Winston is a five year old black, smooth-haired mini-dachshund with eyebrows as expressive as Groucho Marx’s, especially when he is poised over his food dish. Those brows are raised and quivering at mealtime, a visible indication of Winston’s anxiety over the approach of his twice-a-day kibble intake.
Because if Winston could lay yellow police tape, the kind that says CRIME SCENE DO NOT CROSS around the imaginary four foot square that has his bowl in its center, he would.
Meals are the highlight of Winston’s day – no – his life. He waits for meals from the moment he opens his eyes in the morning. Even in sleep, his body points in the direction of the kitchen, lest he, or we, lose our way there. At least one hour before the magic moment, Winston begins a worried pacing. When he does sit or lie down, he is restless and antsy; if he had fingers, they would be drumming on the table.
If you should happen to walk toward the kitchen, say, for a cup of tea, Winston barrels past you into the room, heading straight for cabinet where the kibble is kept. He dances frantically in place, looking at the cabinet door, then up at you, then back at the door, with such hope and expectation, as if to compel someone, anyone, to open the freakin’ door and feed me, already! I’m perishing here! Can’t you hear my stomach rumbling? Listen! Listen! There it goes! No, no, don’t leave! You can’t leave! You forgot to feed me! Come back….!
By the time the food is finally, agonizingly, scooped into his bowl, Winston is nearly hysterical. As always, he is requested to sit. He does this swiftly and impatiently; it is an onerous task for him, the last obstacle standing between him and his chow. His sit is reluctant; his rear end hovers at least 2 inches from solid earth. The dish is then placed on the floor. Stand clear! Winston’s head dives low as he frantically bolts down the food.
At this point, do NOT consider approaching the immediate vicinity of his bowl. You would be delusional to think that Winston is so engrossed in his hard-won meal that he doesn’t notice you. He knows you are there. If you do go near, keep well away because Winston has suddenly acquired vision in the back of his head. As you tiptoe gingerly to the refrigerator for your own dinner, he freezes, his head tilts ever so slightly in your direction, his ears flatten, his upper lip curls, and an unmistakable growl comes from his throat.
Winston’s owner demonstrates all of this to me by standing at the invisible line on the floor that the dog has drawn. His owner rocks forward onto his toes until his feet cross the line, and Winston growls. He rocks back – the growling stops. Forward > growl, back > stop. Back, forth, back, forth. Okay, it’s amusing, but there is the warm, musty scent of threat there. Winston is saying very clearly “don’t even think about it.”
Winston has, and will, bite if approached while he is eating.
So, let’s look at the issues here. There is the obvious issue of resource guarding, which we will deal with in a moment. But first, we can see that Winston snarfs his food way too fast for his own health.
I once had a Walker Treeing Coonhound that died a very painful death from bloat, a condition in which the stomach swells and often twists, trapping food and air, leading to low blood pressure, shock and worse. To prevent this from happening to Winston, I advised the owner to purchase a Brake-Fast Bowl to slow down Winston’s chowhound ways. They could also try feeding him his meals in a Buster Cube, another way to slow Winston way down. Scattering his dry kibble all over the floor, or in good weather, outside on the ground, is another option. Wild dogs forage for food all the time – it’s their job – so this method will not only get Winston to eat more slowly, but also hearken him back to his ancestral beginnings.
The resource guarding issue is pretty common. You might see it in your own dog with a favorite toy or chew bone, or even your lap if you have a little dog. Yes, people are a resource, too. So are sofas and your king-sized bed, if the dog thinks he “owns” it. Who is in control of the resource? You, or the dog? With the bed or the sofa, think about getting the dog off the furniture, and only allowing him up with your permission. If food is the problem, try measuring out the dog’s meal, and feed him small handfuls from your open palm while he sits. Do this slowly, at every meal, for a week or more, until he knows you are the source of the food, and that his protective demeanor is meaningless and unproductive.
Is the dog food itself the issue? Look at the first ingredient of the dry kibble. Does it say “corn” or does it say “chicken?” Corn-based dog food will often leave a dog feeling hungry and wired – like we would if we ate a meal that was mostly carbs and sugar. The Whole Dog Journal publishes an annual review of dog food – dry, canned, and frozen – that is worthwhile reading for every dog owner. Consider switching to a meat-based food, one that has lamb, chicken, beef, or fish as the first ingredient (and make sure it doesn’t say “chicken by-products,” which makes me think of chicken lips and chicken toenails). If your dog is sated when he eats, maybe he won’t be so stressed, and defensive, about his meals.
Whose kitchen is it, anyway?!
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