[nagdu] Finicky eaters

Fri Jul 2 19:02:31 UTC 2010

Gary,

Oh, yeah.  He's a poodle.  /grin/  Poodles can take their time about filling
out even when they reach their full height.  Same goes for psychosocial
maturity.  /smile/  I thought Mitzi was pretty grown up at 2, but then
another spring rolled around, and I suddenly relaized she was the dog I had
had in mind when I got her.  /smile/  I've even noticed her getting more
settled and sensible as she's come around to 4.  So the distractability,
excitement, deciding which way to go when I don't know and getting it wrong
and all that have now become active, intelligent alterness and awareness,
with some really good judgment behind it.  Which I love, actually.  She
still has tons and energy and play, of course, but she's not constantly
bouncing off the walls.  Whew!

Oh, she's around 50 pounds, too.  Great size, really.

Bogart's eating habits sound totally familiar.  Like you, I took to just
leaving the food down, giving her the appropriate amount morning and night
but allowing her to eat when she was ready.  Because that was what worked.
I just have to remember that when I'm preparing to dash out for a busy day
to make sure she eats breakfast -- usually by putting a dollop of something
on the kibble -- or remember to take a bag of food with me to give her a
meal or just hand feed her at times when we have a break.  Not kosher guide
dog handling, not by a long shot, but it's what works.  /smile/

Anyway, glad you're having fun and that your SO has taken to him, too.  That
makes a difference, doesn't it?  And remember that taking the dog will seem
like an inconvenience for awhile until suddenly you realize that you don't
even think of grabbing the cane instead of the harness, because the cane
doesn't seem so much more convenient to you.  /grin/  That's a nice feeling.
And it was when I knew we were finally a team after all and settling into
our partnership.

Tami Smith-Kinney

-----Original Message-----
From: nagdu-bounces at nfbnet.org [mailto:nagdu-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf
Of Gary
Sent: Friday, July 02, 2010 9:30 AM
To: 'NAGDU Mailing List,the National Association of Guide Dog Users'
Subject: Re: [nagdu] Finicky eaters

Hi tracy:

Now that is funny! I didn't know the solution could be so simple. <chuckle>
A bit of an update on Bogart and his eating. I am off  for a vets visit
today so we will see if he has gained any weight from when I returned from
class(it looks like he has) . I had the opportunity to weigh him on the vets
scale when I was buying his flea meds so he was 48.5 pounds. Should weigh
about 53 or so I've been told. The food thing is still an issue but I have
learned a couple o things. First, bogart is not a morning person and doesn't
eat much kibble in the morning. We have started adding things to his food.
We have made a bunch of lean ground beef up and frozen it in containers that
I can use to add to his food for a couple of days.  This weekend he really
loved when I rolled his left over kibble in a left over cream sauce so we
are thinking about trying other creamy things. We have at times, added pork
chops, chicken and a bit of steak. None of these meats are in a great amount
but I'm just using them to get his appetite to open and then he'll eat most
of his meal. He also likes to eat after our night walk and  often easts the
rest of his food during the night. Yes, I do leave his food down since it
seems to be the best solution. I wonder if he is better able to eat later on
since he knows we are all relaxed, no more work, so he can relax too.

We are doing good in our guiding as well accept when I put him in places
that I don't know well enough myself.  Last week I tried a new route to walk
part way to my band practice and that didn't go so well because I hadn't
walked this route, on bike paths under our elevated train system, since I
had more sight. I didn't realize there are several places where there are y
intersections of paths. If I don't know this bogart will make what he thinks
is the best decision. Often not the right way though. :) then, in the park
that this path goes through there is a kids play area which is all concrete
so the ease of following the path disappears. We needed help out of that
section but once back on the path he did great. Found the entrance to the
train, the escalator and even seats at the other end of the platform so I
could use the garbage I knew was there to get rid of his gift he had given
me on our walk. :)

He is a poodle which means he is easily distracted but I find he guides
pretty well. On Wednesday my band was playing at a bar that night so I took
bogart with me to set everything up. He did a great job at hanging out in
the pub while we set   up. It was neat to walk to a place I don't know how
to get to very easily first with the dog and then with the cane to see
where/how we both had challenges.

Anyway, all and all, I'm enjoying my dog. It makes life a bit more
complicated and it would be a chaleenge if I didn't have a partner who
enjoys bogart as well to help look after him when I have to be away at
places that aren't good for a dog.

Hope everyone is enjoying your long weekend.

Gary

-----Original Message-----
From: nagdu-bounces at nfbnet.org [mailto:nagdu-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf
Of Tracy Carcione
Sent: Thursday, July 01, 2010 6:04 AM
To: nagdu at nfbnet.org
Subject: [nagdu] Finicky eaters

On the old finicky eaters thread, there are high-quality canned foods that
my dogs think are the greatest.
My old gal Echo seems to be having some trouble eating kibble.  Maybe her
teeth have gotten worn down.  Anyway, she doesn't attack her food with her
old enthusiasm.  So I have started cutting back on the kibble and putting
in half a can of Cannidae canned food, and she snarfs it up.
It's kinda expensive to feed the canned food, about $2 a can and a can a
day, but hey, nothing but the best for the old lady.
I suspect that, if she was only a bit finicky, I could put less and
stretch a can for a couple days.

And shouldn't Gary from Canada feed canned food from Canidae?  It seems so
fitting! :.)
Tracy

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