Should the dogs eat before the humans or after the humans?

[XemaSab]

:shrug:

[Sanity Claws]

1. After

If you want your dogs to believe that they're the pack leader, then feed them first. Otherwise, feed them after all the humans at home have eaten.
It's silly to us but important to the dogs. Eating order really does convey a message.

[REACTIVATED IN CT]

2. After

The pack leader eats first. One canine behavior book that I read suggested that the humans should at least do "gesture eating" i.e. eat a small amount of something in front of the dogs before feeding them

[CC]

3. Seems the experts say after but mine usually

eat before. They have a set window of time that they get fed and specially in the summer it is earlier than I tend to eat. We also tend to vary when we eat according to what we are doing and when we are hungry. I don't think it would be fair to the dogs to make them wonder when they will be fed. They are also fed in their crates since there are 4 of them. The vet suggested it as it is better to keep them separate and able to eat alone without stress and possibly fights. They each have to lay down and wait until they all have food and are given the OK to eat. It works well for us and none of the dogs gobble food. It is funny to watch a big, muscled GSD daintily nibble his breakfast and dinner.


Thinking about it, all my animals get fed breakfast first. Usually while coffee is brewing I am getting them their food.

[lukasahero]

4. We feed on a set schedule, too

Not us, the dog. With my last dog (and my last job), my husband fed him at 5 which was often hours before I came home from work. I agree with you that it's not right to leave the dog wondering when (if) they will be fed. Loyalty and trust in the feeder is as important as 'hierarchy'. My dogs have always had to sit and wait until we release them to be fed and there is no doubt who is the leader of the pack in our home.

I think too many people get hung up on "rules" and forget the fact that they are dealing with a living, breathing, thinking, feeling creature.

[Critters2]

5. I don't know how it SHOULD be, but in the Critters household,

the feeding order goes like this:

1) cats (Shamu, then Leon, then Sophie)

2) beagle

3) human

[CountAllVotes]

6. yep, cats always come first

they own the household as well and you too in case you had not noticed yet! :D

[Tab]

7. Always after, alphas first

that said, we don't eat on a set schedule, so we put down the dog's food whenever, but in theory you make them wait until you eat first.

[Obamanaut]

8. As some others have said, our furkids eat about the same time

every day, whereas we do not.

we have five dogs, they all eat in the kitchen. They get their bowls put down in the same order every time, with each bowl getting its owner's name spoken aloud ("Here's a bowl for Rusty, here's one for Sophie," etc). The bowls also are placed in the same spot every time.

There haven't been any fights, and we've had most of the for several years, with Molly the newest at one year in the house.

Rusty is the largest, and gets finished first, and then simply lies down watching, no doubt hoping someone will have leftovers.

[pipi_k]

9. For 13 years our three "old girls" ate first

and we never had a pack leader issue with any of them right up to the day they died.

Now we have two young dogs, adopted when they were 10 months old. These dogs also eat before we do.

To ensure that they don't think they run the place, we do practice "NILIF" (nothing in life is free). They must sit before we put down their food bowls and wait until we give permission for them to eat. They also must sit (and wait for the "OK") in front of the door before we take them out for a walk, and for special treats they have to give a "sit" or a "down" or a "sit/stay" or something.

I know people who feed their dogs after they have eaten and the dogs STILL run the show, so feeding order isn't always the sole indicator of pack order...