Feeding time: Does the alpha control it?

[hheldorfer]

We never thought it would happen but Nattie has, from the start, accepted Ziggy as the alpha in the house.  It's a bit comical because Ziggy was always "2nd dog" to Buffy and Buffy ruled the roost with an iron paw.  Nattie's temperament is totally different than Buffy's.  Nattie doesn't have that "I'm the Cairn and I'm in charge" attitude; in fact, she's rather timid for a Cairn (although we've seen that change a bit since she first arrived).

Anyway, in the past month or so we noticed that Nattie often doesn't finish eating all the food in her bowl - very odd, because she is *highly* food-motivated. She showed no signs of being ill or having difficulty chewing.  Today we realized that Nattie stops eating when Ziggy stops eating.  Ziggy  has always inhaled food, so he invariably finishes before Nattie.  We pick up Nattie's bowl (so Ziggy doesn't get it) but it is obvious she wants more.  Has anyone else observed this?  Does the alpha decide when mealtime begins and ends?

 

[Sam I Am]

We separate Rosie and Sam at feeding time, the reason being is that Rosie is the alpha girl (as so many females are) and would chase him from his bowl. Rosie aka Dumpling doesn’t need extra food. 😋