[pi1otguy]

When I first got Spirit I halfway tried some of the Alpha dog stuff for a while. I never got "tsst!" to work & I believe most of that has been discredited as it relates to dogs. At some point I read something about eating or pretending to eat from the bowl before feeding. I've stopped doing that since I don't believe Spirit is stupid enough to miss the fact that I'm pretending.

Now a days I usually fill her bowl, make her do a simple command, release her, and then I grab my dinner. Does it matter who eats first?

 

[Niraya]

Never mattered to me. Probably never will. I totally just give her food and then leave to eat.

 

[3doglady]

My dogs always eat first and I have never had problems with their manners.

You can earn respect from your dog with the trust and bond you build through consistency, training, love, play, quality time and the care you provide. Leadership does not have to be about overt gestures and who does what first. Dogs are smart. They get it.

I like that you have a release command, but when you eat is not important IMO.

 

[kafkabeetle]

It doesn't make a bit of difference who eats first.

 

[Charis]

The only difference it makes here is that if I feed them first they go lay down and don't stare at me or sit directly in front of the TV bugging me for their food

Doesn't matter who eats first. You sound like you have an excellent ritual down for a good working relationship with your dog.

 

[Bordermom]

I don't think so either, doesn't matter who eats first as long as both parties have manners.

Meaning your dog doesn't beg, try to steal food from the tables/counters or drool on your leg while you eat.
For the humans it means no overly annoying pestering of the dog while eating, no grabbing at them or the food or ignoring cues that you'd like to eat in peace.

Where I work the family has a BAD beagle who is pretty much going to find himself behind a gate during mealtimes soon. He's counter surfing, stealing food off the table and high chairs, drooling on me (ICK) while I feed the babies and underfoot and tripping me when I'm trying to cook or walk in the kitchen. All to me very 'rude' manners from a dog. I get more annoyed when one of the kids has food and isn't looking and gets their hand bitten in the process of him snagging something from them. And he's supposed to be on a diet because he's borderline coffee table and has a bad back.....

 

[Abbylynn]

My dogs have learned they have a choice ... they can eat first and not feel hungry while watching me eat ... or they can go lay down and not stare at me while I am eating ... and they may just get a table scrap or so in their kibble!

It really did aid in training them to leave the room while we were eating if their stomachs were full.

 

[melundie]

I don't think there is anything wrong with feeding your dogs before you eat. Like many others, I usually feed mine before I eat so I can cook and then eat without them begging.

 

[dagwall]

Well for Jubel's breakfast I'm not eating then so there is no first and second. Weekdays he's fed while I get my things together to leave for work and I eat once I'm at work. Weekends we get up about the same time I do during the week, he goes potty while I get his food, he eats while I head back to bed and he joins me back in bed in a minute of two.

Dinner time it really depends on what I have going on, he may eat a few hours before I do or at the same time. If it's at the same time I finish fixing my food (kitchen is gated off though he behaves even if I let him in the kitchen with me) and give him his dinner in a dispensing toy as I'm sitting down to eat my food.

All meals he has to sit before I put his food down and follow 1-2 commands before he's released to go eat, this applies to his bowl or the dispensing toys.

 

[HollowHeaven]

I make sure all my animals have their meals before mine, but it's because I put them before me, Lol. Won't kill me to wait an extra 5 minutes to hand out food and water before I start cooking. Then I can sit down and eat my meal knowing that my pets' bellies are full. I do make them 'wait', though, before I put the food down.

As for eating before your dogs showing dominance, eh. I've yet to experience disrespect from an animal because they were allowed to eat before me.

 

[a7dk]

Makes no difference to me. Hobbes eats dinner at 8pm. If I've already eaten, then I ate first. If not, he eats first. He has to go to his bed and wait there while I prepare his bowl, then do 1-2 commands for me before he's released to eat.

He seems to also be one of the few dogs who will stare at me and be underfoot while I'm cooking even if his belly is full. Doesn't matter at all - he is ALWAYS up for more food. And he's learned that if he follows me around in the kitchen long enough I'll drop something. Not on purpose, I'm just clumsy. So if he's annoying me I make him go to his bed.

 

[denise3099]

Carmie waits patiently by her bowl as I fill it and when I'm done she starts to eat. She may be in the kitchen with us when we eat, usually lying on the floor. We have no schedule for ourselves, so when we eat is not related to when she eats. She doesn't beg or steal food and it's just never been an issue. We can take food away without any problem. It just never matteres.

The only time she stood staring mouth watering was when we order bbq ribs and chicken from the protugese place!! That would be to much for any dog not to stare down.

 

[Amaryllis]

I cannot eat first thing in the morning. not one bite, even the thought of food makes me gag until I've been up for a couple of hours. So Kabota eats by himself first thing in the morning.

At night, I feed him out of a toy, and that keeps him out of the way while my husband I eat. It's for the best.

Kabota's perfectly nice and very well behaved, if that helps.

 

[LittleFr0g]

The only difference it makes here is that if I feed them first they go lay down and don't stare at me or sit directly in front of the TV bugging me for their food

Doesn't matter who eats first. You sound like you have an excellent ritual down for a good working relationship with your dog.

This! All our dogs have always eaten first, never made a difference at all.

 

[Cheetah]

Definitely doesn't matter here! Sometimes I eat first, because I'm starving and just can't wait before I feed them, and sometimes they eat first. It never affected my relationship with my dogs, and it didn't cause them to plot a coup against me and overthrow my leadership LOL. XD

 

[Vicky88]

I don't eat breakfast so Holly has her's whenever she gets it, at tea i normally eat first, i only did this because i was told by a trainer to do this, so i did, Holly doesn't seem to care, she also has to sit and give paw before she gets her's, she also has to wait a few seconds before i tell her she can eat.

 

[Sloth]

I definitely eat before Belle, as is proper. When I'm finished, I yell and flip Belle onto her stomach before giving her the food. She has to know that I'm the alpha, and I earned that food.

Yeah, just kidding. Belle eats in my room, I eat in the kitchen. Sometimes at the same time.

 

[xxxxdogdragoness]

Way I thought that a humans "dominance" over a dog is like ........ Default bc we all ready control everything anyway.

I used to be bigs on that alpha dominant stuff but as I learned more & steered away from it.

 

[ThoseWordsAtBest]

Read that as "Is it wrong to feed your first dog?"

 

[ChaosIsAWeim]

At home the dogs get fed first. In fact it is usually a couple hours before we eat, not always but usually. Actually the ritual is this, the go out and play for a half hour to 1 hour. Then the come back in and rest for an hour, then the eat, then rest again for another hour and finally go back out for more playtime. That is the usual, doesn't always happen that way.

It keeps the dogs out of our hair while we eat.

My dogs do not care, as long as they get fed, lol.

Now when we are away to shows the dogs usually eat afterwards, mainly because it is more convient, the get ex'd before we leave and fed when we get back and ex'd again.