Liza

Thanks for all of your help. I don't think I could start feeding Keeda raw food based on the prey model. If I'm understanding it correctly, the prey model involves feeding whole animals and such, am I right? I have nothing against other owners doing this, but I simply don't think I could bring myself to do this! Apologies if I totally misunderstood the whole idea. I could see myself feeding her actual raw meat with no fur/guts/heads involved and perhaps vegetables. Is this what BARF is or am I, again, misunderstanding? I'll look up some info about the barf diet. Edit: I'm reading over a sample amount of meat/veggies/vitamins to feed on a web site and am definitely feeling overwhelmed. This looks like it would cost way more than kibble Tomorrow or the day after I'm going to go into the local supermarket and see how much some of these things cost.

I apologize in advance for the length of this post. Up until now my mom has been buying my dog's food. She is fed twice a day - a cup of dry food in the morning and a sausage-thing you have to cut off at night - 400g (400 is what is recommended on the package itself) The thing is, my dog is gaining weight. She is an Australian Cattle Dog, Kelpie, and Beagle a mix - closest to the size of the beagle, but a tiny bit larger. I read that beagles gain weight easily and she seems to fit this description. It isn't just the food - my mom feeds my dog leftovers behind my back even though I constantly tell her not to do so. She used to feed her 500g and after lengthy arguments, agreed to put it down to 400. Keeda lost some weight after this, but now she's gaining AGAIN and I've caught my mom feeding her all kinds of things off of the table when she thinks I'm not in the room. She isn't actually OBESE as of yet, but even her vet said that she could stand to lose several pounds. Her waist is becoming nonexistent We got into yet another argument - my mom says that I have no right to tell her how to feed my dog because SHE pays for the food. She has a point, even though the dog is registered with the council in my name - so I told her that I would be buying her food from now on and my mom would not be allowed to feed my dog at all. So now I'm trying to come up with a good diet for Keeda before the current food that my mom has already bought runs out. I suspect that my mom will keep feeding her leftovers behind my back, but will cut down if I'm the one paying for the actual food. The problem is money. I can afford to spend no more than about $20-$25 per week on Keeda's food, and $25 is stretching it I am a full time TAFE student and my study schedule is getting busier and busier. Because of this, I can spend only about 45mins to 1 hour per day walking her outside. Also, as I am having problems with her bolting at other dogs to play (and a bit of aggression toward smaller dogs), I have started to walk her on a 5 meter lead to perfect her recall. I let her off of the lead when she gets a chance to politely approach and play with another dog, but otherwise she will be staying on the lead during our walks until she learns to ignore other dogs when we're out unless allowed to approach. I attempt to keep her busy and active on the lead - playing with soccer ball, practicing commands, running up hills, etc., but nevertheless, she is getting LESS actual exercise than she was before I purchased the lead. Does anyone have any suggestions as to how I can improve her diet? What are some brands that aren't too expensive, but can be trusted? Should I keep feeding her dry food in the morning and sausage-type food or canned food at night, or are there better options? Thanks for your help Liza & Keeda

Flyball sounds like so much fun, I wish I could do it with Keeda. Unfortunately she's hyperactive and would be more interested in playing with other dogs than anything else >.<

Aw, that really stinks. I'm not sure what my dog's exact size is, but her head reaches a bit over my knee. She's an Australian Cattle Dog/Australian Kelpie/Beagle mix so I'd just be doing it for fun. I read that in Qld mixes are still allowed but it's more of a fun thing than a competition. Do you have any idea why it might be banned? Nothing I read suggested that the sport might be dangerous :S

Does anyone know if there's any lure coursing/racing organization in Perth? It sounds like a lot of fun and may be something Keeda would enjoy. I did an online search but all I found was Queensland. Nothing seemed to come up in Perth at all except for agility/obedience clubs and such.

I read this thread a few days ago and couldn't believe I haven't thought of this before! I've been doing this with Keeda's dinner for 3 nights now and it's been going -great-. She has so much fun, her tail constantly thumps back and forth. And I must say, she can pay attention better than I thought was possible for her when there's a meal involved Thanks for the great idea