Whitecherry

Gorgeous tag!! I'm going to order some for my lot...

My Japanese Spitz will give your dog a run for his money... ! He will turn his nose up at almost anything.. & he's also underweight. I've started offering him puppy milk or Biolac to help supplement his diet... But I'm having a devil of a time trying to find something he'll eat. Right now, all he'll take reliably is diced casserole beef (pre-packed from Woollies meat dept.) I've tried a fatty mince (so so about this, will only eat it sometimes) chicken necks (won't always eat these) sardines (hardly ever) he won't touch kibble.. Occasionally I can tempt him with cooked kangaroo sausages, but these are pretty lean, so don't help a lot in the calorie department. I'm trying to avoid going down the road of rice & pasta, as I'm loathe to introduce refined carbs into his diet. Good luck.. it's really frustrating!

Yep, and now I'm in a panic! His first show is 3 weeks away... I recently met by chance a lady with a pup from the same breeder... so we decided we'd show them together! Now the hard part is pulling this bad boy into line! He's a smart dog, but is kinda ditzy... wants to look & go & do everything that interests him, and it's impossible to keep him from being distracted.. I'm going to try some of the herbal calming drops on the market & see if they help, it might give him the chance to focus more so he can learn. It's really hard to teach a dog soemthing when he pays no attention! Then try some of the food suggestions & see what I can get him to eat. He's really fussy about his regular meals too.. takes forever to eat, and then only when he feels like it. sometimes he'll leave his chicken wing for several hours before eating it.. (after not having eaten since the day before, so he's hungry! ) His lead pulling is another issue that I don't know how to fix..

thanks, I'll try that... he's not really responsive to anything, which is making it really difficult. He's so easily distracted, and doesn't seem to want to participate.. he wants to do what HE wants. ARRGGHHH!

I need to train my 10month old dog for the show ring... He's a lead puller and a very headstrong dog. He does not respond to food as a lure. Does anyone have any suggestions on training him? Thanks in advance.

Urine Off for me too... you can buy it from a seller on Ebay if you don't want to hunt too much for it.. (good price too... !) I've now been through 2 bottles and think another just in case might be a good idea.. My boy at 19 weeks gets lazy at times and will pee if he couldn't be bothered letting me know he has to go outside..

I know what you're going through... It's hard work having a new pup! My little boy is very headstong, and the only way I've been able to control him is to not let him get away with ANYTHING... ! If you let a crying pup out of the crate, you'll get more crying next time... I had three nights of crying and complaining before acceptance happened, and now there is never any problem. You might have a strong willed pup on your hands, in which case I'd suggest training sooner rather than later.. The quicker you establish yourself as the boss in the pups eyes, the easier your life will become! Good luck!

QUOTE(ShelleyLee @ 16th Apr 2008 - 05:54 PM) * I've tried mixing it in with his fresh diet... no luck... He did eat it once when I put some gravy in it.. I'm a bit worried about the salt content of the gravy to make it a regular thing.. Are you giving him Orijen puppy one? (not that I have any suggestions, just wondering) Yes, I am... He seems to prefer raw meat.. So I think I'll go with that for now..

I've been 'cooking' for my dog also, combined with lots of raw bones... Is canned tuna ok to feed a dog?

I've tried mixing it in with his fresh diet... no luck... He did eat it once when I put some gravy in it.. I'm a bit worried about the salt content of the gravy to make it a regular thing..

I bought some, but my pup won't touch it... don't know why? I do think he's a very fussy eater though... Any suggestions on what I can mix with it to get him to eat it?

Gosh, I know what you're going through... I'm in the same boat as you and Noodlenut.. A new puppy with an attitude! I crate mine at night, he screamed & carried on for a few nights and then settled in so we could all have a good nights sleep. During the day, I'll tether him on his lead near to where I'm working so I can see him and know where he is & what he's doing.. (toileting is still a big issue, see the thread on Poo Eating if you want to know more ! lol... ) and I found this worked better as he still had some movement and didn't feel so confined, and I know he's not running all over the house toileting where he pleases. It's hard, you bring a puppy home and you're so excited, only to find it's like having a baby! Good Luck! ShelleyLee

Yes, I'm sorry I seem to have taken over this thread... ! didn't mean to do that... Thanks Erny... I do appreciate your adivce. The pup is getting the idea that he needs to go outside so I gathered that he is 'understanding' the idea that that's where he should go, not in the house. He seems to hold his bladder better than his bowels.. wee's have been pretty reliable, and he's having a 50-70% success rate with the poos... I've had him tethered up to me on a leash for that exact reason.. particularly when I know he's about due to need to go. This works apart from him getting upset at being so confined. I think patience & persistence are the key here, it's a slow process! I'll have him checked out at the vet, I have to take the kitten for a vaccination this week so I'll take him along too. Thanks again! Shelley Lee

Amongst other possibilities (eg dietary deficiency or boredom, to mention a couple) Copraphagia can be the result of poor house training - generally where owners growl or otherwise punish their dog for soiling inside the house. You are correct, SL, that dogs can then turn to eating their own excrement to be rid of it so that punishment is not received. Note that the dog does NOT associate it with the ACTION of having soiled. The dog sees that Owner + Dog + Excrement = Punishment to the dog. In these circumstances the dog will still soil, but will seek to remove the 3rd part of the equation that seems to be the catalyst for punishment. If your dog soils inside the house, give yourself a rap on the head for not being in a position to prevent it from happening and missing a further opportunity to train your dog with consistency. It is very normal for a dog to re-eat regurgitated or vomited meals. If this is occurring with any frequency what you need to work out is WHY is it being regurgitated or vomited. It could be the result of your dog gulping too quickly, eating too soon after aerobic exercise or it could be something else which would do well with a Veterinary check up. I'm not too concerned with re-eating after regurgitation, but I try to prevent dogs re-eating vomited material that has been retched from its stomach. Prevent it. Stop your dog from being able to gain access to your cat's litter. Baby gates are a good solution for this, or modify the door so that it remains open only to sufficiently to allow access by the cat and not the dog. If your dog is small and can access the room where the litter is kept even with these solutions, then use the baby gate idea but cover the gaps so the dog can not get through. Your cat should be able to jump over, but not your dog. Thanks for the reply... I have NEVER punished the pup for soiling in the house... I know this isn't the correct way to house train a dog. I am home with the pup all day, and can keep a very close eye on him, but he's quick and can plop one out and munch it down in seconds.. Short of standing over him every minute of the day, I'm not sure how else to combat this... As for the kitty littler, with the pup being very small it really isn't possible to allow the cat entry to the litter while keeping the dog out. I figure I'll have to be super vigilent in scooping out kitty poo before puppy can scoff it... (eeekkk ! ) The vomiting/regurgitating seems to be happening on an almost daily basis... it's looking like he brings it up on purpose. Is this possible?

Gosh, it isn't impressing me one bit... Gotta find a way to solve this problem pronto!