[nagdu] annoying behavior to Cathryn

Sat May 29 04:43:18 UTC 2010

I think you are referring to the phrase about letting my dog pick up kibble
from the floor (?) 
If so, I have done that with all my guides. Others are not dropping food on
the floor that frequently - or it isn't staying on the floor long enough to
be a problem. I don't allow my guides to pick up food from the floor in
harness, so in public places the behavior doesn't occur, or gets a
correction. Anyway, this approach may be idiosyncratic. My main point was to
offer ideas for getting  a shepherd to eat enough food to avoid the empty
stomach condition that interferes with work.   
Hope that clarifies-?

Best,

Cathryn
-----Original Message-----
From: nagdu-bounces at nfbnet.org [mailto:nagdu-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf
Of Nicole B. Torcolini
Sent: Thursday, May 27, 2010 8:52 PM
To: NAGDU Mailing List, the National Association of Guide Dog Users
Subject: Re: [nagdu] annoying behavior to Cathryn

Do you mean on the floor or in the bowl?  Eating anything, dropped at that 
moment or already, dog food, human food, or otherwise, is a big no no for my

pooch.  Usually our dogs can differentiate with nonfood related things, but 
letting the dog eat food off the floor, even if it is dog food that was just

dropped, can easily slide down hill to eating everything off the floor. 
JMHO

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Cathryn Bonnette" <cathrynisfinally at verizon.net>
To: "'NAGDU Mailing List, the National Association of Guide Dog Users'" 
<nagdu at nfbnet.org>
Sent: Thursday, May 27, 2010 2:04 PM
Subject: Re: [nagdu] annoying behavior to Cathryn

> Marsha,
>
> Generally, I didn't move the dog dish around much, but with the first 2
> shepherds, who were the most difficult due to undiagnosed medical 
> problems,
> the dish was within the dog's line of sight from the dining table so they
> could eat when I did. Another approach is to leave dry kibble in the bowl 
> in
> the morning, and let it stay down all day. If she wants it, she'll eat it.
> If Emma is at the proper weight with no health problems, she will probably
> sort out the food thing herself, even if you put dry food down and leave 
> it
> for her to eat when she wants it.  To prevent the morning stomach upset, 
> you
> can carry a sandwich bag with a handful of dry kibble in your purse and 
> give
> her a few pieces later in the morning when she seems interested. She may
> have been discouraged from hand feeding, so put 1 piece on the floor and 
> let
> her eat it and repeat a few times.
> A consideration is whether your vet says Emma is at an appropriate weight 
> or
> not. Low weight means you try more extreme measures. My first dog required

> 3
> cans of RX canned dog food per day due to mishandling by the San Rafael
> folks!
> If she is underweight, your vet can advise specifically, but my approach 
> was
> to confirm what a bland diet was for that particular dog, find some bland
> foods the dog liked and cook whatever was reasonable and needed to 
> interest
> the dog in eating that meal, such as scrambled eggs, ground beef with the
> grease removed, mixed with rice or mashed potatoes as the vet directs, 
> etc.
> Here, I am referring to serious problems such as a dog losing 10 lbs or 
> more
> creating an urgent need for weight gain while allergies, colitis, etc.
> interfered with eating on a long term basis, and disrupted   my work as 
> well
> as the dog's.
> I often stayed with the dogs as they ate, petting and talking to them,
> making the meal as positive an experience as I could since the risk of
> eating the meal was more illness, but the effort was important.
> If your chosen vet has not given Emma a clean bill of health, you need to
> think about medical conditions that may be interfering with her food 
> intake.
> Shepherds can be picky eaters, but the cause is sometimes digestive etc.
> Unfortunately the schools do not always diagnose or inform you of medical
> problems- a statement I make after working with 2 dogs with multiple 
> serious
> medical problems the schools never disclosed.
> I'm so glad Abby is usually very ready to eat whatever is available 
> without
> hesitation/smile/.
> OOOPS-Sorry for the long message.
>
> Keep us posted, and all the best!
>
> Cathryn (& Abby)
> -----Original Message-----
> From: nagdu-bounces at nfbnet.org [mailto:nagdu-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf
> Of Marsha Drenth
> Sent: Thursday, May 27, 2010 2:40 PM
> To: 'NAGDU Mailing List, the National Association of Guide Dog Users'
> Subject: Re: [nagdu] annoying behavior to Cathryn
>
> Cathryn,
>
> I try very very hard so that she does not get into the cat food. I know 
> cat
> food for dogs can be harmful. Saddly emma does not like, or will not eat 
> out
> of my hand. I put water into her food too, so feeding her from the bowl is

> a
> bit hard too. I might try reduce her feedings to once a day and see what
> happens.
>
> Were any of your shepards very particular about where there food was 
> placed
> for there feedings? I have noticed that if, I put Emma's food down in a
> different spot than, I typically put it, then she is a bit more poky in
> eating it too. Its like out of her normal and she likes routine. Sometimes

> I
> have to feed her, even when I can't put in the same spot, because we are
> cooking or doing something in the kitchen.
>
> I know shepards are very set in routine, but wow!
>
> Thanks for the advice, something will work out for us eventually!
> Marsha
>
>
>
>
>
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: nagdu-bounces at nfbnet.org [mailto:nagdu-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf
> Of Cathryn Bonnette
> Sent: Tuesday, May 25, 2010 9:17 AM
> To: 'NAGDU Mailing List, the National Association of Guide Dog Users'
> Subject: Re: [nagdu] annoying behavior
>
> Hi Marsha,
>
> I've handled 2 shepherds who were not interested in food.  What I did was 
> to
> eliminate 1 feeding time at first. A healthy dog will not refuse food
> forever. You could try fasting Emma for 1 day so she should be hungry, 
> then
> offering her food in the morning and leaving it down for a specified time
> period. They suggest half an hour or so. If she doesn't eat it, put it 
> away,
> and try again at the next feeding time. Since cat food has approximately 9
> times the calories of dog food, and can cause heart problems, I personally
> would take the cat food up during Emma's feeding times, but that's just 
> me.
> I have had 3 shepherds so far, and all of them like to eat out of my hand.
> The way I handle that is to start the dog eating with 1 or 2 pieces of 
> food
> in my hand. When that is gone, and the dog sniffs my hand for more, I take
> another few pieces out of the bowl and let the dog eat it. After the dog 
> has
> the taste of the food, she will want more. I keep my hand close to the 
> bowl
> or even over the bowl as the dog eats. After 3 or so repetitions of this,
> the dog sniffs for more and I only have 1 piece in my hand as my hand 
> rests
> in the bowl so the dog will transition to getting the food from the bowl. 
> As
> far as wanting you to be n the room, I think that is just social behavior.
> When my dogs act that way, I have put their food down when    we are 
> fixing
> and eating a regular meal so the dog can eat at the same time. (That 
> assumes
> you are being consistent about no begging.) Since I eventually discovered
> that the food problems were health related, the behaviors were persistant,
> but these techniques worked.
>
> If you like, contact me off list at catthrynisfinally at verizon.net.
>
> Best wishes,
>
> Cathryn Bonnette
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: nagdu-bounces at nfbnet.org [mailto:nagdu-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf
> Of Marsha Drenth
> Sent: Monday, May 24, 2010 10:13 AM
> To: 'NAGDU Mailing List, the National Association of Guide Dog Users'
> Subject: [nagdu] annoying behavior
>
> Hi Listers,
>
> Emma is having a bit of annoying behavior, and I am not sure how to solve
> this problem, thus why I am writing.
>
> I feed Emma twice a day, on a pretty regular basis. She gets her food in 
> the
> kitchen every single day. So in other words our routine is very normal. I
> even put her food in the same spot almost every day. She is a shepard
> granted, so maybe this is normal. I am not sure.
>
> So for the problem. If I am not standing right there with her, she will 
> NOT
> eat her food. If I am needing to do work at the sink, or some place in the
> kitchen she is fine, but once I walk away, out of the kitchen she stops
> eating. And in some cases has gone for the cats food. I have caught her in
> those situations, and given her a nice firm Fooyie. I have even offered 
> her
> the cats food, and when she goes for it, given her a Fooyie. Its annoying
> because, I would like her to eat, and for me to go on with my business of
> the day. Not to stand with her and hold her hand while she eats. If she
> walks away from the food, I do not give her the chance to go back to it. 
> And
> if I am not in the room, and the cat is, she will chase after the cat, and
> again not eat.
>
> I know, I know, shepards aren't that interested in food, but I want her to
> eat. Emma definitely falls into the GSD's who do not care about food.
>
> Any suggestions on this matter. I am more concerned with her not wanting 
> to
> eat while I am in the room. The cat food bowl is across the room, not next
> to her, so she has to leave her food to get to it. Maybe I am over 
> reacting
> in this matter, its just annoying!
>
> Thanks for any suggestions in advance,
> Marsha and the Emma brat!
>
>
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