hey PIDGE,come on now! but there is only one bowl for three dogs there is an eating order and they do that naturaly to ...pack mentality. i practice stuff like that...let them be dogs ....

3dognight, I LOVE your dogs - wow, they are stunning!!

Hey Phil - no worries. Your dogs look happy and healthy and very gorgeous! ;o)

Thanks Lottie, be good to know. I like the idea of that.

thank you guys ,i would like to comment on the wood thing! my dogs run in an acre that is fenced and there is alot of wood,branches and grass its impossable for mr to watch them all the time, wood chewing is someting they do,naturaly..and yes i feel lucky there has been no troubles...running with a stick makes me cringe....the dogo with the patch is one of the biggest ever seen ..she is KO andi 31 inches at the whithers ...breed standard is 26inch i think... oh yes, none of my pups over the years got wood to chew on ...it was a bone or a pig ear ,raw hide....

thats a happy dogo

That's frickin' scary!!!

Oh, three pedigrees... very natural (Don't get me wrong I own pedigrees but I'm not the one preaching about 'how nature intended')

And cropped ears? Is that how 'nature intended' as well?

Sorry but perlease.

Not everyone has an acre for their dogs to run about in, and the number of people who ask me why their dog has become destructive or even aggressive and yet the dog never gets any toys to play with. They provide them with toys to stimulate them and hey presto - no more destructive behaviour.

Dogs have been domesticated for years and years, they aint wolves. They're paedomorphic creatures anyway so retain that youthful willingness to play.
What comes naturally to a dog - a domesticated dog, is to play. With toys.
So allow them to be dogs, not wolves, allow them to do what comes naturally - play.

Personally I'd far rather go against nature and give them something synthetic and safe to play with than allow them to chew on wood etc. I don't know how none of your 26 dogs have ever had a problem (and I'm very glad they haven't) - my dalmatian bitch who is only 3 years old has already had an encounter with a stick that I had to remove from her mouth when it got stuck.

Pidge came here asking a very responsible question, advising the chewing of sticks isn't a particularly responsible answer in my opinion.

Don't get me wrong, I am not criticising your choice of breed and your dogs look very happy - but it seems 'how nature intended' is only when it suits you?

I hope it's not a puppy your giving left overs to that's something I would not recommend frozen or other wise.

Once they get the taste of our food it's a slippery slope, no meal is your own. it's much better using dog treats, not to many as they are fattening, and you don't want that.

Ice cubes are good for teething and they help to cool the gums down.

ecellent post

I have to disagree Briard Lover,

Okay, so I've had problems in the past with one of mine being a git for stealing food, but I don't believe it was related to this (more to do with the fact that she is a typical dalmatian!).

It only really matters, imo, if you are feeding the dog from your plate.
My oldest begs, but he had been fed from the table for 11 years before I got him so breaking the habit is proving difficult. However, he's now much better at staying on his bed while we have any food due to the training he, and my youngest (who's brilliant now) have recieved.

They have both been taught that if there are any left overs they get them - but not if they beg at the table. It always goes in their bowls and they know if it's not in their bowl, it's not theirs.

The youngest (who has been easier to train, having had her from a pup) sits either on her bed, or stays in a different room (!) while we eat and doesn't beg at all.

So as long as it's not fed during a meal and it's not straight from the table/plate then I personally think leftovers are fine as long as they are safe.

I would recommend using stock as opposed to gravy for them though due to the high level of salt in gravy.