katlynweb
10-01-2003, 11:09 AM
Can anyone help me feed these little kids???? My older dog and one of my new rescues are alpha dogs and quite food aggressive. The other rescue is submissive. I have tried everything I can think of to make sure everone is eating what they should be. Separating them does not help as they will not stay apart and if I try to feed one in a different room, she just stands there and won't eat and the other two leave THEIR food and stand at her door! I have tried just putting the bowls a good ways apart in the kitchen, but the two alphas keep running from bowl to bowl and the submissive one just runs out! I'm not sure she's getting enough food and we have already had one "food fight"! PLEASE HELP!!! Any ideas, anyone?
Love Bird B
10-01-2003, 02:30 PM
Can you crate the submissive one and feed her from there?
Squawksx3
10-01-2003, 05:05 PM
Food aggression can be a major problem, most shelter and stray dogs have it. You need to crate the aggressor(s) during meal times. Its best to keep them in eyes view of each other, so they can keep tabs on what each other is doing. Keep them crated until they eat the food... it may be hours. Eventually, they should settle down when the aggressive rescue realizes that food is plentiful and it will not starve. Do they get along otherwise?.. with toys and such?. If they are only aggressive over food, it should be very workable. Make sure all the food is up when they are not eating. Monitor them closely if they are given bones, rawhides, etc...
When we first brought out Rott/GSD home from the shelter, he was VERY food aggressive, we had a few fights and one trip to the animal ER. I had to separate and crate him from the other two. It took a few months, but all three now eat next to each other with no problems and the Rott/GSD is a happy, fat boy!..
Rescues have seen too many days with hunger pains burning in their bellies. It's natural for them to feel they have to fight for their food. Have patience, I learned how to deal with stuff by trial and error. Do what works best for your situation.
Good luck :)
katatawnic
10-05-2003, 08:05 PM
Sheba, my Rottie, has always been the aggressive one with food. When I had Tigger, a Shi 'Tzu (old and passed away now), I had to have a separate bowl for him. Sheba would then go and stand at Tigger's bowl, making him afraid to eat. Fortunately, Sheba's well-trained and I'd tell her to keep away from Tigger's bowl, tell her "Go eat YOUR food" (which she understands), and after doing this for a while she finally got it that Tigger's bowl was off limits to her.
Sadie, my little Dauschound, is also an alpha, so it's funny watching her and Sheba. Most often they agree to disagree on their dominance behaviors. However, when we refill the feeder (it holds 20 lbs. of food), Sheba gets extremely dominant about it, even if it wasn't empty before we refilled it. That's when we have to put food in a separate bowl for Sadie to eat out of, or else Sheba will threaten to tear Sadie's head off. And yes, Sheba will still try to go over to Sadie's bowl during these times; again, I watch her and tell her "Go eat YOUR food, Sheba" and she gives me a really indignant look, but she obeys. (BTW, I keep the separate feeders/bowls at opposite ends of the room, so that they aren't near each other when this problem arises.)
katlynweb, I don't know how well trained your alpha's are, so I don't know how helpful I can be here. If your alpha's are well trained enough to obey you when you exert YOUR "alpha" dominance over them, then all I can offer at this time (without further information from you about your dogs) is to constantly watch the dogs during feedings, and impose limits on them. Whatever methods you've used for "correction" with your alpha's during training, use those methods now.... watch them extensively during feedings and make it clear to them that they may be the alpha dogs, but YOU are the alpha of the household, and your rules hold. It will take time and a lot of attention & patience, to say the least!
Remember though that, no matter what, YOU are the alpha in the household, above and beyond your dogs. Make sure that they constantly remember that no matter how much dominance they may have over each other, you are the dominant one in the household.
Please give more information, if you can, as to the extent of your alpha dogs' training.... how well they respond to your commands, etc. This way I or others here on this site may have more advice to offer, if we have more information RE: your alpha's and their training, what "correction" methods used on your dogs that are effective, their reactions to your authority, etc.
~~ Kat ~~
P.S.
Once again, Squak gave great advice! Just thought I'd throw in a little more, as well as ask you about the extent of your dog's training, etc., so that maybe there'd be more to offer you.
;)
Amanda
10-12-2003, 06:47 PM
I just sent you an email. I hope you get it.
katlynweb
10-16-2003, 12:41 PM
Thank you for all the suggestions and tips! We are all eating in separate rooms right now, but at least we ARE eating instead of fighting! It took a couple of days to realize that we had 20 minutes to eat our food and then....SWOOP...it disappeared! We sure eat it when we get it now!!
Amanda
10-16-2003, 09:57 PM
Hi Kat, that's great to hear that the food fights have stopped.
:)
Squawksx3
10-17-2003, 02:08 AM
Great job Kat!!.
Thx for the update :)