Tuxedodog Posted September 22, 2010 Report Share Posted September 22, 2010 Buster is loving his new "girlfriend". The woman at the rescue told me that Romana loves Nylabones (not something that I would ordinarily purchase) so I went and got a couple so they wouldn't have to share. Well, the nylabones, and all of the stuffed dog toys are Busters! There is no growling or posturing from either one, but Buster goes and collects anything that I might give to Romana, if I take them back, he looks hurt and goes and gets them again. The other thing that has me a little more concerned is the food ritual that has developed. Neither one of them are big eaters, they like to snack, and they eat 1 crunchie at a time so meals never really get finished by either one, so I leave the food out, Romana is about 10lbs underweight so I don't want to keep her from eating. The new thing is that after Romana gets done eating what she wants, Buster goes and eats out of her dish. He doesn't necessarily eat out of his dish however. Buster has put on a couple of pounds, but I attribute that to not spending the entire day trying to get out, more than excessive food consumption. There are no issues if Romana eats out of his dish, he will just go and eat a few crunchies when she is done. Am I worrying about nothing as long as everyone is getting along okay, and if not, some advice on what to do would be helpful. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bc4pack Posted September 22, 2010 Report Share Posted September 22, 2010 Personally I won't allow anyone to eat out of anyone else's bowl...regardless of how tolerant anyone may be. Everybody has *their* spot. Better to perhaps prevent a routine than to have to break one. You never know when somebody has to be on a specific diet etc. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shetlander Posted September 22, 2010 Report Share Posted September 22, 2010 Personally I won't allow anyone to eat out of anyone else's bowl...regardless of how tolerant anyone may be. Yeah, I'm the same way. You can try sweetening the deal a bit with something that makes them eat their meals at once rather than over a period of time. It's been so long since I've had a nosher but to encourage him to eat all his food in one sitting, I'd put a bit of wet food and mix it with the rest and put him by himself for 20 minutes or so to eat. He was a picky eater but this worked even when he was old, senile and an even fussier eater. I also don't allow my dogs to take each others toys or pressure them to give up a toy through stares or the like. I don't make a big deal about it but it is a rule I make every effort to enforce consistently. I quietly and calmly stop the dog trying to take the toy either through a verbal command or if need be, taking the toy from him and giving it back to the other dog. Don't buy into Buster's hurt looks. Just encourage him to play with one of the free toys and praise him when he does so. He'll get the hang of the rule pretty quickly, I bet. If my megalomaniac Lhasa and toy crazed Quinn can live with this restriction, I bet Buster can too. Glad to hear that Buster and Romana are getting along so well. Very exciting, actually, after all you and Buster have been through!!!!! Congrats! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tuxedodog Posted September 23, 2010 Author Report Share Posted September 23, 2010 Thanks for the advice. It has been awhile since we had 2 dogs, and then, Buster used to bolt his food. At one point he weighed 70lbs (no honey, I don't think that is just his coat). Now at about 45lbs, he is the correct weight for his size. I hate to get into the canned food habit, but I would like to live without dogfood dishes in the family room 24/7. I will go to work on the toy issue, some day Romana might start to care about them. I suspect Romana was an outside dog. A few days ago she discovered the crate pads that are in the family room, it was one of those ah ha! moments. She lived all of her life with her brother, but they were separated when they went into foster care and he was adopted, so I think she is also used to having a buddy - something to keep in mind for the future. I feel very fortunate, I have my old dog back and a wonderful new one. My husband who was not too keen on the idea of a second dog is thrilled that we got such a nice one. Fingers crossed all remains as it is now! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lokisaab Posted September 24, 2010 Report Share Posted September 24, 2010 1. If I like it, it’s mine 2. If it's in my mouth, it's mine 3. If I can take it from you, it's mine 4. If I had it a little while ago, it's mine 5. If it's mine, it must never appear to be yours in any way. 6. If I'm chewing something up, all the pieces are mine. 7. If it just looks like mine, it’s mine. 8. If I saw it first, it’s mine. 9. If you are playing with something and put it down, it automatically becomes mine 10. If it's broken, it’s yours. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bc4pack Posted September 25, 2010 Report Share Posted September 25, 2010 Missing the last but all important rule.. All previous rules can be rendered null and void by "mom". Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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