put the bowl down, and if she doesn't start eating within the next 15 seconds or so (sometimes she just likes to know it's there but she doesn't actually want to eat), then I'll take it back up. Percy won't go for it when Lulu's eating or when I'm around. He will eat it if no one is looking. So bottom line--she is not being retrained to eat at mealtime, but she does now have to ask for her meals when she wants them.

 

I thought Percy was a grazer when we got him, but it turns out he just didn't have much appetite. Now he scarfs his food.

[greysmom]

A dog with no health issues will not starve himself intentionally. Your grazer will get the idea eventually. Put the bowl down for a set time every meal, say somewhere between 5-10 minutes depending on how fast everyone else eats, then pick it up. No sneaking any major food in between!!! When he's hungry enough he'll eat.

 

I have also resorted to a squirt bottle to keep a food hog out of a less dominant dogs dish. Your food hound may relax a bit after he's settled down into his new home and routine, but there are no guarantees. And every dog deserves to eat at their own pace without being disturbed. Once they learn they should stay away, but getting them to that point can be nerve-wracking.

[Guest Avisher224]

Ahhhh, the last few meal times have been MUCH less stressful! Maverick has been just fine in the office eating with the door shut and I hand fed him about half his dinner successfully. I'm standing strong with Orion and not sneaking him food between meals- he gets what he'll eat during meal time and that's it! A little yogurt is helping to encourage him but I think he's starting to get the idea that he needs to just stand there and eat when I put it down. Thanks for all the suggestions!

[sobesmom]

Excellent progress! Good for you!!

 

Nothing wrong with giving Orion a little "something extra" on his meals to reward him as he's transitioning to a new way of doing things. Turbo could have a little, too, cuz he's just being the good guy. Occasionally. Maverick could get some too, as a reward, for letting you be close to/touch/feed him from his bowl. Reward for not being food-aggressive. ONLY then.

 

Be very watchful if you give bones or chews. That could be an issue at this point with the personalities you've got going on, and the transition right now. Personally, I wouldn't until the food issues are fully resolved, but up to you.