For the first year of his life, Fergus was quite thin. He
was born the runt of the litter – that is part of the reason why we chose him
from among his fatter, fluffier siblings. But no matter how much food we gave
him, Fergus just didn’t gain the weight he was supposed to in the first year.
He just wasn’t food oriented – and he preferred running for the ball over napping
and all other activities. He was the product of his own self-induced bootcamp:
a lean, mean barking machine. Except for the mean part.
We were used to our skinny Minnie Golden Retriever. He
wasn’t emaciated or anything – just very slim. But when I posted photos of
Fergus on social media, I would occasionally receive negative comments. “Your
dog is so thin!” “Oh! Poor Fergus! You really should feed him more!” Honestly.
I took Fergus to the vet and they confirmed that, while our
pup was on the diminutive side for his breed, he was also perfectly healthy. He
was not underweight, but hovering nearby (within a pound of that rating). We
were already feeding him the puppy food that supports fast growth, and agreed
to keep him on it until he was 18 months old. We continued to feed him on
demand, whenever he wanted to eat, because he never over-ate.
Occasionally we laced the food with something slightly
fattening and delicious. We poured cooled bacon fat on the kibble. Laced it
with the fat off a pot of fresh chicken broth, or coated it in a thin layer of
peanut butter. I continued to throw Fergus’ beloved ball for him, but when he
slowed down, I offered food and water. Then he ate.
Slowly, over the next year, Fergus gained weight. His
hollowed out hip area became sturdy and solid. Now he is a very handsome,
muscular young dog. But you know, he will probably always be on the lean side.
And that’s ok.
I don’t know why some people felt the need to tell me my dog
was skinny, in social media posts. It isn’t as if I was unaware. I do
appreciate their concern, but I’m pretty sure the same people wouldn’t have the
nerve to accuse me of not feeding my dog enough if they met me at the dog park.
The anonymity of social media can make people bold.
Now, I do have a problem with Fergus for which I might
consider taking some advice. For a dog who is rather unconcerned when I fill
his bowl with kibble, preferring to eat at his leisure, nibbling a few bites at
a time and only after he has had exercise, Fergus is a whole other animal when
you give him a fresh beef bone.
A friend of mine has a Golden Doodle and noted the same food
aggression in his fluffy little dog. This creature that resembles a teddy bear
most of the team becomes a growling, snarling beast when you go near him and
his bone. It’s funny at first…and then a little scary!
My daughters have raised dogs, and their advice is to train
them as puppies to accept having their food taken away and given back again.
Well, we did that with Fergus. He appears completely uninterested if I take his
bowl of kibble away. If I take his bowl of leftovers (people food) away he
might look a bit disappointed, but he certainly doesn’t growl at me. But all
that changes when the dog gets a bone.
Online advice from the ASPCA says that it is completely
natural for dogs to exhibit “resource guarding” behaviour. Apparently some dogs
will even guard stolen socks, or food that they can see on the kitchen counter.
Thank goodness Ferg isn’t that bad. He just wants his bone, and he wants to be
left alone while he enjoys it.
The most common advice I am seeing online is to let the dog
alone while he enjoys his bone. Of course, we have control over when he
receives a treat like this, and we know to give him his space. But being
unaware of the strange workings of the canine mind, I am worried about what
might happen if Fergus exhibits this resource guarding behaviour when we have
children visiting the house.
If you have advice on how to handle this, I would love to
hear it. You can email me at dianafisher1@gmail.com.
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