Feeding 2 sheepies
Jasper eats his really quickly. Inhales! Miley has always been a slow eater and our feeding schedule has been to fill her breakfast and leave it until she eats it. We did the same for supper. It worked out as a control free feeding system. I have been feeding at the same time but Miley is not done before Jasper. In fact sometimes she has not even started. If I leave her bowl down Jasper will eat her food too! His tummy has been a little upset due to a virus (we are on medicine) but adding new food does not help. Plus we are switching him back to a puppy formula. He needs to put on some weight. I think that I need to get Miley to eat a bit faster and to have Jasper leave her food alone. I have been standing guard by Miley's food and telling Jas[er he can't have it. I have tried hand feeding Miley but she is not interested. Right now Miley is stressed. My instinct is to pick up Miley's food and she will learn to eat it when I put it down. I am reluctant because I want to make the transition to having a brother easy on her and I would feel bad if she went hungry. So I need support. I think that is the next step to keep us on track. Let me know what you think. |
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| Gosh that is difficult. My old yorkie used to take ages to eat, and we had a sheepie pup at the time but I had a baby gate and used to put yorkies food in different room. Is there no where you can let the older sheepie just have access and not the gobbler?
Perhaps someone will come up with a good idea but I am foxed sorry. |
| I would separate them.
Standing guard is kind of tedious, especially if Miley is a slow eater or prefers to pick at her food. Mine eat at various speeds too. Simon the basset eats in the kitchen, Chewie eats behind a baby gate on the porch. The others eat in their crates. When I have fosters they go into crates as well. My ideal scenario is filling all the dishes while they are out in the dog yard. I set all the dishes down in their respective spots. I open the door, and they all run to their dish and I close cage doors and gates. They stay in their location for 30 min - 1 hour. It is the routine, they all do fine. Even the fosters figure it out in a day or two. Those that eat fast just lay down and wait. They don't need to be playing or racing around right after they eat anyway! Good luck.  |
got sheep wrote: I would separate them.
Standing guard is kind of tedious, especially if Miley is a slow eater or prefers to pick at her food. Mine eat at various speeds too. Simon the basset eats in the kitchen, Chewie eats behind a baby gate on the porch. The others eat in their crates. When I have fosters they go into crates as well. My ideal scenario is filling all the dishes while they are out in the dog yard. I set all the dishes down in their respective spots. I open the door, and they all run to their dish and I close cage doors and gates. They stay in their location for 30 min - 1 hour. It is the routine, they all do fine. Even the fosters figure it out in a day or two. Those that eat fast just lay down and wait. They don't need to be playing or racing around right after they eat anyway! Good luck. This is EXACTLY what I do! With multiple dogs you need to give each one their own space & make meal time pleasurable. Believe me, there is nothing worse than dogs fighting over a few kibbles! Been there done that! I wouldn't want to have to gear my eating habits to the speed of the other people in my household. |
| I have the same issue with my dog. I force her to eat when I tell her to but continuing to tell her TO EAT.
Otherwise, we used to give her food at bedtime. She has to stay in that room and by morning, the food would be gone. Or if we worked, putting the bowl out while we were gone while the other one was locked in a different room. They don't "need" each other while we're away anyway. They just sleep. Heck, not even sure they like each other. Could you do that? May suck, but to me that's life. |
| Hi. Becky.
I know he lost some weight when he was sick, but please reconsider putting him back on puppy food. He is old enough that he doesn't need it and as a large breed puppy he shouldn't have it, orthopedically speaking. I know it's tempting to pump him full of calories, but that's just going to prolong the stomach upset. Give him time to steadily gain the weight back. He will. It's not like you're fattening him up for Tnanksgiving dinner <g> so there's no rush. He'll be OK and gradual really is better for him. And since he's the inhaler, stick him in a crate at meal time. That way he has no incentive to inhale his food so he can get to Miley's and she doesn't have to fear for her kibble. Just keep feeding her like she's used to and make him adjust to her way of life. Only fair. She was there first. Kristine |
Joahaeyo wrote: They don't "need" each other while we're away anyway. They just sleep. Heck, not even sure they like each other.
I differ with this opinion. Even tho' mine are in seperate kennels while we are away at work etc., at least they are in the same room & can see each other. My thoughts are they don't feel as lonely....they know they have company. They all feel they are on an equal playing field. |
I was referring to just mine in that paragraph 
I do think some dogs love to be one another and can get anxiety w/o them. Yuki LOVES her little sis, but her older fursis would rather her never come home when she goes somewhere. However, when you've got to feed them and can't handfeed them (another option for slow poke) then you've got to do what you've got to do to make things work for the family. My maltese would never eat her food unless we're "in the room" too. There's also putting them in crates and giving their food to them then. |
| we have two inhalers, a normal speed eater and a slow poke. the inhalers either get their food picked up half way through their meal or (when I tink ahead) we put it in kongs to make them work at it. a dog should have to work at eating a bit - if you feed kibble you can (after you get over the impulse that it is messy) toss a handfull on the floor and make them look for it as well.
But I am with Dawn and Marily and Kristine as well. they need to be seperated and the slow poke in my house goes in a crate so no one can steal her food (okay none of them are stupid enough to really try but it makes for a quieter household  ) |
| Meal times are now very structured since Owen is a little piggy and will eat everyone else's food (saving his own for last!). We also have a big open floor plan but I got a giant gate-- I think it covers a 108" opening-- to give privacy when needed. This is what we do:
Clyde's food is in the dining room and Bear's food is in the kitchen. They were happy to graze all day before Owen. Owen has set mealtimes, 3 times a day and he only eats in his crate. The big boys get their bowls down whenever Owen is in his crate and not eating so when we leave, Owen goes in the crate, Bear and Clyde's food goes down. They get their second helping when we get home but Owen doesn't go in the crate then so the gate goes up blocking off the dining room from the living room at its smallest part. Bear goes on one side with his food and Clyde and Owen stay on the other with Clyde's food. Clyde won't let Owen steal but Bear will but then he'll get upset so Bear is happier having his privacy. We feed Owen dinner in his crate and whatever is left of the boys food is picked up so Owen doesn't steal and they have outside/play time. When Owen goes down to nap, big boy food goes down again. By that time, usually the boys are finishing up and feeding is done for the day. It sounds crazier than it is... |
| I agree with feeding separately. All three eat in their own space. Two in their crates and cheyenne in the kitchen. Beauford is a grazer and slowpoke, when he comes out of his crate I close the door so Sophie and Cheyenne dont steal his food. Then later he will throw Cheyennes bowl in the kitchen so I open the gate and let him in to eat. This is crazy but it works. Cheyenne and Sophie are vacuums. Inhaled in 69 seconds lol I love crates for this purpose. |
| Since we moved to our new house all three dogs eat in the kitchen, BUT at different ends. The two Aussies can eat next to each other, but Violet still needs to eat a distance away. Violet will rush through her food, so I usually sit at the kitchen table and have my first tea/coffee for the day, so I can supervise Breakfast. If I do need to be out of the room, Violet rushes over and takes over Asia's Breakfast, but moves away when caught by me. China is the slowest eating one of the three, and I make the other two respect that. China usually leaves some kibble behind and so, when she is done, I put the dish out for anyone to eat. Usually the food is gone within and hour. I have to close the cat in her own room, while she eats, or Asia will snatch her food. |
| Mine eat at separate ends of the kitchen. Summer usually then picks up Tilly's small stainless steel dish and rushes round the house with it, or gives it to Hubby in case h thinks she is still peckish. Tilly walks off at this nonsense! |
| I agree with the separate feeding advice. Also, if you want to slow down your "inhaler" add some hard rubber toys or balls right into a deeper doggie dish. That way, they have to eat around them and it slows them down. If you use hard rubber "dog toys" they are dishwasher safe as well. We slowed down Portage's eating (and helped his digestion) so that he and Hudson now take about the same time to eat.
I know this doesn't solve the slower eating issue, but I thought I'd suggest this for the other dog. All the extra air that comes in when they wolf it down isn't a great thing. |
| unopened cans of food standing in a big dish help as well! anything to slow them down! |
| We are making progress. I ended up changing the feeding time. I did have separate feeding spots - but with my open floor plans I could not guaranty they would stay in the food spot.
In the morning, Jasper is getting feed and then we start getting ready to go for a walk that he starts paying more attention to us and leaves Miley alone to eat. He comes with us to get the leashes etc. At supper, we moved the feeding time back to accomodate Miley - she likes to eat closer to 7:30 to 8:00 at night. So we feeding later and she will eat then. Thanks for the ideas to slow him down - I think that will help as well. |
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