I've read several of your posts, which was what made me realize what a good chow I have.
Your dog sounds like psycho dog. I have three dogs and three cats. They all drink out of the same water bowl and the cats will be inbetween the dogs leggs which is also right next to the dog food bowl (huge, holds about 10 pounds). The cat food is on the dryer because the dogs would eat the at food if it was down.
Anyway, these dogs/cats have always shared. I've always left the dog bowl out with a ton of food because if I portioned it out one dog would be a pig. They seem to have different eating times and Maggie (chow/belgium sheep dog) does like to guard the food and will quietly growl, and I can see her lip curl and I'll yell at her when she does that. But none of them attach the cats and I've always been able to hand feed them and take back whatever. In otherwords I don't have to leave the house or tippy toe around them when they're eating, I'm more inclinded to nudge them out of my way to get through the doorway when their head is stuck in the feeder, it's not a bowl it's a huge pan.
We go to the dairy queen, they get one cone each, they don't try and take each others. Maggie snarfs hers down in two seconds. Kayra is a little slower and Charlie definately licks his. Charlie is the chow. I can put food between my front teeth, pull my lips back and bend down and charlie will take it gently out of my mouth without ever touching me. I wouldn't try it with the other two because they're snatchers. But I've always been amazed how gentle this chow is.
I'll never foget the day I came home, a cat had had kittens. They were in a box, under the couch where the dogs couldn't get to them. I walk through the front door and there's charlie, laying on the floor, with three kittens up by his chest between his front leggs. I don't know how they came to be there, but after that I didn't worry about them. If they're not born here, I have to get them young enought that they haven't developed a fear of dogs. All I do is take all the dogs outside, bring one in at a time, let them see me holding the kitten, let the kitten get used to the dog, bring inthe next dog, do this three times. Now they all know it's mine, I like it, don't hurt it, and I can put it down and it will walk around and get to know the dogs and the dogs stay where they are and pretty soon all is well in the zoo. I tried taking in an older stray once, it didn't work. That thing ran round and round trying to climb the walls and just wouldn't settle down so I let it back outside. Course this excited the dogs. So I can only take in kittens. Cats being cats, fixed or not, have a way of showing their displeasure at being kept inside. So they get to go out whenever they want. IF they don't come back that's their problem, they had it good here. I actually have a cat that's afraid to go outside unless it's dark and will only be outside if the other two are out there. Seems they're always in the yard or garage and pretty much come when called. Every now and then one will stay outside for about a day, I figure it must get hungry and come back.
Anyway, these feeding problems are beyond me. I know how territorial these dogs can be, so I'm not sure they're the best choice for a family with children. Onthe other hand, I think if I'd had kids, Charlie would have been good with them. I have babysat kids, and I mean kids that can't walk. I can remember one kid crawling across the floor, Charlie grabbing his diaper and dragging him back, and then the kid would crawl across the room again and laugh when Charlie pulled him back. He did this very gently too. On the other hand, I've had a kid over here that doesn't know how to act with dogs and I wouldn't leave that kid alone with any of my animals cat or dog. wendalia.
