Hands In The Food Bowl

[K9-man]

How many of you do this to 'test' your dog?

Who thinks it's a good idea to train your dog to accept this?

How many of you actually train your dog(s)to accept this in case some toddler should wander on up to the bowl while the dog is eating?



I don't do it. I believe in letting my dogs eat un-harassed. I control the food, however. If I want something out of the bowl or want to put something in it I'll give a 'sit' command or an 'off' command, then fiddle with the bowls contents.

I'm also a firm believer in supervision during feeding time so that no toddler can wander near the eating dogs.

Your thoughts??

[dmoniz]

Here is my problem with the theory of putting my hands in my dogs bowls. Just because they let *me* do something to/with them doesn't *not* mean just anyone can. This includes bugging them when they eat, giving hugs, clipping nails, cleaning ears, etc... Some of my dogs, sure fine any stranger could probably do anything they want to them, but not all of them, nor would I expect them to have to take any of that from strangers.

[Judi W]

Well, the following will just be my musings and rememberances on the subject. Not really any analysis.

I get to know my dogs intimately during the training process, so I don't "test" them, I know every hair on their body. Raised my children with Rottweilers already in the household. I was never given reason for concern by children or dogs. Don't know, but it could be that both the boys and I had other things to do than to bother the dogs for the few minutes they spent eating. I doubt very much it would have occured to the boys to put their hands in the dogs' bowls any more than to put their hands in my dinner plate.

Every family has its own dynamics. Since there were Rottweilers present when my children were born, they were not considered some novelty item by any family members including the children thus they were not poked at or examined other than by me during grooming process or training and although there were often companionable times, the children didn't mistake them for some new toy.

We know that toddlers, for their own safety, should be supervised. Whether from electrical outlets, or other dangerous things. I don't see that supervision should be discarded because it is a dog. As far as visiting toddlers, they require more supervision, not less, as they do not know the rules of the household.

[miccmill]

We had to work out food guarding issues when Hannah first came into the household so no, absolutely no messing around with the food bowl. We established a routine and stuck to it. Even doing that it took awhile for her to realize we weren't interested in eating her food.
On only one occaision, I've had to get at the food bowl after it's gone down and, like you said K-9, I give a sit command which she does respectfully, I did what I had to do and then left her alone.

I don't see any value at all in going into her food bowl when she's eating. I used other methods like trading to work on resource guarding but not at dinner time or with her meal. I don't see any other way to show a dog that they don't have to guard their meal unless you leave them alone with it.

No children in my home now but my son was raised around a young Dobe and he wasn't allowed to pester the dog at meal time or any time.

[Judi W]

And Lisa, I'll bet if you were really hungry, you could find something to eat other than the dog's food.

[K9-man]

Originally Posted by dmoniz

Here is my problem with the theory of putting my hands in my dogs bowls. Just because they let *me* do something to/with them doesn't *not* mean just anyone can.

Exactly!

So a mother 'tests' her dog my putting her hand in the bowl while he's eating - then thinks it's safe for the 3-year-old to do the same? How does she confirm this - by having the 3-year-old 'test' the dog??

Good replies so far!

Thanx

[JeanT]

"Never bother a dog that's eating" is something that I learned so well and so long ago I almost believe that I was born knowing it. I was very surprised over the years reading here to find that people feel the need to mess in their dog's food bowls. After considering over the years the why's, when's and how's of people doing this, I am now convinced that "Never bother a dog that's eating" is correct.

A dog should be allowed to eat in peace. We control what and how much a dog eats, so why don't we also control when and where? Visiting children, stupid adults (what we can't always control) - just don't feed the dog until they are gone.

I believe a dog that is not food-aggressive can be trained to be food aggressive by all this messing around, especially by more novice dog owners who have gotten the idea that they just have to be alpha and be able to do whatever they want to do to their dogs. And I agree with dmoniz, they may learn tolerate us stealing their food, but our insistence on stealing (messing) could make them really intolerant of anyone else coming near.

And I agree with mccmill, have your dog do something like sit or "over here" and move so that if you (the owner ) needs to do something with the food bowl for some important reason, you are not competing with the dog for the food as you would be by sticking you hand down where his mouth is.

And I also agree with Judi W that you really should know you dog so well that there should not be an issue about food. My current dog is so food generous that I know he'd prefer to eat around his regular food time even if there are people around. He will even carry his food bowl into a room with people so he can eat without missing something. My previous dog was worried enough about his meal and people that I was certain he would prefer to dine late but in peace rather than worry that someone hungry would come by and steal his food.

I hate reading "how to teach your dog to let you mess in his food bowl posts". There are so many important things that we have to teach our dogs to do to accomodate living with us, why do we have to teach them to let us steal their food, too?

[Rottlva]

I have a toddler, and 2 dogs. I never have put my hands in food dishes, never had food agression issues.

Rule is, if dogs are eating, my daughter is in her highchair, sleeping, or up off of the floor. Food is a high, high value item in my home, and my daughter bothering the dog while they eat is not a "test" I want to take. The dogs are excellent with my daughter, accept her toddling around just fine, and will get up and leave if they see fit. Dogs and kids are always supervised....always.

I really do think that those who fumble with thier dogs food, pull it away, put thier hands in it constantly, "test" them are in for a rude awakening. Two times during the day, morning and evening, my dogs recieve a wonderful present--thier food. I cannot imagine pestering them during a time when they are enjoying themselves. I think they are owed at least that right.

I've used this analogy, and I'll use it again. If you recieved a huge wad of cash, and as you are counting it, you are continuosly bothered by someone staring at it, taking a few bills, or even more away, and returning it back to you, handling the bills, smelling the bills etc. Would you get suspicious, or even possessive of the money? Even though you will get more later??? I bet you would.

[Sargeant_C]

I have trained Sarge to allow me to do this.. just in case.. we went through a period where he growled while eating and so I hand fed him. After a few weeks of this I placed small portions in his bowl to let him know I am the hand that feeds him.

But will I go up and mess with his bowl now.. nope but can I probably. I have 5 kids although old enough to know better I figured better safe then sorry.

[MontanaRott]

Nope, never have and never will fuss with a dog while is it eating. I have a life and do not need to fill time by bothering the dogs while they eat. Besides it takes MINUTES for them to scarf down the food, I can find something to do for a couples of minutes to entertain myself, something other then make the dogs feel as though they need to guard their food from me! Steve had huge resource guarding issues when we got him, and by leaving him alone, he has learned his food is not at risk, and now is fine about us moving around while he eats.

[StephanieandToby]

In the beginning, I would hand feed Toby....but he never became food aggressive at all.....If he ever had something in his mouth that shouldn't be there I would tell him to "spit it out" and he would plop it into my hand.
If he was only supposed to eat a little bit of a chewy I always made sure I had something to "trade" before I took it away.

I see the point in leaving dogs alone to eat..makes sense...but I also think you should be able to grab something from a dog's jaws in an emergency (dead bird or mouldy bun on the ground...) or get the dog to spit it out.

Of course I always left my dog alone to eat...but I made sure I could take it away if I HAD to....

[Judi W]

I tend to think there is a big difference between a found dead bird and dinner put in the dinner bowl and placed down for the dog's meal and my dogs know the difference also.

Of course my biggest hunter always brings me her birds even if not totally dead because she knows I admire them so.

[jneslund]

I hand feed both of my dogs about half of their daily food. I don't let my dogs get underfoot in the kitchen so they both line up right at the door when every I am cooking. Both dogs give to me anything that is in their mouth so I can inspect it. I always give bones or food right back. My Rottie has been trained to not bite at all with a hand in the mouth. I watch all children and dogs in my house. My dog is well trained incase some rare, out of the ordinary, thing would happen. In this same way I have trained both my dogs to stay in our unfenced front yard. I never have left them unsupervised out there but one day someone did not close the door all the way and Snickers got out. I came home 5 hours later to a sleeping Rott on my front porch. My neighbor said that she did not go out of the front yard.

[hellzbellz]

funny everyone says that because before you can adopt an animal they always do food agression tests. i'm sure they do that for a reason. if there food agressive then the dog will not be adopted out. makes sense to me.

[Burnsway]

Originally Posted by hellzbellz

funny everyone says that because before you can adopt an animal they always do food agression tests. i'm sure they do that for a reason. if there food agressive then the dog will not be adopted out. makes sense to me.

This is in a controlled atmosphere to temperament test a dog. A totally different situation then an owner doing it to teach/train a dog.