(09-24-2012, 07:05 PM)Sandra Piddock Wrote: My views exactly. Meal times are a time to bond with your pet, and they often develop little habits or rituals when you prepare their food. My friend's dog always runs in circles around the coffee table when her meal is being prepared. Dogs also seem to sense when feeding time is imminent, so automatic feeders could mess around with their internal body clock.
I agree - the bond that pets have with thier food can only enhance the bond with their owners if mealtimes become a time of interraction.
Also, as far as dogs are concerned, it is important to remember that dogs are apck animals and that, in your home, every human member should "be" higher in the pack than the dog. One marker of hierarchy is that the more senior pack members eat first. So, my dogs sit in their beds whilst I eat my breakfast and, in the evening, my dinner. Once I clear my pots from the table I feed them. they get fed twice a day - always after my meal.
This does really help our relationship - similarly, they never go through a door before me (either exiting or entering) unless I specifically give them permission to do so.
