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Am I Mean To Do This?!?


LuvMyKai

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Hi guys, have an important question, kai is now 1 year and 6 months old and is fed on a mixture of dry and tinned food, He is fed twice a day but my question is, kai is a very very fussy eater, he simply will not eat his food if its is placed in a bowl and obviously i dont want him missing meals so ever since he was about 6-7 months ive been feeding him both of his meals in his large kong. Now the kong is big enough to fit each of his meals per 2 kongs and he is not getting less food, but some family members and other people have told me that this is mean and he should be fed properly in a bowl and its mean to make him work for his food like that. They are not very clued up on dogs so just wanted to check what everyone else thinks, id hate to think im doing something that is not right for my boy so do you think im being mean to my baby??

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i think its fine , i dont personally do this BUT if its making him eat then i dont see a problem , and the fact he is working for it will mentally tire him out too , and we all know a tired husky is a happy one , mentally tiring them out is almost as good as physically tiring them out

i say keep feeding him like this if hes happy n eating :)

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if he wants to work for his food then awesome...

we have a 5/10 min rule for our guys..... you dont eat it then it gets taken away and you can eat it later!!!!

if your dog wants to play and eat from a kong then fine.....

keep at it you are doing a great job x

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No it's not mean, we fed Broder when he was younger before he was on raw in kongs etc. It's better for them, keeps them from being bored :)

Thank Goodness, i was beginning to question myself but now i know im doing the right thing for him, Thanks so much :D

i think its fine , i dont personally do this BUT if its making him eat then i dont see a problem , and the fact he is working for it will mentally tire him out too , and we all know a tired husky is a happy one , mentally tiring them out is almost as good as physically tiring them out

i say keep feeding him like this if hes happy n eating :)

Yeah thats exactly what i said but they were just like no you wouldnt like eating from it but thanks for letting me realise im doing the right thing :)

if he wants to work for his food then awesome...

we have a 5/10 min rule for our guys..... you dont eat it then it gets taken away and you can eat it later!!!!

if your dog wants to play and eat from a kong then fine.....

keep at it you are doing a great job x

Yeah i used to have a 15 min rule for kai when trying to feed him in the bowl but after 2 days fo him just walking off, i couldnt take it anymore, now i put it in the kong and its gone in about 5 minutes! And thanks, i feel so happy that you guys understand :D

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Seems to be a unique way to feed a dog, but then I've never met a run of the mill Husky. If your dog enjoys it, and is getting the nutrition needed, than by all means, carry on.

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Seems to be a unique way to feed a dog, but then I've never met a run of the mill Husky. If your dog enjoys it, and is getting the nutrition needed, than by all means, carry on.

as long as hes eating enough each day i do not see a problem with this at all xxx

Thanks guys, i knew id get the correct answers from u guys :D x

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I'd say it's fine, better than Ghost eating his foods in 3 bites...:rolleyes:

There's a dog around my place whose owner told me he won't eat his food at home, so they always have to feed him outside because that's where he likes his food, lol. The vet told them if he eats it outside, it's ok and stick with it.

Could it be the bowl he doesn't like? Ghost would sometimes not eat out of bowl but first couple of bites he'd get from me, then I just pointed him in his bowl and he'd eat it.

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I do not think this is 'mean' AT ALL! It comes down to personal preference and many dog owners believe in the 'nothing in life is free' philosophy which basically means anything and everything that a dog enjoys (including treats, kibble, toys) should be worked for. It is a positive reinforcement method. I personally try to at least make my dogs do a couple of basic obedience commands before they receive their kibble. Take a look at this http://www.humanesociety.org/animals/dogs/tips/training_nothing_in_life_is_free.html for a good read about NILF. <3

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I do not think this is 'mean' AT ALL! It comes down to personal preference and many dog owners believe in the 'nothing in life is free' philosophy which basically means anything and everything that a dog enjoys (including treats, kibble, toys) should be worked for. It is a positive reinforcement method. I personally try to at least make my dogs do a couple of basic obedience commands before they receive their kibble. Take a look at this http://www.humanesociety.org/animals/dogs/tips/training_nothing_in_life_is_free.html for a good read about NILF. <3

Yeah kai is trained completely on positive reinforcement and never gets anything without working for it. Before giving him his kong, he is told to sit and then i put his kong down and he is told to stay. He knows not to touch the kong until i tell him to take it and i can normally even go inside get something come back and hell still be there waiting soemtimes however, he will try and grab it (he is a husky after all ) but a quick correction e.g. taking the kong away and he understands and waits. I completely agree with the NILF method didnt really know they had a name for it lol...thanks for the link :)

I'd say it's fine, better than Ghost eating his foods in 3 bites...:rolleyes:

There's a dog around my place whose owner told me he won't eat his food at home, so they always have to feed him outside because that's where he likes his food, lol. The vet told them if he eats it outside, it's ok and stick with it.

Could it be the bowl he doesn't like? Ghost would sometimes not eat out of bowl but first couple of bites he'd get from me, then I just pointed him in his bowl and he'd eat it.

Aaaw kai used to be a gulper when he was a pup but suddenly, he just went off of his food. I dont think its the bowl because ive changed it many times from plastic to ceramic to steel and he still acts the same. He will soemtimes eat the food out of my hand but when i show him the bowl he just looks at it and walks away. as long as its not mean to him, i will let him eat it how he likes :) Thanks

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