marsvenusneptunejupiter

Yes, I still need to get that flirt pole. I do think she'll play with that for a while, at least. Thanks for the tip for the "naughty" tone of voice. I'll try experimenting with it, but I first have to figure out how I'm saying it to being with. I don't really listen to myself when I'm speaking. Probably should. I'm all for throwing that party. Just like what JenniferM posted. Thank you.

Excuse the lateness, I appreciate the concern, it's hard to explain why I don't believe it's a physical issue; not just because the vet said so. She has always been weird about food; ever since I fostered her, even though she wasn't picky in the beginning. I just want to say again it's not a lack of appetite. Just because she won't eat does not mean it's a lack of appetite. An example would be fasting, just because you choose not to eat does not mean you don't have an appetite. I just want to make that clear. Again I appreciate the concern, but perhaps I wrote something that is being misinterpreted. Though it's good to keep that in mind, don't know why I never realized there could be a specialist for such things for canines. Sorry that your dear had to go through that though. She's actually really chilled, well excluding when she sees other creatures. Normally loud noises, even fireworks, don't really bother her; though cars can get her barking. So I wouldn't say she's prone to anxiety or stress. She just wants to be out all the time, I think. Some days I'm just not physically up to doing her usual walk schedule. She really doesn't like being kept at home when we're usually out and about. Apparently I should be like a robot and be fine all the time to do as she wishes. I may spoil her a bit with that. I mean she even refuses to poop in our yard, I have to take her walking almost always so that she will poop. She'll hold it all day if I don't take her walking; we'll go out in the yard, just not walking. As for the study, what I understand it's the smell of meat rather than the actual amount of meat that's attractive to canines. Interesting. Thanks for the link! I like reading studies about such things. Seaweed is an "I have to be in the mood for it" kind of thing. Sometimes she she's all happy about it, most other times she snubs it. So it's not something reliable as a treat. We live in a hot climate so to use coconut oil as a treat is very messy. I've tried it once before and somehow it ended up on everything even though I was using a very small amount. I could just be too klutzy to be able to use it. Isn't the point to learn? I don't think I understand quite well what you mean. I get clarity, but learning is part of that, no? Pity it isn't me being train though, I'm very food motivated, oh well. Thank you.

Excuse the lateness! Thanks for the information! The over the top affection (I'm a little over animated to begin with) seems to be working, granted slowly, but I'm seeing a difference. If I go right in to it when she meets the neighborhood Huskies/Malamutes, she calms down right away. Actually she'll leave them alone almost right away now. Before even though I wasn't yelling or being negative about the encounter, she'd get aggressive and start fighting me to "get at them" (they're behind a privacy fence). Now I have to try working it in to doing other things, but this was how I started testing it out. Oh, poor dear, that sounds really unpleasant. Maybe try adding a bit of ginger. It won't help the stool issue, but it might help with the itchiness. Ginger is good for the gut and helps the immune system so it might help reduce the inflammation that's causing the itchiness. Have you tried different food brands? It's really scary what they can be put in the commercial brands. So it's an idea, even though I'm sure you have. I'll look into the freeze dried liver, but I'm a bit hesitant; every time I try something new that doesn't agree with her it takes a couple weeks for her to get back to normal. Thank you.

Hello, Yes, her vet is aware. It's not a physical issue. When I say force her a little bit, I really do mean a little bit. Once she's tasted it, she willing will eat it on her own. It's not a lack of appetite. It's also not something that happens a lot, but it does happen. She's really stubborn and this usually happens when I have to change her outing(s) schedule. What studies are you referring to? I personally think her meals are tasty as I end up eating what she won't before it goes bad. Homemade food does have a short shelf life. As I'm still experimenting with the combination of ingredients I rather doubt she finds it boring either. Meat causes her to either get constipated or have diarrhea, it depends on what kind of meat she eats. Also she gets bloated and has extremely horrible smelling flatulence. Wheat constipates her and causes bloating and some flatulence; nothing as bad as when she eats meat though. While I believe no expense should be spared, we are on a budget. Then there's the sustainability of exotic meats. It's not something that's I remember being recommended, but those reasons alone I would have dismissed the suggestion. She is perfectly healthy without it, why go out of the way for something unnecessary? As for meals since they tend to differ I'm just going to tell you what I use. I use brown rice, quinoa, lentils, beans, brown rice pasta, turmeric, oregano, rosemary, spirulina, seaweed, potatoes, sweet potatoes, carrots, pumpkin, peas, kale, kabocha, corn, blueberries, apples, flex meal, chia seeds, pumpkin seeds, coconut oil (she loves it), and hemp oil. I'm sure I'm forgetting some things, but that's the bulk of ingredients I use. Her vet hasn't had a problem yet with what I make for her. Again it's not a lack of appetite. Mostly I told you all this because you seem to be very adamant about using food, as that's what your replies to other users seem to be. I totally can understand why, but with my kid it's not a viable option right now. As for toys, well, she has a lot. She has plushes, plushes that squeek, squeekys, ropes, ropes with plushy balls sewn on (some even squeak), kongs, socks, small boxes, and paper rolls. Though I think her favorite toys are my hands, the spiders. She seems to lose interest in most of her other toys quickly. If I hold one back for more than a few times she like "okay, I'm done then", and walks off. She might be game for the flirt pole. I'll give it a shot. I'm not sure I could use life rewards. We don't have a fence so I have to keep her on a leash when we go out. Also we do spend a lot of time outside already so I'm not sure how I would use that for training. I'm up for anything though. She likes to chase cats, squirrels, other pups, and birds. Sometimes she'll chase me, but I'm too easy to catch so she'll stop after a bit. What she loves to do is take things I tell her not to. She stole a ball once and refused to let it go until I left her alone. She's a defiant one, she is. She likes it when I call her naughty. I get lots of tail wags for that. We'd do much better with a yard that didn't have so many things she would get tangled up in if I put her on a long rope; that is until I knew she wouldn't run off after something rope free. So it's a bit more difficult. Thank you.

Hello, My kid, a Heeler mix, is not food motivated; or at least the food she can eat. She cannot stomach meat or wheat, so I make her meals for her with the few things she will eat. I'm still experimenting with different meals that she will eat, but it's hard to get her to eat anything. Even before she had the issue with meat, she was iffy with it. She's perfectly healthy just obscenely picky. What she eats one day she won't eat the next or even a week later. It sometimes gets to the point that I have to force her to eat a little bit. She will literally starve herself some days; doesn't matter that her stomach is clearly saying she's hungry she just refuses to eat. So I'm not sure what to do with training. She was a rescue, but this wasn't an issue for the first year. Only after she finished her heart worm treatment that first year that she started getting picky. It's steadily been getting worse. It's been over a year since her treatment, yet she's still not improving. Can you suggest anything for training purposes other than toys? She loses interest with toy quickly. I take her walking several times a day, doing two+ miles on hot days and five+ on cool days, so it's not like she doesn't get enough exercise. Thank you.