Other animals eating my dog's food!

[Puk]

My dog is a chihuahua and i've been told to only feed her dry food and to let her graze all day. I've been doing that (cheap dry stuff in the day, Eukanuba at night) and it's been fine.

However, we now have the neighbours cats and a bunch of crows coming and eating her food! The cats pee on our verandah and the crows knock over her water bowl.

Is it ok for me to only feed her at night and just leave water out for the days or is it important that she grazes all day? If i do have to leave food out, does anyone have any suggestions about how to keep the other animals away? I think i'm fighting a losing battle with this one!

[oleander]

All I can think of is to feed her a little bit in the morning and a bit at night. This is what I do with my dogs. I feed them at the same time every day - 10am and 6pm. So they are in a bit of a routine. This is what I was advised to do when I took them to Puppy Pre-School. They are nearly two now and are used to the routine so they gobble up the food as soon as I put it out. Mine are both Chiuhuahua's too.

[Puk]

Thanks for that, i'll give it a go. I've been trying to feed her in the mornings but she knows when i'm getting ready for work and she won't eat, she knows the food will be there when i leave so i'm worried that she'll starve! I suppose she's used to it anyway since she's not the only one eating the food!

[draught]

Puk
We have a very small King Charles Cav - similar size to a chiuhuahua - and what we have found is that we leave his food in his crate with him overnight - he eats it at whatever time of the night suits him and the other animals can't get to it. We leave it in his crate during the day too, but he isn't in the crate much in the day. So maybe try leaving him his food overnight so he can graze then if he wants to?

[Seekrit]

We feed our dogs once a day, I've never heard that it was important to let them graze so I never have, they also have their food bowls inside due to the possums, feral cats and stupid birds in the area.

[reAllytee]

Its usually more important that they get two meals a day so one good meal of a morning then of a nite.
I mean you wouldnt want to go all nite then day without a meal so why make your doggy pal !
This way not only will it make life easier with pesky intruders but will also make toiletting much more easy to manage as she wont poo all day & nite !

Another option for the water is have you got Pet Barn up there ? Its a large retail pet store super cheap btw well the one we lived near was lol anyways they have concrete bowls & troughs in different sizes for doggy water being heavily weighted at the bottom it means they cant be knocked over. Trust me i had an exuberant Labrador who loved water & not even she could knock these babies over ! Or a water fountain type thingy which regulates how much water comes out when they drink from it & due to it having heaps of water in it it wont be knocked over by crows etc ( different story for Labradors though lol ).

Hope that helps !

[Puk]

I've never heard that it was important to let them graze so I never have

For your dogs it's not so important. From what i've been told little dogs are more prone to problems regulating sugar levels and they therefore need to have regular small meals. That's what the vet told me and i've heard it before too.

Thanks everyone for the suggestions, i'll try leaving food with her during the night and just leaving water out during the day and see how it goes. I suspect that the crows will stop coming once the food is gone so they won't knock over her water. She has water on the front verandah as well anyway. Thanks again. :)

[Seekrit]

For your dogs it's not so important. From what i've been told little dogs are more prone to problems regulating sugar levels and they therefore need to have regular small meals. That's what the vet told me and i've heard it before too.
Aah okay :) We've never done it with Peter either... just hadn't heard to do it "back then" I guess :)

[~Candy~]

With keeping the other animals away...use a water spray bottle (if your home and bored..lol) When you see one out there...give them a squirt! We had pesky cats spraying their scent everywhere...they don't come near the place now :) Our other problem is toads....they like the dry dog and cat food...then sit in the water dish and lay thier eggs...EWW

[kimmy]

Awww Bec you havent animal problems huh?