Doggone Etiquette —

What’s For Dinner?

By Bardi McLennan

A Word to the Dog:           

Are you the kind of dog that hangs around all day just waiting for your dinner? Do you gobble it up the minute the bowl hits the floor – and then ask for more? I hope that you at least wait politely until your VIPerson’s hand is no longer holding the dish. Or are you are running, jumping, and bouncing around so the food hits the floor before the dish does? (Learn to Sit!) On the other hand, perhaps you are a finicky eater and just pick out what you like, leave the rest, and beg for table scraps. Well, these are just some of the dinnertime activities you need to curb if you want to keep your job as the perfect pet. It’s up to your leader to straighten you out, so let’s get on with it. 

A Word to the Dog’s Owner:            

Dogs are a lot like people when it comes to food. Some will eat anything put in front of them, while others are a bit choosey or just plain fussy in what they eat. The dog that eats any and all food put in front of it will require your firm control over the quantity consumed as well as the nutritional value of the total. Between-meal snacks are as much a problem in a dog’s diet as they are with kids’ (ok – and adults’).   

Sorry to have to point it out, but a dog that’s a fussy eater usually has its owners to blame. Rufus refuses one dinner and a worried owner offers an alternative meal. Even if the substitute seems to be eaten with relish, a day or two later that main course will be sniffed at and turned down. Out comes another entrée, perhaps one suggested by a good friend whose own dog loves it. Possibly it is eaten with gusto, or just nibbled at, but that too is refused the next time around so something else is offered. And so it goes. The owner has actually taught the dog to pick and choose. Next thing you know Rufus will be asking for a menu!      

The first thing the vet hears is, “We’ve tried everything!” and no doubt eight times out of ten, the vet can figure out the main cause of the dog’s appetite problem. A routine check-up will help in the decision as to whether it is a physical ailment, or purely a mental one brought on by the owner’s compliance. No dog, whether a pet or working dog, will starve if offered food. They are like humans in that regard.  

If all’s well, here’s the way to cope with the dog’s selectivity insofar as food is concerned. Settle on one, good quality, palatable dog food recommended by your vet or the dog’s breeder. Then make up your mind to feed only that. No treats, no table scraps, no “just a bit” of anything else. Feed twice a day – preferably in the early morning after a walk, and late afternoon before your own dinner. Most dogs are given a very small meal in the morning and a larger one for supper. That way Rufus won’t be begging at your dinner table, and he’ll rest comfortably for the night.

In order to set the fussy eater straight on this routine, it’s up to you to pick up the dog’s bowl after 20 minutes – whether or not he has touched the food – and do not feed anything until the next mealtime. No treats, no people food. Fresh water should always be available. But a dog that’s offered bits of cheese, or nibbles of your hamburger simply because it did not eat its own dinner, is being rewarded for not eating! And isn’t that where this whole topic began?        

The dog that’s gung-ho for dinner and will eat as much of almost anything you put down, only has to have his waistline watched. A perfect “sit” is mandatory until the bowl is on the floor. That plaintive, appealing look for “more?” has to be ignored.

Until next time – BE GOOD!

- Bardi

Bardi McLennan bred, trained and showed Welsh Terriers for 30 years, during which time she wrote a monthly column on canine behavior in Dog Fancy Magazine. In addition to contributing to numerous dog publications, she has written 15 books on dogs, the latest being Rescue Me!, which received the ASPCA Humane Issues Award in 2008.