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Old 05-01-2007, 04:21 PM   #1
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Confused Dominance solved through rationing?

I was recently told my be obedience trainer that rationing a dog's food is also a way of gaining dominance. My Yorkie has a TERRIBLE dominance problem!! He is 6 years old and a lean 14 pounds (he's a tall boy). What kind of food would you recommend? How often should I feed him? How much should I feed him? Thank you!!!

-Beau's Mom
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Old 05-01-2007, 04:27 PM   #2
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i have never heard of a dominance issue being controlled by rationing his food. by this did she mean cutting back on his food?

I would however ask him to do something for you before you feed him. the old 'nothing in life is free' motto. before you put his dish on the floor ask him to sit and stay. therefore you are controlling when he gets to eat by making him stay until you say its ok to go eat, much like a alpha wolf in the pack would. i would feed twice a day if he's a good eater. Make him sit and stay each time. Also do this for treats and anything else you give him.
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Old 05-01-2007, 06:06 PM   #3
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I'd never withhold food for any reason, especially in a dog as small as the yorkie. Maybe they meant making them work for their food?
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Old 05-01-2007, 08:04 PM   #4
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Originally Posted by kalina82 View Post
i have never heard of a dominance issue being controlled by rationing his food. by this did she mean cutting back on his food?

I would however ask him to do something for you before you feed him. the old 'nothing in life is free' motto. before you put his dish on the floor ask him to sit and stay. therefore you are controlling when he gets to eat by making him stay until you say its ok to go eat, much like a alpha wolf in the pack would. i would feed twice a day if he's a good eater. Make him sit and stay each time. Also do this for treats and anything else you give him.
I think thats the best way to control dominance, too...I don't think cutting back on food would help...
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Old 05-01-2007, 08:23 PM   #5
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I have never heard of rationing food to control a dominance issue either. I can see how scheduled feeding as opposed to free feeding might help. Since your furbaby is bigger at 14 pounds, he probably doesn't need to free feed anyway. I wouldn't recommend cutting back his portions though. As you said, he's a "lean 14 pounds" so you wouldn't want him to lose any weight. Maybe someone else has had experience with this...
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Old 05-02-2007, 03:03 PM   #6
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I would ask for a full explaination before I did anything. Like everyone else I can see making him work for his dinner - like running thru basic commands then waiting patiently while you prepare his bowl but withholding food seems a little extreme.
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Old 05-02-2007, 03:10 PM   #7
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i would never withold food from my yorkies for any reason.
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Old 05-03-2007, 05:25 AM   #8
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I don't believe that "rationing"under her definition meant to "withhold" the food or decrease the amount of food you feed your dog in day. She probably is referring to doling out the food several times a day vs free-feeding.

Dominance issues = who has the control. When you control the food, then that's the first step to gaining back your alpha position. You are going to feed your dog on YOUR terms, not his. Like others have said, make your dog sit and stay before he goes to the food bowl and then let him know it's ok to eat and he should. You keep the bowl down for no more than 20 minutes (plenty of time for him to eat) and after the 20 minutes, you pick up the bowl (whether he has eaten or finished or not). Do this several times a day, if he does not eat all his daily food allowance in one sitting. After a few days, your dog gets the concept that he needs to eat when the bowl is set down or he does not get it again until next meal time. In this way, you are now controling the food, and for a dog, this is a big deal!
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Old 05-05-2007, 07:58 AM   #9
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I don't believe that "rationing"under her definition meant to "withhold" the food or decrease the amount of food you feed your dog in day. She probably is referring to doling out the food several times a day vs free-feeding.

Dominance issues = who has the control. When you control the food, then that's the first step to gaining back your alpha position. You are going to feed your dog on YOUR terms, not his. Like others have said, make your dog sit and stay before he goes to the food bowl and then let him know it's ok to eat and he should. You keep the bowl down for no more than 20 minutes (plenty of time for him to eat) and after the 20 minutes, you pick up the bowl (whether he has eaten or finished or not). Do this several times a day, if he does not eat all his daily food allowance in one sitting. After a few days, your dog gets the concept that he needs to eat when the bowl is set down or he does not get it again until next meal time. In this way, you are now controling the food, and for a dog, this is a big deal!

This is exactly what my trainer said. I never meant withhold food from my baby...I would never! He's at a perfect weight right now! I was thinking about starting to put my baby on an all human-grade food diet. Is there something that I could make before hand and freeze or refrigerate? I got to school full-time and work part-time so I don't really have enough time to make something different every morning and night...but I really don't feel comfortable feeding him "dog food" that is dangerous!!

Also, thank you to everyone who has left me some input. Beau is starting to act a lot better with the whole "dominance" thing now that I don't free feed!

-Beau's Mom
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