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View Full Version : how to keep baby out of dog food?



phirey
10-10-2003, 06:10 AM
Nothing pleases DD more these days than crawling over to the dog bowls and stealing food. Luckily they're metal bowls and make a lot of noise, but I can't keep prying kibbles out of her hands (and in one case, mouth!) No real options on gating the dog to one section of the house and the baby to another. What have y'all done?

bnme
10-10-2003, 07:31 AM
I have sort of the same problem. But wow, I am suurprised your dog lets baby get to her food! My dog gobbles up her food as soon as he gets it (2x a day). DS does crawl to the dishes and I always have water out for the dog. I have no gating option either. Interested to hear if anyone has suggestions! Baby knocking over water dish is messy and gross.

My nephew used to drink frm his dogs water bowl! Either "doggy style" or he'd pick it up and try using it like a cup! His parents finally put the bowl in the bathroom with the door closed when he was up and about. I'd rather not do that -don't want to restrict dogs water intake, but don't want DS sharing with him too much either!!!

:)

kaitlinsmommy
10-10-2003, 12:04 PM
We have the same problem with our cat's dish. I can't think of anything else to do so I just put it on the counter until I feed the cat. What a pain!

Momof3Labs
10-10-2003, 12:48 PM
We only have the dog food dishes out when the dogs are eating. Or you can put them down in the evening when baby goes to bed, and let the dog graze at night.

I found a great low-splash, no-spill water dish at a dog bakery near me. Gonna see if I can find it online... I can't find something quite like what we have. There isn't a brand name on it; I'll see if I can find out from the store!

phirey
10-10-2003, 09:35 PM
I agree that it's weird to have a dog that doesn't gobble his food. But he never has. He likes us to be around and frequently eats his meals only when we're nearby in the kitchen. So that nixes hiding the food in an infrequently used room -- he'd starve! And the water bowl serves both the cat and dog, so that stays too...

I do have a solution for the cat food. Before DD was here we realized that while the dog doesn't eat dog food, he loves to steal cat food. So to keep him from eating it, we keep the cat bowl up high, on a table. I our old house we had a convenient side table that worked well. Unfortunately in this house, the only option is the kitchen table. I justify it by thinking to myself that she's up there when we're not home anyway...

houseof3boys
10-11-2003, 06:11 PM
Gordon doesn't eat his food all at once either....never has. He will graze all day and all night. I will hear him at 3:00 am eating his food almost every night. He'll also scatter the pieces about and leave them in the kitchen.

If you come up with something with the dog bowl, please post about it because I don't know how we are going to deal with that either! He is also partial to toilet water versus filtered water in his doggy bowl!

Momof3Labs
10-11-2003, 06:57 PM
How 'bout this? Is he a small enough dog to slip under a baby gate or through a doggie door? Then put the food in a convenient room and put a baby gate several inches off of the floor, or put a doggie door in. You can get doggie doors that only open when the dog's collar is nearby (there is some kind of transmitter on it) which would alleviate the problem of baby slipping through the doggie door, and your dog would have full time access to his food.

mamahill
10-15-2003, 11:25 AM
I don't know if this is an option, but we kept our cats' food on the landing of the stairs (it's in two sections). Ainsleigh wasn't on the stairs, but the cats could still get to it. The water we kept in the kitchen, but kind of tucked away. Now that Ainsleigh is older (and we had an ant infestation), we've moved the cat food to the kitchen and Ainsleigh knows not to touch it. Every now and then I catch her trying to splash in the water, but she'll quickly stop and say, "Keeeeee wa" and do the signs for kitty and water. LOL - I guess she's learning!

KarenNYC
10-19-2003, 09:53 PM
my baby proofer has told me several true horror stories and I am worried that my son will get into real trouble with the water bowl. I am also worried that as he plays with the food my dog gets possesive and might snap although I always tell him that it is dangerous to go near them - at eight months old and a very quick crawler I might be an instant off and geez - I'd rather not think about it so I need advice as well!

karen

COElizabeth
10-20-2003, 11:55 AM
Would scheduling both food and water times work? You could leave the water out when DS is asleep or you are out but put it away during the day and offer it to your dog several times during the day. I noticed that my dog kind of got into a "drinking schedule" at one point. As long as you offer it fairly often, I don't think it's cruel, and both the drowning concern and food fights are legitimate concerns.

Elizabeth, Mom to James, 9-20-02

Momof3Labs
10-20-2003, 12:35 PM
I completely agree that scheduling food and water times is the best approach. In addition to the hazards already mentioned, dry dog food is a choking hazard!

If you have a pet that is used to grazing, don't worry, they won't starve! They will quickly figure out what they need to do to get what they want (or learn to ask for it when they want it at a different time - both of our dogs and our cat ask for the water dish a couple of times during the day, we give it to them and then pick it up when they are done).

susabusa
10-30-2003, 02:02 PM
We have a fenced yard and have resorted to feeding and putting water outside. Just outside the patio door on the deck I have both food and water. So, when pup wants water she just asks to go out. I did have to finally find a heated water bowl, as we are in Minnesota and things freeze solid.

Stephanie