One would think that two 90+ lb dogs would be fairly easy to feed. Think again. As of last Monday it has become a bit of a mind game with the boys to make them eat.
Let me give you a little bit of background info first. We feed the boys twice a day, once in the morning and once in the evening (breakfast and supper). They each get two and a half scoops of Pedigree Adult formula. And let me tell you - this stuff is not cheap! They go through a 40lb bag in one week. It's ka-ray-zee!
Anyway, Toby (the youngest) doesn't really care if he eats or not. He's pretty much 90lbs of muscle. He will sit in front of his bowl and * stare at the food then stare out the window then stare at Max then stare at me then stare out the window - and repeat from * 2 times. I have to constantly say "Food" and point my finger at his bowl to make him eat. Occasionally it's so bad that I have to put some of the food in my hand in order for him to eat.
Max on the other hand, can't wait to get his food set down before him. From the moment he sees me go to the dining room and grab their food container he begins growing a beard of saliva that would flood a small village. And as soon as I yell "Okay Boys!" he is the first to run to the dining room, sliding across the wood floors and banging into end tables in the process. You better steer clear of his pathway when it's feeding time. Once he reaches his destination (food) he makes these garbled goobly gob noises as he munches down his meal, nearly choking between bites.
Well . . . . . everything changed this week. On Tuesday or Wednesday (can't remember days anymore), when I fed the boys they both just sat in front of their bowls and *stared at their food then stared out the window then stared at each other then stared at me then stared out the window - repeat from * 2 times. I figure that Max has been observing what Toby has been doing and noticed that Toby gets a lot more attention at feeding time. Sooooo now Max wants some of that attention. Sigh .. *&%Scream!! Arrrgggg! *&%Scream!!
Once my head spun back to the forward position, I took their food bowls away from them and made them go to their kennels. It was for their own safety. I gave them their food again an hour later. They ate it this time.
The next day, we went through the same rigmarole all over again. Except when I gave their food back to them the 2nd time they still would not eat it. So I scratched my head a few times and decided that maybe they don't like the taste of their food anymore. Hmmm . . . So I decided to mix in a little bit of chicken broth with their food (just a little bit). Voila! There in lies the rub! They ate their food.
Well, this isn't exactly a precedent that we want to set. So on Thursday I decided to try a different approach. I fed Toby out of Max's bowl and vice versa. This actually worked! Yay me! I just figured that since they were now siblings, they would each want what the other one has even if it is the same thing. Well, come Thursday night they were on to me and we were back to the staring and not eating thing again. In an attempt to salvage my sanity I broke down and put broth in their food again. They loved it - yes, they played me. I know. But of course, we cannot continue to line their bowls with that yummy chicken broth.
Here comes a final attempt to make them eat their food when we want them to eat it and not the other way around. This morning my husband and I took them both for a run before giving them breakfast. They worked their cropped little tails off. Toby went for a 2.5 mile run and Max went for a 1.5 mile run. Max is older and not really used to physical activity so we have to be easier on him for now. As soon as we got home and got our stretches out of the way we put some food in their bowls and they chowed down! Success.
Moral of the story is - your dog is smarter than you - WAAAYY smarter than you. I think that they wanted us to take them for a run in the morning and this whole not eating thing was simply a means to an end for them.
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