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#1
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Dog food plate height?
I have heard that the height at which a dog's plate is put is important.
I have a Mutt and Jeff situation, a Corgi and a Lab/Rott. I am going to build a higher platform for the Lab/Rott, as I think it is better for them. I just need to do it right, because if it isn't right, and the bowl scoots and makes any noise, then she shies away from it. And I have problems with the Corgi coming over when we're not watching and intimidating the Lab/Rott away from her dish, and then gorging himself. So, I'd be solving two problems at once. But I'd like to hear logical opinions about the height of a dog's feeding platform. TIA Steve |
#2
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Dog food plate height?
SteveB wrote:
I have heard that the height at which a dog's plate is put is important. I have a Mutt and Jeff situation, a Corgi and a Lab/Rott. I am going to build a higher platform for the Lab/Rott, as I think it is better for them. I just need to do it right, because if it isn't right, and the bowl scoots and makes any noise, then she shies away from it. And I have problems with the Corgi coming over when we're not watching and intimidating the Lab/Rott away from her dish, and then gorging himself. So, I'd be solving two problems at once. But I'd like to hear logical opinions about the height of a dog's feeding platform. My preference for height is high enough so that their don't have to put too much pressure on their elbows on a regular basis. So a standing position, just low enough for them to be comfortable eating (not stretching their necks or having to choke themselves on the edge of the bowl, of course), without having to dip their chests down at all or bend their front legs. Rotts especially carry a lot of weight in their fronts, and for them to have to scrunch their front legs up for every meal, IMO, puts a lot of pressure on those front joints every day. The alternative is what I did with my sheppie as he was getting older was to feed him on the floor. By then he preferred to eat laying down. Now that I feed raw, it depends on what Annie is eating. If she's working on a big frozen chunk of dinner, she likes to get all comfy in her crate (keeps the cats away ;-) and gnaw on it laying down. If its just cool or body temperature, then she snarfs it up from a kennel cup I keep outside of her crate at not quite shoulder level. |
#3
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Dog food plate height?
In article ,
says... I have heard that the height at which a dog's plate is put is important. I have a Mutt and Jeff situation, a Corgi and a Lab/Rott. I am going to build a higher platform for the Lab/Rott, as I think it is better for them. I just need to do it right, because if it isn't right, and the bowl scoots and makes any noise, then she shies away from it. And I have problems with the Corgi coming over when we're not watching and intimidating the Lab/Rott away from her dish, and then gorging himself. So, I'd be solving two problems at once. But I'd like to hear logical opinions about the height of a dog's feeding platform. We've used one of these: http://tinyurl.com/mykcmd for our GSD for several years and have been pretty happy with it. We don't use it to store food in, just to provide a platform to elevate her dish. Most of the comparable platforms I've run across are considerably more expensive. It is on our concrete back patio and doesn't slide around when the dog is eating - not sure how it would work on a smoother surface such as tile, but I'd bet it's going to stay in place much better than a bare dish does. Both of the issues I've heard about regarding dish height have already been mentioned: strain on the dog's joints/front legs, and bloat (particularly in the deep-chested breeds). Dave |
#4
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Dog food plate height?
In article ,
"SteveB" wrote: I have heard that the height at which a dog's plate is put is important. There has been some evidence that raised bowls actually may contribute to bloat. And I have problems with the Corgi coming over when we're not watching and intimidating the Lab/Rott away from her dish, and then gorging himself. That isn't acceptable. That means you NEED to watch. Why do you let that happen? -- Janet Boss www.bestfriendsdogobedience.com |
#5
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Dog food plate height?
"Janet Boss" wrote in message ... In article , "SteveB" wrote: I have heard that the height at which a dog's plate is put is important. There has been some evidence that raised bowls actually may contribute to bloat. And I have problems with the Corgi coming over when we're not watching and intimidating the Lab/Rott away from her dish, and then gorging himself. That isn't acceptable. That means you NEED to watch. Why do you let that happen? -- Janet Boss www.bestfriendsdogobedience.com Because I'm not a control freak, and have other things to do than watch my dogs every movement? What do I win? |
#6
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Dog food plate height?
SteveB wrote:
I have heard that the height at which a dog's plate is put is important. I have a Mutt and Jeff situation, a Corgi and a Lab/Rott. I am going to build a higher platform for the Lab/Rott, as I think it is better for them. I just need to do it right, because if it isn't right, and the bowl scoots and makes any noise, then she shies away from it. And I have problems with the Corgi coming over when we're not watching and intimidating the Lab/Rott away from her dish, and then gorging himself. So, I'd be solving two problems at once. But I'd like to hear logical opinions about the height of a dog's feeding platform. Since the topic of bloat has come up, one major factor in this is what type of food you feed. Are they on kibble? |
#7
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Dog food plate height?
In article ,
SteveB wrote: What do I win? You win a dog that steals another dog's food. It's all about the tradeoffs. -- Melinda Shore - Software longa, hardware brevis - Prouder than ever to be a member of the reality-based community |
#8
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Dog food plate height?
SteveB wrote:
"Janet Boss" wrote in message ... In article , "SteveB" wrote: And I have problems with the Corgi coming over when we're not watching and intimidating the Lab/Rott away from her dish, and then gorging himself. That isn't acceptable. That means you NEED to watch. Why do you let that happen? -- Janet Boss www.bestfriendsdogobedience.com Because I'm not a control freak, and have other things to do than watch my dogs every movement? What do I win? You win dogs that don't snark over food. The only way you will train your Corgi not to intimidate the Lab/Rott is not to allow him to do that, to train him that it is not acceptable. And that requires watching, and, yes, establishing control. He won't learn dish manners by osmosis. Having dogs means becoming a control freak, at least in those areas where the dogs' current behaviors are not acceptable to you. I'm wondering here - is your question really, "So what if I'm watching? How do I train the Corgi to stay away from the Lab/Rott's dish?" I don't want to presume that you don't know this, but if you don't it's ok to ask. FurPaw -- Don't believe everything that you think. To reply, unleash the dog. |
#9
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Dog food plate height?
In article ,
"SteveB" wrote: Because I'm not a control freak, and have other things to do than watch my dogs every movement? There are times when supervision is needed. This is one of them. How long does it takes dogs to eat a meal? Mine do in about 1-2 minutes I'd guess. Maybe not quite. All in a row, nobody going to the others' bowl or threatening the others. How is this achieved? Through initial supervision when a new dog arrives. It isn't exactly a hardship and only takes a few moments. Once the rules and patterns are established, the supervision is no longer necessary. What do I win? The lazy-ass-dumb-as-crap dog owner award probably. -- Janet Boss www.bestfriendsdogobedience.com |
#10
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Dog food plate height?
In article ,
Janet Boss wrote: There are times when supervision is needed. This is one of them. How long does it takes dogs to eat a meal? Mine do in about 1-2 minutes I'd guess. Maybe not quite. Right, mine too. However, some dogs are slow eaters and Steve's may be those kinds of dogs. I've had dogs that have arrived here as slow eaters and I've trained them not to be for a variety of reasons, including that it tends to exacerbate the kind of bowl raiding that he's experiencing. -- Melinda Shore - Software longa, hardware brevis - Prouder than ever to be a member of the reality-based community |
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