I consider feeding one of the most important things for my dogs’ long-term health and longevity.
So I review their diets frequently.
Back in the day, I always used to feed my dogs once a day, in the evening. But they also had training treats, plates to lick, bones left lying around, the occasional foodtoy, and so on.
Then when I started taking them on camping trips and we walked so much,
I’d scatterfeed kibble in the grass beside the van for them to snuffle up in the morning, while I got washed and dressed.
Then I started to scatterfeed outside at lunchtime, at home.
This was largely to get Cricket the Whippet out to do her business - I didn’t like her to stay in an armchair for hours and hold it!
Portrait in coloured pencil by Beverley Courtney
So then, one year, Cricket started to get panic attacks.
She’d be shaking, panting, gasping, her eyes on stalks, desperate to get on my lap … These epidosdes could last for an hour, and they were getting more frequent … 😳
I did a little detective work 🕵🏻♀️ - and realised that these attacks happened only in the morning!
Aha!
So I started to give Cricket a handful of food first thing in the morning.
Immediately, the panic attacks stopped, and we never had another.
What a simple solution!
How can I adapt this discovery to my dog management?
The moral of this story?
We change.
Our dogs change.
We need to observe and adapt.
And not just always do the same as we’ve always done, or what’s always worked for previous dogs.
“Every dog is a study of one.” - Grisha Stewart
Just as we’re all different, so our dogs are all different.
For our special dogs …
And it got me thinking about how we could be seeing things in our reactive dogs that could easily be changed by attending to diet and timing.
Along with all the other considerations, of course, such as sleep (you know how I’m always harping on about sleep!), exercise - type and quantity, mental stimulation, and all the rest.
When did you last look closely at what may have become a comfy habit in caring for your dog?
It’s so easy to drift along, saying, “This is how it’s always been,” and not noticing that things are changing - for the worse.
It’s like when someone sees your children for the first time in ages and says, “How they’ve grown!”.
Well, duh, of course they’ve grown! But being with them every day, we don’t notice things that are changing. (And I don’t just mean that their jumpers are too tight.) We change all the time .. all the time.
Experiment with your dog!
So it’s time to start experimenting! Look critically at your daily doings with your dog - especially your reactive dog.
🐶 Would it help to move his walk from the morning to the afternoon?
🐶 Would it be better if he only had walks 3-4 days a week, and another stimulating activity on the other days?
🐶 Should I change his feed, or his feeding schedule (always make dietary changes gradually).
🐶 Should he have more interaction with people and dogs, or less?
🐶 What new thing can I teach him, to liven up our training sessions?
🐶 How much deep sleep is he having? (If less than 17 hours deep sleep a day, you need to make changes!)
Our dogs are in our hands. We owe it to them to make their lives the best they can be.
Find out what works for you and YOUR dog!
And if you’re struggling with a Growly - a shy, anxious, reactive, “aggressive”, dog, check out these books!
RESOURCES
Dog Feeding Schedules - how important are they?
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