Posted by Doreen Simpkins
on May 10, 2009, 5:39 pm, in reply to "Re: Eating habits"
Hi Marilyn,
Do you have much of an idea of his history before he came to you? It could be that his quick eating pattern is because in the past it was "eat quick as I don't know when the next meal is coming"
Without knowing your other two dogs it is hard to say if finger feeding the older one will do any harm in terms of group dynamics but in general terms food is a very powerful message to dogs, which if handled consistently allows the person providing the food to be seen as "alpha". Having said that, the alpha theory which has in the past been promoted relentlessly by some canine behaviourists has been under challenge from more recent reserach studies. Why risk doing something which in the eyes of your younger two dogs might be identifying the older one, as "different" and perhaps causing friction?
The only time I have ever finger fed a dog was when they were ill, or a dam who has just whelped if I am worried about her intake.
Do you think allowing him to eat separately from the younger ones will help him relax a bit? If you were able to do that, and he did not finish his meal, no problems just lift it up..., he will get the message that if he does not finish it, it will disappear until next time. He will not become malnourished, he will just learn that his behaviour will not result in finger feeding. I think as humans we put a human interpretation on what rescue dogs have been through, and that can make it difficult to be as "gently firm" with the dog, due to our feeling so sorry for what they have been through. He sounds lucky to have found such a caring home! Hope all goes well with your new rescues!
Doreen
--Previous Message--
: you raise some interesting points. Yes he is
: new to the pack but has now been with me for
: a year and a half. He is however the lowest
: in rank because of his age and injured leg
: (the other 2 are 3 and 4 yrs old) and so you
: may be right that this is an appeasement
: gesture.
:
: I had his teeth cleaned when he first came
: to me as it could be done under the
: anaesthetic used during neutering. He eats
: faster than the other two and always eats
: everything as long as I hold the bowl for
: the second half. I am happy to continue
: doing this if it not doing any harm and
: sending the wrong message to the other 2.
: The strange thing is that he does this when
: I feed him alone.
: I don't think he needs to eat less as he has
: not put on any weight since being with me
: and is fairly fit for his age considering
: his injured leg (broken ligament from car
: accident before me)
:
: I "took delivery" yesterday of 2
: abandoned dogs, swelling pack numbers to 5.
: It will be interesting to see what effects
: this will have on issues of rank! I have a
: feeling I may be posting a few more queries
: soon!
:
: Thankyou once again
: Regards
: Marilyn
:
: --Previous Message--
: Hello Marilyn,
: Is your 13 year old dog, new to your pack,
: or has he been part of the pack for a while?
: Roles/behaviours change in packs all the
: time, and a newer member of the pack is
: likely to try and appease more established
: members of the pack, in order to be fully
: accepted.
: Is your dog showing any physical or
: behavioural changes, like weight loss, dry
: coat/skin, excessive drinking/urination?
: These can all indicate a need for a health
: check up to exclude physical conditions.
: From what you say about him, he does not
: seem to be anorexic, merely that he eats
: slower than the two younger dogs,( are his
: teeth in good condition, or could dental
: problems be contributing to his slow eating
: pattern?) which is not unusual.
: Dogs are natural scavengers who in the wild
: do not know when their next meal is coming
: from, so when an opportunity presents itself
: they take advantage!
: You have two/three options, feed the older
: dog separately, which will ensure hew gets
: time to eat his food without being
: "pressured", or teach the two
: younger ones what behaviour you expect. That
: can be done by consistently supervising at
: feeding time and sending the other dogs away
: if they approach the older dogs' bowl,
: clicker training might be useful to try.
: Some owners find feeding the dogs in a set
: order and in the same place helps prevent
: "opportunistic" raids on
: neighbouring bowls!
: The older dog may be getting too much food,
: older dogs do not need as much food as
: younger ones, especially if their physical
: activity levels are reduced, otherwise they
: get overweight.If food is still in the bowl
: about 10 minutes or so after being put down,
: he is probabaly getting too much, pick up
: the bowl and give nothing except water until
: the next meal. Then at the next meal give
: slightly less, and see if that is all taken.
: If you usually feed once a day, you might
: need to consider feeding half the amount
: twice a day to the older dog, as this is
: soemtimes helpful. Hope this helps.
: Regards,
: Doreen Simpkins
: www.haveahappyhound.co.uk
:
:
: --Previous Message--
: My 13 year old rescue dog eats half his food
: and then pushes the bowl away. If I pick it
: up and feed him he happily finishes it off
: and will even tackle more. If I don't
: assist, the other 2 dogs will eventually
: finish theirs and come over and finish his
: so he has now come to expect waiter service
: every time. I don't mind doing this but it
: seems odd behaviour. The other 2 dogs are
: younger (3 & 4) and higher ranking.
: Could this be part of pack behaviour?
:
:
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