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05-18-2018, 12:17 AM | #1 |
YorkieTalk Newbie! Join Date: Mar 2018 Location: South Africa
Posts: 1
| Tessa's Strange Habit Hi, I'm new to the forum and have 3 gorgeous yorkies. Tessa had puppies 10 weeks ago and did great but since she fell pregnant she has a strange habit; before she will eat she will push her head up towards the bowl (like she is covering it with sand) she does this so frequently the bowl lands up on the other side of the room. Once she is finished eating or done with her routine she covers the food with her toys or the closest thing she can grab (my clothes) Never seen this before and wondering if anyone has? |
Welcome Guest! | |
05-18-2018, 04:45 AM | #2 |
YT 1000 Club Member Join Date: Mar 2016 Location: stanley nc
Posts: 1,152
| Hmmm. Never heard of this. Am sure someone on this board can give you some information. |
05-18-2018, 05:02 AM | #3 |
YT 500 Club Member Join Date: Mar 2018 Location: AZ
Posts: 928
| Hi Kat123, Welcome to YorkieTalk and congratulations on your yorkies and yorkie puppies. I look forward to pictures as your time permits. My late senior yorkie, Katy, did move her food dish, but not often, not far and not with any consistency. These little ones are smart and resourceful; they can also be mischievous. The question you're asking Tessa is which is which when it comes to her food. See article published by Whole Dog Journal, "5 Reasons NOT to Free-Feed Your Dog," last updated 2018, especially concepts of "food guarding." While the article highlights the reasons to serve your pets meals (rather than free feed), it covers a wide range of issues. In particular, the sections "...indicator of health," and "Prevent Guarding" contain information or offer tips that may be helpful. Suspect I don't need to say this, but you probably want to rule out health and well-being with a visit to the vet before managing this as a habit to break. Does any of this help? Welcome again. --KatysMom. Last edited by KatysMom; 05-18-2018 at 05:04 AM. |
05-18-2018, 05:45 AM | #4 |
Yorkie mom of 4 Donating YT Member Join Date: Feb 2008 Location: LaPlata, Md
Posts: 23,247
| Joey does the acting like he is covering it up thing but he doesn’t actually cover it up. He will push it pretty far too. I have seen my aunts dog do it to so I think it’s mostly normal.
__________________ Taylor My babies Joey, Penny ,Ollie & Dixie Callie Mae, you will forever be in my heart! |
05-18-2018, 05:47 AM | #5 | |
Yorkie mom of 4 Donating YT Member Join Date: Feb 2008 Location: LaPlata, Md
Posts: 23,247
| Quote:
__________________ Taylor My babies Joey, Penny ,Ollie & Dixie Callie Mae, you will forever be in my heart! | |
05-18-2018, 05:56 AM | #6 | |
YT 500 Club Member Join Date: Mar 2018 Location: AZ
Posts: 928
| Quote:
"A puppy needs to be free-fed as he is being weaned [4-7 weeks...] and up until he has gained enough weight to handle a more structured diet ... This helps prevent hypoglycemia and allows the pup to eat as needed during this important growth stage." (YorkieInfoCenter, "How Often to Feed a Yorkshire Terrier," n.d.?). The article continues with helpful information. | |
05-18-2018, 06:22 AM | #7 | |
Yorkie mom of 4 Donating YT Member Join Date: Feb 2008 Location: LaPlata, Md
Posts: 23,247
| Quote:
__________________ Taylor My babies Joey, Penny ,Ollie & Dixie Callie Mae, you will forever be in my heart! | |
05-18-2018, 06:56 AM | #8 | |
YT 500 Club Member Join Date: Mar 2018 Location: AZ
Posts: 928
| Quote:
"A puppy needs to be free-fed as he is being weaned [4-7 weeks...] and up until he has gained enough weight to handle a more structured diet ... This helps prevent hypoglycemia and allows the pup to eat as needed during this important growth stage." (YorkieInfoCenter, "How Often to Feed a Yorkshire Terrier," n.d.?).Whether the weight gain is sufficient at 3, 4 or 5 months, most healthy pups will develop such that scheduled feeding becomes a good, if not preferred, option. Yorkies of any age can fall victim to low blood sugar, whether the meals are scheduled or the owner chooses to free feed. | |
05-18-2018, 08:51 AM | #9 | |
YT 3000 Club Member Join Date: Apr 2013 Location: Urbana, IL USA
Posts: 3,648
| Quote:
For yucks, I'll consult my Small Animal Clinical Nutrition textbook when I get home from work and see what they have to say about free feeding vs. scheduled meals. I trust it a lot more than "Whole Dog Journal."
__________________ Doggy Daddy to Bella Last edited by pstinard; 05-18-2018 at 08:53 AM. | |
05-18-2018, 10:12 AM | #10 | |
Yorkie mom of 4 Donating YT Member Join Date: Feb 2008 Location: LaPlata, Md
Posts: 23,247
| Quote:
__________________ Taylor My babies Joey, Penny ,Ollie & Dixie Callie Mae, you will forever be in my heart! | |
05-18-2018, 10:24 AM | #11 |
YT 1000 Club Member Join Date: Mar 2016 Location: stanley nc
Posts: 1,152
| Yorkies are such funny little creatures. Sometimes Gidget will go to her food bowl, get a piece in her mouth, drop it on the floor and then proceed to pick it up and throw it around a couple of times before she decides to eat it. Not all the time but just enough for her to feel like she's in control. |
05-18-2018, 10:43 AM | #12 | |
YT 500 Club Member Join Date: Mar 2018 Location: AZ
Posts: 928
| Quote:
The OP had a question about her little adult Tessa, who is now pushing around and hiding her food dish. I hope my posting gave Kat123 some "food" for thought. As earlier, suggesting that there are benefits to scheduled feedings (2 or 3 times a day--some may go for 4) is not a criticism of those who choose to free-feed. Indeed, I'm sure there are pet-specific issues that would motivate some pet-parents to change to a free-feeding program. P.S. Any time a yorkie gets hypoglycemia, something is wrong. | |
05-18-2018, 11:10 AM | #13 | |
YT 500 Club Member Join Date: Mar 2018 Location: AZ
Posts: 928
| Quote:
The back and forth above pertains to information from YorkieInfoCenter, not Whole Dog Journal, although I'm not sure either would hold a candle to that which you might find in your textbook. At the risk of steering even further from the OP's query, there is a short article in PetMD, "Why Free-Feeding is the Wrong Choice for Most Dogs," by Dr. Jennifer Coates. She categorizes typical approaches as (a) free-choice, (b) time limited and (c) amount limited, discussing each. She doesn't cite sources or reference studies, saying only "In my experience, a combination of amount limited and time limited feeding is best for pets."** **Allow me to add the same caveat posted earlier--there a certainly some pet-specific circumstances why pet parents would choose free-feeding over scheduled portions 2, 3 or even 4 times a day. Last edited by KatysMom; 05-18-2018 at 11:14 AM. | |
05-18-2018, 11:13 AM | #14 | |
Yorkie mom of 4 Donating YT Member Join Date: Feb 2008 Location: LaPlata, Md
Posts: 23,247
| Quote:
__________________ Taylor My babies Joey, Penny ,Ollie & Dixie Callie Mae, you will forever be in my heart! | |
05-18-2018, 11:18 AM | #15 | |
Donating YT 3000 Club Member Join Date: Feb 2014 Location: E.Stroudsburg, Pa.
Posts: 67,952
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__________________ Joan, mom to Cody RIP Matese Schnae Kajon Kia forever in my A House Is Not A Home Without A Dog | |
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