Explaining to your adult dog why the puppy gets more food
Hint: Don’t explain it to your dog, just sneak around
I read the dog sitting instructions from the couple and tried to figure out how I was going to do this. The puppy, who was about five months old and 50 pounds, ate three times per day. But the adult dog (60 pounds) only ate twice per day. And to top it off, the adult dog was a little on the chunky side so extra snacks were off limits. But how was I going to be able to look into the eyes of this fluffy, beautiful dog while feeding the puppy? Would she not feel like I’d “forgotten” something, mainly to feed her.
I tried it one time, and the puppy did a circle dance. Way to rub it in, buddy. Even worse, this puppy had figured out the feeding times and would become unbearably anxious within a 10-minute period of it. I don’t know what training classes teach dogs to read clocks, but no matter what I was doing, this dog just knew. I tried running upstairs with the puppy and keeping the adult dog behind the gate, but that adult dog always ran to the top of the steps and just stared at me as the puppy ate. I wanted to pull my sweatshirt over my head.
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But then I remembered a tip I’d gotten from the owners — these two dogs should never go outside to relieve themselves together. Why? The puppy would notoriously dig up the plants or jump on the adult dog’s back. And the adult dog didn’t want to be bothered. She just wanted to do her business and get going. Imagine someone constantly messing with you while you’re on the toilet. That was this puppy all of the time.
So I did what I think all multi-dog owners should do, who have pets of varying ages. I waited for nature to work to my advantage. No matter how hyper that clock-reading puppy was, I’d wait a few minutes to see if the adult dog looked like she needed to go outside. If I opened the door and she jumped up, I’d happily direct her exit.
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As soon as the basement door closed, I took off full speed up the steps with the puppy trying to beat me to the baby gate. I jogged to the bin of dog food, poured a cup while that puppy did that strange dance he loved to do, and then took it to the kitchen for him to eat. When he was done, I’d hurry up and grab the dish again, putting it back in its old place and head back downstairs. I opened the basement door again, and in comes the adult dog.
I really thought I was going to get away with it. Only the adult dog cocked her head and looked from me to the puppy. Then she sniffed the air. She ran past us to the top of the basement steps, looking around. Eventually she came downstairs again and just looked at me. I avoided all eye contact and decided whatever was on TV or in my book was especially interesting.
Recommended Read: “When your dog gets a new roommate ~ Socializing your adult dog with a new puppy”
I wondered how she just knew what I was up to. I realized I forgot to wash my hands. Considering dogs have noses sensitive enough to explore up to 300 million olfactory receptors (compared to approximately 6 million in human beings), I figured that must be it. Or maybe it was that dogs can hear with a frequency range of 40 to 60,000 hertz (Hz); I was so noisy running up the steps that that must be it. Or maybe she heard the scoop. I would be sneakier next time.