21 July 2011

Unusual feeding places

I decided to get creative on the feeding locations for my Miska-Brick puppies born May 31. This was largely driven by the fact that it was getting increasingly challenging as the pups grew and moved faster to try to feed several at the same time - well, more or less the same time depending on fast I could get the bowls down & the puppies to the bowl before one finished and ran to mooch from its littermate.  Instead of group or 'family-style' feeding from the same bowl, each puppy has eaten from its own bowl since I started them on solid food.  Initially I was able to separate them into 2 groups of 3 but when a baby-gate no longer worked, I had to develop a different strategy.

My solution? They are fed one at a time in places that are inaccessible to the other puppies (at least so far).  Hence, the puppies have eaten in a sink, bathtub, countertop, desk, on top of a dryer (with the dryer on) as well as outside on the patio and on a straw mat in their ex-pen.  And there are different surfaces in each of these locales too which adds to the list of surfaces they have been on - all part of their socialization. If they can eat with zeal in all of these places, they should want to eat anywhere and also not be apprehensive about being on different surfaces.  Some puppies are very finicky or lacking in confidence so that if their food is set down in a spot/place they aren't used to, they won't eat.  Not these guys!

Do all breeders do this to their puppies?  Absolutely NOT!  I am sure there are some who think of doing this but I suspect not many.  After all, it does take more time to feed puppies one at a time and to move around to different parts of the house - time that many people don't have when raising a litter of puppies.  And of course backyard breeders and puppy mills would never do this!

Blue is almost too big to fit into the laundry sink!

Does my dinner come with clean socks?

Miss Red enjoying her breakfast during the wrinkle-free setting

Green will finish his meal in 27 sec. (or less!) whereas the laundry has 27 min. to go

On a desk

Yellow in the bathtub

Hey, how come she gets to eat in the tub & we don't?

We want a turn in the bathtub!

Black dining a la stainless steel

4 comments:

  1. My gosh, I never would have thought to do this (of course I'm not a breeder) but what a great idea!

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  2. I love those bathtub pics with all the pups clamoring to get in the tub.

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  3. They are too adorable. Looks like they are just happy to be chowing down.

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  4. They are so delightful & how inventive of you to think of socializing your puppies that way.

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