[nagdu] Finicky eaters

Sat Jul 3 17:53:11 UTC 2010

Mark,

Funny how that works, eh?  /grin/ The dirty little secret of some guide dog
users -- some of whom will even admit it -- is that we do the same thing to
get our dogs to eat.  My other dirty little secret is that with the
Mitzi-Daisy combination, I have gone so far off proper guide dog feeding
protocol that I'm going to have to change my identity because the Guide Dog
Police are out looking for me.  /grin/

For some reason, many people are very rigid about the perfect feeding
schedule and methods for guide dogs, convinced that if you vary even once
from those rules you will ruin your guide dog permanently.  Most of these
people are not actual guide dog users, of course.  Nor even instructors,
whose job it is to spend 28 days teaching random collections of new guide
dog users everything they need to know to use and care for a guide dog.  So
they have to be prett;y strict about the rules and schedules, since their
pupils often have little or no prior experience with dogs.

The rules and schedules are perfectly valid and good, of course.  They
represent the best practices for the vast majority of dogs, even pets, for
good health and bonding and behavior.

It's just those of us who have nonstandard dogs who vary those good feeding
practices to best meet the needs of our individual guides and schedules who
learn not to admit it to the general public, because we *will* get lectured!
Trust me, I know, because apparently everyone knows exactly what I should
and should not do, and it is their duty as citizens to make sure I know and
understand!

Okay, only a few people do that, and it turns is that their expertise is
from having seen a guide dog once on the bus ...  /lol/  After the 10th such
lecture or so, though, it does get a little old.  I nod and let them tell me
all about it, but I get bored after awhile.  /smile/  Well, and there was
this one ADL instructor who I finally just stopped having into my home.  Her
roommate had a lab and had been through a basic obedience course, so of
course the instructor knew way more how to manage and train a guide dog than
I did!  When she started actively interfering with my pup, that was the end
of that.

Anyway, since I have a dog who seems to require a bit of adjustment to the
standard protocol, I've varied from it, and then I've varied a bit more
because of Daisy.  Rather because of the odd dynamic between our two
Princesses.  We watch amounts, and we watch their weight, and we make sure
they each have plenty of exercise and play, too, so it's all good.  If I had
a different dog with a different metabolism and food orientation, I would
follow the proper protocol, because it's a good one.  /smile/

We will not talk about DD and his handling of table scraps ...  It's a
foundation of his bond with Daisy, and he does it wisely to avoid fat dog
and allergy symptoms, as well as to reinforce proper table manners, and it
works.  Our dogs have three sets of table manners, depending on where in the
house we're eating and whether or not we have company.  I take extra care
with the poodle nose when we're walking through restaurants, but she's a
poodle, so I would have to do than anyway.  Still!  Once Daisy moves on to
her next existence, I plan to do some retraining there.  I expect to have
but limited success, because if there's one thing more stubborn than Daisy
and Mitzi put together, it Daisy's Dad.  /lol/

Okay.  Just entertaining myself while people are off to convention.  /smile/
Hope everyone has a great and productive time there.

Oh, could someone please touch every single piece of technology on display
for me?  Don't forget to drool!  Or wrestle the really cool bits away from
the guardians so you can hold it tenderly to your breast and weep over it.
/grin/  If there's one thing I'm gushier about than I am dogs, it's the geek
stuff.  Especially if it's too exorbitantly priced to actually use in case
you break it, naturally.

Tami Smith-Kinney

-----Original Message-----
From: nagdu-bounces at nfbnet.org [mailto:nagdu-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf
Of Mark J. Cadigan
Sent: Friday, July 02, 2010 4:05 PM
To: NAGDU Mailing List,the National Association of Guide Dog Users
Subject: Re: [nagdu] Finicky eaters

I have found with my pet dog that when she does not want to eat for some 
reason, adding a small amount ½ spoonful of hot bacon grease to her food 
will cause her to suddenly start eating like a vacuum cleaner.

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Gary" <rainshadowmusic at shaw.ca>
To: "'NAGDU Mailing List,the National Association of Guide Dog Users'" 
<nagdu at nfbnet.org>
Sent: Friday, July 02, 2010 12:29 PM
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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