I have long advised friends and family members to keep their dogs’ mealtimes vague, in order to prevent “clock-watching” and demand behaviors from dogs who are anticipating their breakfast or dinner. Not for me, those dogs who wake me by barking for breakfast, no matter whether I’m sick or worked until 3 am the night before. Not for me, those dogs who start pacing, drooling, or staring at 4 pm every afternoon. By keeping mealtimes somewhat unpredictable, within a range of an hour or two, I haven’t ever had to deal with those anticipatory behaviors – even when Daylight Saving Time changes. I’m not one of the people who posts memes and pictures of my dogs freaking out about dinnertime twice a year!
Oh, sure, either of my dogs might do a little happy skip in the kitchen, as I walk toward the dog food area – which happens to be next to the microwave in which I heat my coffee. But if I tell them, “Not yet!” they resign themselves to waiting – alertly, but not underfoot. Or, dog forbid, whining under their breath.
Another Dog Is Throwing Things Off
Things have gotten a little testy over the past two weeks, however. I have been dog-sitting a 14-year-old deaf dog, little Leila, who belongs to a dear friend. Leila has strong opinions about mealtime – and spins and chases her tail for attention, and barks, barks, barks, when she is certain she’s going to starve without food. I have a hard time with barking – but what am I going to do? She’s old, and deaf! Easiest just to feed her when she starts up! Naturally, my giving into her demands has resulted in some incredulous “WHAT DID SHE JUST DO?” behavior from my two dogs. “SHE got fed and we did not? Perhaps WE should skip about and make noises!”
Taking my own advice when it comes to my own dogs, I’m ignoring the noises and skipping about. Otto gets it, and retires to the floor with a groan and a politely wagging tail. Woody is more persistent, and keeps trying a charm offensive, coming to me every time I sit down at the kitchen table with my laptop or at my desk in my office, and placing his heavy head in my lap, looking up at me with imploring eyes and that seductive slowly wagging tail. “Pleeeeaaassse? We are so VERY hungry.”
Prepping For Otto’s Surgery
Worse: Over the past two days, it has been necessary to skip Otto’s breakfast. Yesterday he had a chest x-ray, in preparation for today’s general anesthesia: He is having yet another tooth removed – he has somehow suffered another slab fracture of a molar (this is his third), so the tooth has to be removed. Also, the vet is going to scope his throat; he’s been having a lot of regurgitation, and we have been treating him for acid reflux and a possible esophageal ulcer. And when Otto has to go without breakfast, I don’t feed Woody, either; doing so would be just mean.
“Some experts recommend making dogs fast one day a week all the time,” I tell my dogs. “You are going to live. Mealtime is just delayed.” So the moping and charming persists for hours.
Do you have set mealtimes, or do you wing it with your dogs?
I don’t have an AM feeding because I never want my dogs excercising on a full tummy, and also because I use treats on off leash hikes to reinforce good behavior, and think treats are valued more by hungry, rather than satiated dogs. Their night feeding time varies quite a bit, anytime from 6PM to 10PM depending on what we are doing. Altho they really enjoy their food, they never seem concerned.
I believe we should keep meals at a regular time for our fur kids. She’s an alarm clock in the morning and a reminder at four that mealtime is coming up.
We go with the flow. There is no set routine although I wish sometimes we did walk more…but AM’s we snuggle until I have to get up and get dressed for work; fresh water and a cup of food is always available, but typically uneaten until I get home and we eat something within an hour or so depending on if it will be frozen or I’m cooking, and of course there are treats in the AM and one before bed.
Because I work part time my dogs must be fed at different times, although on the days I don’t work, I aim for 6 p.m. +/-. On the evenings that I work they get fed as soon as I get home–usually closer to 8 p.m. and they don’t seem to care one way or another. Mornings are iffy: they get fed when I get up and get dressed. Both are good sleepers, so they are willing to stay in bed as long as I do. My eating habits are flexible, so my dogs’ are as well.
And off topic, but I had a Westie girl who would stop whatever she was doing and get a drink at 9:30 pm. You could set your watch by it. I still chuckle about it (she is long gone). Wonder if anyone else has experienced something similar?
My dog used to have a randomish schedule. He will happily sleep as late as I do and eat when we get up. But recently he got anaplasmosis (which went undiagnosed for a few weeks and settled in his kidneys) and is on meds every 12 hours, plus he had an added bonus of pancreatitis at the same time, so he is on a third med for that. So basically he gets a small meal with his meds about every 6 hours. This has become a big habit and now he lets me know when its mealtime! Sometimes his stomach hurts from the pancreas and when that happens he will come and stand on whatever item of furniture I am on, and look me right in the face. I feed him immediately when this happens. Even just a few dog cookies will help. He has not taken advantage of this or tried to turn it into a way to get extra treats. He only does it when he is in pain and food will help.
I thought I was random, and that does apply to breakfast. But Harry’s internal clock for dinner showed up at the last time change. He started lobbying for dinner 1 1/2 hours prior to dinnertime. Realized it was “jet lag” from the time change as well as a fairly set 6pm dinnertime. There was a disappointed and impatient pooch for about 3 weeks until the “jet lag” wore off. Happens every year in fall, I had just forgotten. They do like routine.
I pretty much do as you do. However I have another problem. He doesn’t get many treats, just at special times. He gets one after his last outing at night just before we go to bed,. around 10pm Over the last two years he has managed to now get that treat at 9pm. He seems to have an internal clock, he starts barking anywhere between 8 and 8:30 but I refuse to give in. I tell him it’s too early and I swear he know what I am talking about. Also I tell him he has to go out and go potty and he goes out on the porch and when he sees me turn around he runs back in, uh uh, like I really believer he went out in the yard. I let him think he fools me.
I used to have a meal schedule with my previous three dogs and yes, that inner alarm was most inconvenient. My current dog is on a much more relaxed schedule. I did schedule her nap times on the dot (and crated) and now at almost 15 months she is following them pretty well even though she is no longer sleeping in the crate and free to nap whenever she wants.
She gets breakfast when I get up, which varies from day to day. I’m retired so I have no set schedule except my own and it’s pretty loose. Dinner is likewise pretty loose. Could be any time from 4:30 to 6:30.
My last dog used to bug me for treats with the nose flip. His last few years I indulged him for most of these requests because, well, he was old and I didn’t know how much longer I’d have him (14 years and 9 months) and he would be content with one small treat.
My current dog could eat a full breakfast and then eat a constant stream of treats until dinner so she is kept to a strict limit as to how many and what kind of treats. They are given randomly and she much work for them. This also helps reinforce training. Right now she’s on some meds and she must work for those hot dogs that contain her pills. No free rides for her and no rewarding for asking. She may get a surprise bully stick at random, just for being her.
Because of this random schedule I don’t have to deal with her crying, whining and barking to wake me up in the morning because I want to sleep in an extra half hour.
I do not feed my girl (2 yr.old Beagle mix) at regular times and she’s fine with it. She expects her food when she sees me pick up her bowl. I am also the full time caregiver for my severely autistic adult son, and we don’t have a set sleep/awake schedule. I just try to make sure she’s fed within 12 hours of her last meal. She also has treats a couple times a day. My husband will feed her at mealtime if I’m sleeping and she goes downstairs. But since she’s usually sleeping right next to me, she doesn’t always wake up for meals!
My dogs, four Dachshunds ranging from two to seven, have breakfast between 8-9 and dinner between 6:30-7:30, most days. If there is an early, fasting vet appointment, I usually wait to feed everyone; if the appointment is later in the day, or not local, I do feed the others and the patient just doesn’t get any, but by the same token, when the patient gets home, he eats and the others get nothing. My situation is a little complicated since one has EPI. Because of the rigid protocol, everyone is used to seeing her get a little food mixture and then waiting 15-20 minutes for the main meal. It works for us.