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Heather,
Sorry for my delayed response to your very good
comments.
My dogs were not raw fed so the bones were special
to them. Also, they were insufficiently trained as a group.
Individually, they were ok but we were in the midst of a power struggle
between the black lab female (5 yrs old neutered) and the pyr male (18 mos old
intact at the start but neutered during this power play). The third
dog just stayed out of the whole discussion. They had been ok when Jascha
was a puppy but when he grew up the balance changed and Elle did not want to
lose her status as queen. I also had a two year old son so to keep peace
and safety, while we worked on the status issues, we cut out the bones. I
think raw fed is great but we had "mixed media" and the bones were too
infrequent . Regular meals were not a problem and the three dogs
had their bowls in a line peacefully. I could and did give the food and
take it away as I wished. It was just the discussions between the dogs
that got too heated and concern over the potential for the two year old to be
too close at the wrong time. Jascha's neutering was overdue but Hubby took
it hard - the vet explained that it was the dog's testicles, not his, that were
being removed. Anyway the bones were really
just a symptom of a larger issue, and without the bones we could work on
the bigger status issue. All was well as soon as Elle accepted that Jascha
was King. There was no question that I was Top Dog over all.
My current dogs, Charlie and Sweetie will switch
bowls during a meal and if I stick my hand in too, don't care at all, but we all
have our ranking order set.
Amy, Charlie and Sweet Madeleine
(Jascha, Elinor and Sofee of blessed
memory)
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