Sibling Rivalry?

[r0amy0]

um maybe someone can help..

My Pug eats both his and and my Shih's bowl. I know pugs are prone to over eat, that is why i have them eating at scheduled times.
However I think my Shih Tzu(Ginger-4months) has developed a complex, where I have to hand feed her. We discovered that in their first meal of the day, before we go to work, HE eats both bowls while Im in the shower! Winston(pug-5months) will bump her off her bowl, even if he has a full bowl all to him self. If she proceeds to eat from the other bowl, he'l bump her off again. The only time she eats peacefully from the dish is if he's asleep or I confine him in the kitchen with his own food during feeding times.(he wont eat if he sees her eating..he wants what she's having..)

Any training tips ?
right now I hand feed her kibble about 1/4 a cup in the morning, plus treats to ensure she gets enough calories for the day. I dont have to worry about him NOT eating..:-)
I want her to be able to eat her food without him interrupting. I try to feed them both approx 1/2 cup 2X/day.

When he sees me hand feeding her, he sits besides her and wants to be hand fed too, or steals it from her mouth(Its the same kibble!) I guess it might be jealousy on his part, as he takes everything she has..toys, chews. pillows, or cuts in front of her when she greets Mommy & Daddy at the door, or being leashed to go outside..

Is this just Puppy hood, or am I going to have to hand feed one for the rest of their lives? How do I get greedy guts to stop being so greedy? How do I tell missy its okay to eat side by side? His behaviour drives my wife nuts, to me its seems to be a minor problem, but hey who doesnt want a perfect world where 2 pups can eat side by side,( and hand feeding can be quite time consuming).

any one want to offer help or share similar experiences? I would like to fix his "greedyguts" habit and her prissy "hand feed me, I cant be bothered to eat from a bowl" attitude

[Luba]

Get a ceramic bowl or stainless steel and remove the bowls immediately after they eat.

[r0amy0]

yes, thats the ideal scenario..however he wont let her eat! When both bowls come out, he will go to one, and I think she is tired of quarrelling, so she just sits back a distance and either

1) waits for him to finish
or
2) me to feed her kibble by kibble

hence I hand feed her as I want to make sure she eats before I leave for work. When i get home, I hand feed her too- I cant rely on Winston leaving her his "scraps" cause as I said, sometimes he goes through both bowls...

[Writing4Fun]

Yup - as Luba said, put the food down and let them eat. Remove the food after a decent amount of time. After a while, she'll get the picture that you're not going to hand-feed her anymore. She's just being spoiled - she definitely won't let herself starve!

As for him stealing her food, put them in separate rooms to eat. I don't know how much little dogs are supposed to eat, so I can't tell you if he's doing it because he's still hungry. Check the feeding guidelines on the bag of dog food. But, if he's stealing her toys too, then it might be a jealousy thing. Don't feel sorry for her and play with her more because of this, it will only increase his feelings of jealousy. Instead, let them figure it out themselves. She needs to get tough and put him in his place or he'll walk all over her for the rest of their lives!

[r0amy0]

Thanks writng4fun-I'll try that at dinner time. One of them will have to eat in the kitchen.

On the menu tonight "Tough Love"... if kibble aint good enough for her, she gets nada, if he wont eat his own food because he sees her through the baby gates and only want to eat what she's having, he aint getting that either.

Justice for Dinner is served.

(boooooo!!!!)

[Princesss04]

What kind of kibble are you feeding them?

[heeler's rock!]

With my dogs, if they get fussy over their food, they don't eat. I give them 10 minutes to start eating, or it all goes back and they don't eat until the morning. I totally agree with writing 4fun too. Babying her will only increase his jelousy and make him more resentful to her. Let them figure it out and if they get into a spat, don't interrupt! If you interrupt and she's disciplining him, you'll just be teaching her that getting mad at him is wrong and he'll be in control again. Another thing you can do is feed them in the same room, but only when you're there. When he goes towards her bowl, say "_____(name) No! That's______(other name)'s food!" and move him back to his bowl. If he doesn't eat and wants hers, take it away and put it back. He'll learn that stealing is unacceptable and that if he doesn't want to starve, he'd better eat his own food. Feeding them in separate rooms might just make it harder if you're ever in a situation where there is only one spot to feed them like camping, or a hotel. Better to fix it now before it gets worse. Hope that works for you!

[Beautygirl]

Do you watch Good Dog? They had 2 dogs on their last week that were doing much the same. Dr. Coran said it was just that the older dog was showing that he's boss. He reccommended putting down the oldest dog's food first and when he's started eating, then put down the other bowl. I would say though that if you start and feeding your dog, it will come to be expected.

[Writing4Fun]

R0amy0, how did the justice go down?

[r0amy0]

Thanks for the advice guys, well taken.
Started last night and this morning without much success, but I know being consistent is the key.

When I separated them, I set down their bowls (Nutrience Puppy small Breed which they totally prefer over IAMs)

She says: "Arent you gonna hand feed me?"
He says: "Yeah,I'll have what she's having, gimme some too"
so now neither ate!

So their last 2 meals, were hardly touched, as I put it away after about 20 minutes. I think tonight I'll place them further apart. it seems HE wont eat NOT knowing where she is.(Probably feels like he's missing out or something.)

[r0amy0]

this morning, did the same thing.
Put Winston the Pug barriered in the kitchen and laid down his food - he ate & drank..

Miss Ginger, again stood back from her bowl and looked at me like I needed to spoonfeed her.

I ignored her. I was gonna let her starve till dinner, but I decided to cheat.
I put a little bit of treat in her kibble. She proceeded to eat the treat and a few morsels of the kibble, as Winston is eating on the other side of the gate.
It just makes me feel better knowing she ate something, and went to her dining area on her own will-(although some of you will dispute me "seasoning" her everyday food)

I hope I didnt do anything wrong, just thought going cold turkey might be a bit much for Ginger, as I said she has not had much to eat lately...and probably less when I first addressed Winston's greed.

[Writing4Fun]

What you did is fine. Lots of people "season" their dog's food to get it to eat. As long as you start weaning her off the "seasoning" once she's eating proper amounts. You might want to try using canned dog food to mix in with her kibble instead of treats, though. Too much treat might not be great for her. Good job, though!