Barking at feed time

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Carlosmum

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OH has 2 rescue cairns ( we've had them 6 months) they are fed once a day. Come feed time they become frantic the moment we go anywhere near bowls/feed bags. I have tried shutting them away but they still shout. Its impossible to put them where they cant hear me rattling bowls. I try to wait until the shouting stops before I feed them but it seems impossible. I wouldn't mind too much except that I have a 10 week old pup & I don't want her getting any bad habbits. Any ideas anyone? OH is quite resistant to change so it would have to be really simple to implement. Thanks
 
Their behaviour has probably got a scientific name, which I don't know, but this is how I would treat it! I would make meals up in their bowls (it's the familiar noise of implement touching bowl that sets them off) throughout the day, put it somewhere out of reach and leave it/ignore them. It's the same as the rattle of leads pre-walk. They are getting overexcited anticipating a pleasurable event.:)
 
Erm, sure there is a sciencey name and probably a good training method of how to stop it, but could you just take them out for a 5-10 min walk (so no-one gets too hot to eat food) and get OH to make up the food? So they come back from the walk and food gets served up speedily with no fuss?
 
I would be tackling them one at a time. My dogs are trained to sit and wait when food comes out. I can place the bowl infront of them and they wont eat until they are told they are allowed to do so. I would be looking to do something similar with these two, they need to work for their food and learn that by being hectic and disruptive will not get them fed!
 
No one gets fed until they are quiet. It might be a boring process, but they will learn once they get hungry. It isn't impossible, it just takes a bit longer.

Also, change all the routines. At the moment, all you are doing is giving them cues to bark. Change the time, the feeding area, change the process, change the bowls.
 
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