My pup Scout has all the skills needed to be a great employee. She is very proactive. When I am cooking, she uses her laser focus to grab any morsel of falling food before it even hits the floor. She is also super stealthy. When we are on a walk, she will discreetly pick up some old pizza on the sidewalk and hide it in her mouth until I’m not looking before she starts to chew it. I swear she could get a gig with the CIA. Maybe she already does? She can also tell time and is 100% punctual for every single meal. While I appreciate all these employable skills, her breakfast punctuality was killing my sleep. It took years to figure it out, but the auto-feeder saved me.
Good Intentions Lead to Bad Habits
When we lived in an apartment, we woke up at 5:30 am to squeeze in a game of fetch at the dog park before other dogs arrived. (She was not into other dogs). After a few weeks of this routine, I no longer needed an alarm clock. Scout would jump on the bed and let me know if it was time for breakfast and a tennis ball workout.
Dogs Can Not Be Tricked
When we moved into the house, we acquired a backyard, providing some flexibility in our morning routine. Scout didn’t get the memo. She was still ready to be fed at 5:30 every single morning. I tried to feed her dinner a little later to see if she would sleep in, but she was dedicated to her early mealtime. Then I tried that thing that parents do where they don’t react to the baby crying, and finally, the child goes back to sleep. This was the moment when I learned about Scout’s incredible determination and physical strength. It started with just jumping on the bed and licking my face and turned into pawing, jumping on me, and stealing the blankets. It was miserable.
Creating Separation
When my husband moved in, he was not feeling the 5:30 am wake-up call on Saturday mornings. We spoke to our amazing vet at UTK, who said we needed to separate the association between me and the action of her getting fed. This is when my husband stepped in and gave the most romantic gift I have ever received – The Auto-feeder. It was the gift of hope and hopefully sleep.
Finally Sleeping In
We set it up in another room far away from the bedroom. While we were sleeping, it fed Scout promptly at 5:30 every morning. She happily ate breakfast, and then with her full belly, jumped on the bed and passed out in total cuddle mode. Jackpot!! I finally had the freedom to sleep. We were also able to slowly train her to eat later in the morning by adjusting the time in minute increments. If you have multiple pets be mindful of food aggression issues before bringing in an auto-feeder.
Sometimes when I had to wake up early for work, I would find Scout, a few minutes before mealtime, patiently sitting in front of the auto-feeder. She is so much more patient with the auto-feeder than she was with me. I would be resentful if I wasn’t totally overjoyed that I now get to sleep in.
Auto-feeder Shopping Guide
I found that you get what you pay for with auto-feeders.
The most affordable versions have a carousel of compartments with food that rotates around on a timer. A lot of our friends who have cats use these. They are simple and work well, but they typically have small portion sizes.
There are these high-end versions that connect to Wifi with sleek designs that belong in the Jetson’s kitchen. Some will even play a song for your dog or cat while they eat.
We got this mid-range version. The timer was a little tricky to set-up, but once we figured it out, it had the consistency of Big Ben.
Shopping Tips:
Energy Source: Decide if you want a plug-in or battery. Batteries are perfect if you need to place it where there isn’t an outlet.
WIFI: Do you want to talk to your dog or watch them on camera while you’re away? We make no judgments. You do you.
Portion Size: Make sure the feeder works with your pet’s food. Double-check it can handle the portion and pellet size.
Refill: If you want to fill it up less frequently, find one with a larger food storage compartment.
Four Paw Tip: If you and your pack go on vacay don’t forget to turn off the auto feeder. Multiple times we came home to an overflowing auto-feeder. I am sure the mice appreciated our generosity.
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