# Do you eat before or after your dog?



## Eve-Lynn (Apr 28, 2008)

For breakfast in the summer he eats before the kids and I but during the school year he eats after. Usually at supper he eats after us. Does it really matter whether he eats before or after us?


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## Chris Wild (Dec 14, 2001)

Our dogs always eat before us because it's more convenient for our schedules that way. No, for 99.9% of dogs it doesn't matter who eats first, unless you have the 1 dog in a million with enough dominance issues that he will read something into it, it's not an issue. And such dogs are very, very rare.


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## tracyc (Feb 23, 2005)

The dogs eat before us at our house too. It hasn't caused any issues. 

If you think the gesture of eating first is important (I think it's a useful thing to do for a while when the dog is young) then just eat a cracker over the dog's bowl before you hand it to him. Or just "pretend" to eat something from the bowl. Make some chomping noises and lick your lips. It's just a gesture anyway, so it doesn't have to be a whole meal. You're just communicating to the dog that the food belongs to YOU, but you will share it with him because you're such a benevolent leader.


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## Spitfire22 (Jun 9, 2005)

50/50 here, just depends on the situation. I know Tidus doesn't read anything into being fed first or last.


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## GunnerJones (Jul 30, 2005)

they eat after us almost always, table begging and tricks are permitted


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## Eve-Lynn (Apr 28, 2008)

Neat. We don't eat first because of dominance it just works out that way.


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## BowWowMeow (May 7, 2007)

They almost always eat before me. I don't think it matters.


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## ILGHAUS (Nov 25, 2002)

Since someone is always eating at our house it is hard to say.









No really, I have never worried about it. The dogs know they don't get anything off of our plates and I've never had a dog beg at the table. 

When I get a new pup/dog I've always pretended to eat out of the dog bowl as Tracy suggested and then let the dog have the part I didn't want. Some dogs I would do it one time while some for several meals, but I really have never had an issue with any of my dogs questioning me about their food. 

Now on a different note -- if for some reason my dogs and I had to miss a meal such as an emergency -- then of course I always made sure they were fed and watered before I grabbed mine.


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## Sherush (Jan 12, 2008)

Jesse has never eaten before us. I don't care what time it is, he will always eat after me and has to lie down while I eat then he can eat, He is generally on a schedule - but weekends he goes off schedule and doesn't seem to suffer for it, as he gets 2 meals a day. I believe in the alpha roles, leader always eats first.


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## denwil2007 (Apr 15, 2007)

I now have four dogs here, two unaltered males, and they all eat before me. It doesn't matter. As far as dominance, they all have to perform something for me before they eat, a sit or down. Then I call them by names and place the food next to them, or whatever spot in the room I want them to eat.

What does seem to matter is the order of who gets fed. The oldest dog gets fed first, no matter that he was not the first dog living here. He is more dominant. Then the two girls are fed last, usually the puppy in her crate.

That's most amount of dominance I show my dogs where food is concerned.


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## Sean Rescue Mom (Jan 24, 2004)

> Originally Posted By: chasethedogthey all have to perform something for me before they eat, a sit or down


Same here, I usually feed Sean before us and he has to sit. It's never been an issue for us either.


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## rjvamp (Aug 23, 2008)

For the past year or so I've been eating afterwards.


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## doggiedad (Dec 2, 2007)

at breakfast time they always eat before us. at dinner time it's a toss up. normally they eat first but sometimes we're really hungry and we eat first. it's never been an issue. i don't think it matters who eats first. we have two dogs. i also don't think it matters which one we feed first. our Grey Hound was here first by 3 or 4 years. we brought the Shep home last year when it was 9 weeks old. we deliberately alternate who eats first and we switch they're bowls. we did and do all of that but it doesn't seem to matter.


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## doggiedad (Dec 2, 2007)

i like you're method. i never did any of that and it hasn't mattered.


> Originally Posted By: Luca_stlThe dogs eat before us at our house too. It hasn't caused any issues.
> 
> If you think the gesture of eating first is important (I think it's a useful thing to do for a while when the dog is young) then just eat a cracker over the dog's bowl before you hand it to him. Or just "pretend" to eat something from the bowl. Make some chomping noises and lick your lips. It's just a gesture anyway, so it doesn't have to be a whole meal. You're just communicating to the dog that the food belongs to YOU, but you will share it with him because you're such a benevolent leader.


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## doggiedad (Dec 2, 2007)

i don't have much faith in that alpha role leader stuff. your dog not living in the wild where that type of alpha role was natural. your dog probably looking at you and saying, hurry up and come over here and feed me. wash the bowl out and make sure you change the water. ok, let's go for a ride, i'll sit in the back. wait, open the door for me i have to go to the bathroom. buy me a new ball the old one is all chewed up. maybe i'm the only one that has a dog that expects these things, i don't think so.


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## doggiedad (Dec 2, 2007)

i bet you're missing out on alot of fun with your dog following that alpha role stuff, i'm the big leader and you have to listen to me. sounds like you don't let your dog be a dog. when you practice that alpha role, i'm the big dog in charge stuff is your dog ever allowed to be a dog? does your dog come over to you and gives you it's paw? does your dog ever bring you it's leash? does your dog ever bring you it's ball? where does your dog sleep at night? does your dog have full run of the house?


> Originally Posted By: SherushJesse has never eaten before us. I don't care what time it is, he will always eat after me and has to lie down while I eat then he can eat, He is generally on a schedule - but weekends he goes off schedule and doesn't seem to suffer for it, as he gets 2 meals a day. I believe in the alpha roles, leader always eats first.


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## Maryn (Feb 15, 2008)

It depends. Our meal times fluctuate, but the dogs eat at the same times every day lol


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## Sherush (Jan 12, 2008)

> Originally Posted By: doggiedadi bet you're missing out on alot of fun with your dog following that alpha role stuff, i'm the big leader and you have to listen to me. sounds like you don't let your dog be a dog. when you practice that alpha role, i'm the big dog in charge stuff is your dog ever allowed to be a dog? does your dog come over to you and gives you it's paw? does your dog ever bring you it's leash? does your dog ever bring you it's ball? where does your dog sleep at night? does your dog have full run of the house?
> 
> 
> > Originally Posted By: SherushJesse has never eaten before us. I don't care what time it is, he will always eat after me and has to lie down while I eat then he can eat, He is generally on a schedule - but weekends he goes off schedule and doesn't seem to suffer for it, as he gets 2 meals a day. I believe in the alpha roles, leader always eats first.


Jesse has full run of the house (he has earned that by showing us he doesn't destroy), he sleeps on the bed with us, but he knows were his place it on the bed, at our feet. He brings a ball to me to play when it is time to play, we play a lot, he gets walked 3 times a day 1 time on a control heel, 1 time on 26 foot retractable, 1 other we drive someone new. I just make him do things before he gets what he wants (like sit, down, wait). All you have to do is see our photos that are posted and you can see Jesse has a fun and full life but he also knows who the boss is in the house.


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## lizziebo (Jun 26, 2008)

My husband gets served his dinner first (alpha man!) I'll fix my plate and the dog's at the same time. That way I don't feel guilty with her watching me while I eat and I don't have to listen to my husband reprimand her for being too close to the table. Makes for a nice dinner hour.

I do totally understand the need for people with very dominant, pushy dogs to have to constantly enforce the "pack hierarchy." Our dog took a while to accept her place, and now we only occasionally have to remind her.


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## zyppi (Jun 2, 2006)

We eat when it's convenient for us.

The dogs eat when it's convenient for us.

Before/after or after/before... whatever is convenient for us...


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## CertainlySpoiled (Dec 2, 2007)

Normally they eat before us, but sometimes depending on what kid of day it is we eat before them. I don't think it really matters though, as long as everyone is fed in the end!


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## KCandMace (Apr 8, 2008)

It doesn't matter. The dogs get fed between 530 and 6pm and then in the morning when I get up, 630-8am. I eat when I am hungry. If we are out and busy and get home late then we might eat at the same time. One of us will make the dogs dinner and the other our own. The dogs always eat in their crates though and they get no scraps from the table. As they eat sometimes I will pet them and handle them. But I don't touch their food, yucky raw meat.


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## Mr. Nixie (Jul 19, 2007)

Whenever..before, after, **** sometimes even WHILE we are eating.

Sometimes we will feed her and she won't eat, so if she hasn't eaten by the time we eat dinner we will bring her bowl in the room with us and she will usually eat.

Our girl likes to "eat with the pack" as my wife says!


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## Bridget (Apr 5, 2004)

The dogs eat first, just because it is more convenient for me to get their meals out of the way before fixing ours. Heidi is the oldest and the alpha in our pack, so I feed her first. Then she goes outside or in her crate and the labs eat together. That is just how it has evolved and it works for us.


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## doggiedad (Dec 2, 2007)

you're to worried about who's the boss. you're dog is glad you're the boss because it doesn't have to do anything. you do the hunting, you provide the den. i don't give much merit to that alpha role stuff and NILIF. if my dog approaches me/us when we're eating we just say "no, back" and he backs off. sometimes i feed him from the table. he takes his treat and backs off. i don't see the point in making him lay down because we're eating. he doesn't hover us begging. sometimes i call him when we're eating to give him something.


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## grantK9 (Nov 9, 2007)

The dog usually eats first in the morning, but no one in my house eats on a schedule at home. I am up at 4 am, give her one cup of food after her walk and before I leave. I eat on the road most weekdays. At night she is served usually just after I am. On weekends breakfast is on the road on our way out, she usually gets two plain (bun and meat) hamburgers and my wife likes to break them up an feed her by hands. Usually before she eats but while I am eating. Don't think it has made a difference. But we break several rules. Our shepherd all 95lbs of her sleeps with us on the bed every day.


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