[nagdu] Why I hate relieving on route

[Danielle Antoine]

Raven, I think I'd be walking on pins and needles but mo power to you.
My first dog needed a feeding schedule because while I as feeding him
twice a day quite similar to our schedule at school, he started
vomiting and had to be fed thrice per my vet. This worked but it meant
I had to pack lunch on the go for him or make the trek back to my
apartment just to feed him.. Both parked pretty regularly at the four
sometimes five times I took them out each day. So youfeed raw? Where
do you get your food, what do you feed, and how do you handle this
when traveling?


Nicole, all points were observed. Very well done.

Danielle

On 10/1/14, Nicole Torcolini via nagdu <nagdu at nfbnet.org> wrote:
> This is one of those things for which it is going to be different strokes
> for different folks. There are a million different variables in this
> equation, and our dogs are not machines.
> First, if you are able to leave what you are doing and your dog has a way
> to
> indicate to you that he/she needs to go out, then the whole only when the
> dog needs to thing might work. But this is not the case for a lot of us.
> No,
> you cannot *make* a dog relieve, but there are a lot of things that can be
> done to prevent accidents inside. First, a dog should be trained to not go
> inside; most of our dogs have that one down, and some will tell us when
> they
> need to go out. Second, although you should not micromanage the food and
> water of the dog, you can at least control it to some extent. If you know
> that there will not be an opportunity for your dog to relieve for a while,
> then don't allow your dog to drink twenty gallons of water (exaggeration).
> You should also know what will make your dog need to relieve, such as
> excitement and/or a lot of movement, and you can act accordingly by either
> avoiding these things or being prepared to relieve your dog.
> Finally, people talk about service dogs relieving on command. To some
> extent, this is true. However, I prefer to think of it as giving your dog
> permission to relieve and/or asking your dog if he/she needs to relieve. If
> I know that I will not be able to relieve Lexia for a while, I might do
> things to make her need to go more, such as exercising first, or I might
> ask
> her a few times, but, as I said above, I do not *make* her relive.
> Oh, and two other things that I forgot. What you feed your dog can affect
> relieving. Some dogs need more fiber than others. If your dog is having
> just
> about as much stool as the amount of the food that is being eaten, then it
> is probably time to look at the ingredient list and find a food with less
> fillers, hence what Raven said about the golden guy not defecating very
> often. And, last but not least, just because a dog needs to go does not
> mean
> that the dog will go. Dogs will not relieve if they are nervous or
> distracted.
>
> Nicole and Lexia
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: nagdu [mailto:nagdu-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of Raven Tolliver
> via nagdu
> Sent: Tuesday, September 30, 2014 5:24 PM
> To: Star Gazer; NAGDU Mailing List,the National Association of Guide Dog
> Users
> Subject: Re: [nagdu] Why I hate relieving on route
>
> Since my own schedule is staggered from day to day, I don't mind that the
> Golden Guy relieves at different times on different days. But he doesn't
> poop everyday, which is common for many naturally-reared dogs.
> He usually poops every 2 or 3 days, sometimes more, sometimes less,
> depending on what he eats, when he eats, and how much he eats. And all
> those
> factors change on a daily basis. I only feed him once daily, and he could
> eat anywhere from 7 AM to 2 AM; 1/2 lb daily to 3 lbs daily, and the meal
> could be any kind of whole animal or body part. I have a very relaxed
> approach to feeding, so I' not a stickler for specific times and amounts.
> Since I don't feed at a regular time, he doesn't poop at a regular time.
> Also, I've found that sticking to some schedule is a waste of time.
> I'll be standing outside for 10 minutes, and he won't do a thing. So I
> don't
> take him outside or stop to relieve him unless he indicates he needs to go.
> I mean, if he hasn't gone in 5 hours, I'll make a trip outside, but even
> those are sometimes a waste. The other day, I only took him outside 3
> times,
> so I figured I'd better take him out for a 4th before bed. He didn't do a
> thing.
> I keep a roll of poopbags in my treat pouch, purse, and back pack, since I
> will have one of those with me at anytime. If I can't find a trash can, I
> have no problem asking someone where one is located.
> People around here are incredibly nice and understanding. I mean, I have a
> dog, it's pretty self-explanatory.
> Fortunately, the only time I ever stepped in dog poop was during a
> scheduled
> relief time out in front of my parents' house, back when I first got the
> Golden Guy and missed a piece of poop in the grass.
> The world is definitely set up for off schedule pooping. It's just a matter
> of how inconvenient it is for the handler. Personally, it would be
> inconvenient for me to have a set feeding and pooping schedule for my dog
> since I literally have a different schedule all 7 days of the week.
>
> On 9/30/14, Star Gazer via nagdu <nagdu at nfbnet.org> wrote:
>> 			I'm with you Tracey. The world just isn't set up for
> out of
>> schedule dog pooping.
>>
>
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