Dog Owner Chat v3 ~Open!~

[Imzadi83]

I'm very active, as is my older brother, so my family is looking for a young or adult dog to keep up with us. We also don't want to be worried about a puppy, as caring for one is difficult and we probably won't have the time. We also don't want to have to potty-train animals, and puppies are adopted a lot but adult dogs don't get a ton of attention. No one really cares what breed it is, and we all have experience with dogs even though my brother and I have never owned dogs ourselves. We're also hoping for a dog that's patient and won't eat the cat's food. The cat is another reason that we want a big dog, because for some reason she hates smaller dogs even though she LOVES big dogs. Also, we don't want the dog we get to eat all the cat food that we have to leave out when we're gone during the day.

--> the cat Food....
at the beginning when not at home put it where it cant reach, when at home tell him calmly to stay away from it and when he does ,give him a treat or Play, he will soon learn to ignorre the Food of the cat. You could also place the cat Food in the kitchen or bothroom where the dog should not go and teach the dog gently not to step in this room.
as he know he has bether things like the own Food or a bone, or treat toys or nice playing with owner^^

The problem with the cat food is that my cat (A) is too fat to jump, and (B) has nerve damage in her left hind leg so jumping and climbing are very hard for her. Putting cat food up high wouldn't work because then the cat wouldn't be able to reach it, but I've been looking online at some interesting items to protect cat food from dogs. One thing I found was a sort of box that a cat could easily walk into to eat the cat food but that any dog larger than cat-sized wouldn't be able to get into, which would probably work because my cat isn't scared of going under things and my family is definitely getting a dog bigger than the cat because she (weirdly) hates dogs her size or smaller. I think a Collie would be a great idea, but I have no clue what dogs there are at Second Chance so I'm just going to see what dogs are there when I come with my family.

There are feeders that have a fob you can attach to the animal's collar. Only the one with the fob on their collar will open the feeder and allow access to the food.

[Imzadi83]

@ Imzadi83:
thank you very much for this nice and helpful answers, and really fast too,... i did look at them today, and think i will try them out.
the toothbrush i think i try the normal as you did say, i already found a bamboo one^^

chewys and so are a bit difficult...shes a big dog...most are gone in two-five bites, so i always need to find bigger ones or hard baked one that last longer^^...and most sell only small but maybe i try the raw chicken neck and see how she likes them or the duck feet ^^
the raw meet bones...where do you get the best and do you give wild or cow or something else(with marrow inside?)...?
...pig we dont give

- i also like to ask, what about fish, do you or someone else feed your dog them....there are whole dry fish to buy but im not sure if they could shock on part of them...

-How about this, do you would feed them, give to Play? are they any good for Dogs, do they like it? :

The duck feet and chicken necks might be too small for her to do much good tooth cleaning. You might try turkey necks. I don't feed whole raw most of the time so I'm not the best person to comment on other specific raw meaty bones. I have heard that you should avoid large weight bearing bones from large undulates though.

I get Chloe's chicken necks at a local pet supply store that also sells her raw food. They have a whole freezer full of raw meaty bones. You can get things at your local supermarket or butcher shop. Free-range is better if you can get it. I got her free-range chicken wings from my local co-op.

Have you looked at http://www.bestbullysticks.com/ for chewys? They have variety packs that will allow you to try out a bunch of different things to see which works best for your dog. You might have better luck with the braided bully sticks. A lot of people love antlers though I have heard some dogs have broken teeth on them so I'd use with caution. Chloe likes tracheas too, and they're nice because you can stuff them with things. My vet isn't fond of them because she's had some dogs that haven't digested them well, but Chloe's never had any problems with them. Tendons might be worth trying too. They were too hard for Chloe but your dog probably won't have a problem with them. I've heard smoked bones are just as dangerous as cooked bones, but a lot of people like them too.

Fish are fine to feed. I haven't used those particular brands of fish treats you listed but both are good brands I'd consider feeding. Both are just treats though, not much chewing time there. You could feed a raw fish if you wanted, but be sure to get it from a reliable source so to avoid excess mercury. Also I'd freeze them first for a couple of days for safety. Raw fish will smell though, the freeze dried smell a bit too. If you want to give a raw fish treat you could just get a can of sardines, packed in water with nothing added. Again, no help with teeth cleaning but a perfectly fine, if smelly, treat. Chloe like the whole dried fish. I've given her a few different brands/types of dried fish skin treats. Some she likes and some she doesn't.

[Nyxeva]

The easiest thing you could do is stop free feeding your cat! Get her used to being fed twice a day (in the morning and in the evening is when I feed mine). Once she's used to that, all you have to do is feed when someone is there to watch and make sure the dog leaves her alone.

[mr.robot]

Ughhhhh. The 6 month old Pitbull pup I rescued was doing amazing with training, but bit my mums face twice tonight, bared her teeth at her and bit my 18 month old Pitbull cross. Mum wants to get rid but I know I can break this behaviour.

[plum]

If feeding meals won't work, you could either block off a space with a gate like this so the cat can get through but not the dog, or set up a small crate the dog can't get into to (might be iffy to find a crate that would work for that, tho). I personally have a tall "cat kennel" with shelves in it and place my cat's food on the higher shelves so if one of the dogs comes in my room they won't get at it, but that might not work for your cat if she can't jump well.

But, I agree with Transkitty, if you guys are too busy to keep an eye on the cat's food while she's eating and put in some work to train the dog to not eat the cat's food, will you have enough time to keep up with a higher energy dog? Even adult dogs will need to be trained, need daily exercise, etc

[Cardinal]

This really isnt a cat thread, but honestly feeding your cat on a schedule is so much healthier, just as dogs should not be free fed. Our cats eat once a day and roughly 1/4 cup of food each. Dogs eat 2-2 1/2 cups of food once a day or split into two meals. Im super anal about feeding.

[Blu Malinois]

D A R K- I don't know if you meant it, but all caps saying "WILL NOT, NOT" comes off as a angry/rude. Everyone is only trying to help. Transkitty was simply giving you a suggestion, which is what you asked for.
Anyway, a cat/dog that is taking breaks from their food to come back to it later is free feeding. Animals can be adjusted to being on a schedule where they won't free feed and it is not cruel or hard on them, even if the animal is older. At one point my dog needed medicine sprinkled over his food every day in the morning. Was I busy? Yes. But he did not free feed. He did not starve or anything, he was fine. If he didn't eat all his food, I simply stored it away and then offered it back to him in the evening and he would eat it, so he still got all of the medicine too.

Perhaps you should do a Google search on feeding on a schedule. I'm sure there are plenty of articles that will explain how to do it and what it does. You probably could even find one about how to do it with medication.

I agree with Transkitty, I believe it is actually a good idea. That is what I would do. I, just as plum, am also wondering if you guys are too busy to train, exercise, etc, a higher energy dog because of what you have told us.

[PanicLouise]

Just wanted to drop a couple of wintery photos of the Ibizan Boy.

[Temper]

Just 2anted to drop a couple of wintery photos of the Ibizan Boy.



snip

Such a pretty beezer! How is he doing?

[Imzadi83]

@ JinkxMonsoon - He's beautiful, I love the little bit of snow on his nose.