bikle

Ever since he was a pup I have never given him table scraps. He is crate trained. I'll give him a lamb flap this weekend in there and see how it goes. What age do u stop feeding your pups 'puppy' food?

He will eat bones but only after they have been 'aged' in the garden bed for a few weeks... Just to clarify - i have only tried him on 3 brands of kibble. he was on advance until about 6 months, pro plan for 2 and then pedigree puppy. I didn't mean to spoil him with choice, I was purely trying to find something that he enjoyed to eat that was also good for him. I understand now he will eat it if I give him not other options. I guess I was more concerned about his lack of appetite than anything.

thanks Aziah. I figure I have been too soft on him. I just feel terrible cause people have been saying 'bec he's too skinny'. Other people in my life have had me second guessing myself and making me feel like a cruel b**tch for not giving him the food he wants to eat. 'oh bec, he hates that.. why do u keep feeding it to him.. look he hasn't even EATEN it, when was the last time he ate' 'yesterday morning' 'omg he is so skinny i can feel his ribs, he doesn't like it, feed him something different' I will put my foot down with the eating and stop giving into the pressure from others. Thanks for the wake up call guys.

Thankyou so much!! Douglas sends big kisses to Raf back!!

I left him on advance for about 3 months. He ate less and less. I didn't even offer him anything different. He began to lose weight so I had no option but to change food. It's not as simple as just stopping changing foods. He will stop eating. He has stopped eating for over 3 days before. I can't just not feed him. latest shot of him being a little shiz. haha. gotta love him. do you think he looks healthy? when I weighed him at the vet last week he was 11.5kg. corgi's breed standard is 10 - 12kg so i suppose he is on the larger side of average.. .. i just LOVE him so much i don't want to break him.

So sorry Warley. Was just admiring the pics in the Photo section this morning. Even in the photos, it was so easy to tell that he was a really special man.

before i got him always read that they will eat until they die.... i just imagined him being so much more food orientated then he is. thanks for the reassurance... just wish I could get Nutro in WA.. trying to find somwhere that stocks it but no luck so far..

I was going to try Nutro but have not been able to find a place that sells it in WA. Does anyone know stockists or know anywhere I can buy a small pack online?

A recent thread in general has gotten me thinking. Ever since I have had Doug, he hasn't been a big eater. He doesn't beg for food like I expected a corgi would. He doesn't really doesn't get excited by meals, and is an extremely fussy eater. He won't eat kibble at all, even if mixed with his favourite wet foods. He often vomits saliva as well. I know this is a sign of a hungry dog.. he has done this since we have had him.. and happens quite regularly. Has had regular vet checks. Recently desexed. All SEEMS fine. Happy little dog that loves his zoomies. Little man is the love of our life.. As recommended by his breeder, I started him on kibble advance puppy for breakfast, rehydratable at night and then puppy milk for supper. He ate if for a few months and then would eat it no more. Same happened with the next brand of kibble and the next. Now, he won't touch kibble at all. I feel as though I have tried all the tricks in the book to get this guy to eat a substantial meal of GOOD food. - Mixing kibbles with puppy milk/ porridge/ can food.. (in which case he'll eat everything except the kibbles). - Having alocated feed times - food down for 20 minutes and then removed and binned (so he's always getting fresh food). - tried different brands (advance rehydratable, advance dry, pro plan, even pal puppy kibbles as an experiment) I want to eventually feed BARF but wanted to keep him on a good kibble while he was a pup so that he had all the essential nutrients. I don't know what to do. For the last month he's eating crap Optimum canned food because I can't get him to eat anything dry. Does anyone have any suggestions for a different tactic to try, or another feeding option? He is 9 months old.

I had someone feed Douglas his lunch and toilet him until he was 4 months, towards the end he stopped eating his lunch, decided he didn't really need it. He now is on 2 meals a day and at home for about 9 hours a day, and has been for 3 months. The main reason I got someone to feed him was to check if he was ok. My breeder was fine with me leaving him from 8 weeks at home while we worked.. she said his 3 meals could consist of breakfast, dinner (as soon as we got home) and supper before we went to bed. Your pup will be fine. Working is part of life. A lot of people with dogs work full time. As much as we would love to be at home with the dogs, someone has to pay the mortgage. Perhaps you could set up a webcam or something similar to keep an eye on him while you are at work?

Anything that you put onto your sons hand has a larger chance of going into your son's mouth than the dog. Last thing you want is the deterant that was aimed for the pup getting into your bubs mouth. I would just supervise them. Also - Tea tree oil is poisonous... I would not be using it.

I go to an obedience club in the southern suburbs of Perth. $600 Thats over 15 YEARS worth of obedience training. (The lifetime of the dog) Where did u get a quote like that??

Dog obedience school is not expensive. My dog school is only $40 and that is for a whole year of obedience training. Dog training is about learning to communicate with your dog to get it to do what you want. You can't expect your pup just to do what you want without training. Please take him/her to obedience - I am sure you and your dog will enjoy it. Also, please call your dog by it's name. I have hearing people call their dog "IT". 'IT' is a member of your family. Your pup is gorgeous BTW.

Also. I have been trying training him before meals to make sure I get a high food drive. Thinking of giving him a half-dinner the night before training this week to increase the value of the food rewards.. Am I doing the right thing??

I will try that focus technique tonigh KK. Sounds good. He's a Pembroke Corgi - I'm sure he would love to meet your stumpy bum.. what breed is yours??

I know - makes no sense (and it's physically impossible). Trying to increase his focus but he's still only a pup and things only stay interesting for him for a short time. The world is so exciting. So many duck poos to eat!

thanks poodlefan. Im going to bring it up next week when I go back. I was really put off last week. I guess its just because Im so new to the whole thing. I get so confused. 'Hold your treat in this hand' 'Hold your lead in that hand' *Doug wanders away sniffing* Ok - now clap to get his attention.

thanks haha - he thinks he is pretty cool. (and so do i)

Thanks for the ideas K9 and WMR.. Will definately give it ago.

Haha. He doesn't beleive he IS a small dog. Thats the problem. I keep telling him 'You are too small to jump onto the couch'. Last night he did. Thought he was SO clever.

Doug and I started obedience last week. It's the first time I have ever been to ANY type of formal dog training and I have found I have so much to learn. Its almost overwhelming. Anyhoo - first day of class was heeling. Instructor tells me to treat Doug when he is doing the right thing. I am to hold the treat in my palm so he licks it from between my fingers. I understand this would work well for larger dogs, dogs with their heads at waist height. Doug is a foot off the ground. All of my instructors have larger breeds (borders, retreivers etc). I have read a few threads about instructors sometimes forgetting to cater for the needs of smaller dogs. Is there anyone that has any tips and hints for training stumpies? I don't want to feel like I am spending the whole training session bent over to reach him.

IT'S ??!!!

i have recently found (through the help of fellow DOLers) that you really shouldn't be walking a puppy AT all until 6 months of age. Their bones are still developing and it can lead to joint problems in later life. I will try and find the thread for you. It was very interesting... ETA: This is the link to the thread: http://forums.dogzonline.com.au/index.php?showtopic=73379

Hey C! I have used a pen with my pup (he is 20 weeks) since I first got him. I have found it to be great. He now only uses it over night and will not sleep contently all night unless he is in it. If I was to have the choice again, I would have chosen a crate (trying to talk the OH into using one now) for a few reasons. 1 - The pen is large enough for the pup to have an area to sleep and an area to toilet. Crates make it so easy to toilet train pups because Dogs don't like to sleep and wee in the same spot. Douglas has room to sleep AND wee (and hold a party for all his friends if he wants). 2 - Its a pain in the butt to take down and put up every morning. 3 - It looks rediculous in the main areas of the house. A crate is smaller and can become a more permanent fixture. Please keep in mind that a puppy will need 3 meals a day so leaving them while you go out for 8 hours is not really a good idea. Go the crate I say.

I am so sorry . Ratties are brilliant. If only they lived a bit longer RIP star.