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Picky eater!

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  • Picky eater!

    When we adopted the dogs in October at about 1 year old, they were both very underweight. They've filled out nicely, but vet wants Xena to gain a little more (she's at 115 now). She had dog acne (dacne? ) and was on antibiotics, and began picking them out of her food and leaving them on the floor (she's always gotten fish oil capsules, but my guess is they taste a lot better if you bite one, if you're a dog, than the antibiotics). So we began putting the antibiotics in those "pill pockets" or wrapped up in cheese to get them in her.

    After the end of the antibiotic many weeks ago (dacne is now gone), she went off her food for a few days. We guessed it was because she wasn't getting a pill pocket/cheese treat (with the antibiotic inside). Finally had to do the tough love: food dish down for 30 minutes, then it disappears until the next feeding time in 12 hours. It took a few days, but she finally began eating her regular food in a reasonable time again.

    Yesterday, we did a bit of training with both dogs to walk on a ramp flat on the floor using treats as lures. We'll move the ramp up and hopefully will get Titan to walk up it into the car. However, Xena refused her breakfast this morning. It's as if the "extra" treats yesterday put her back in princess mode, and she's demanding treats for all meals now. Tonight, she did eat her breakfast for dinner, but this is making it quite challenging to find something to train with since she is so treat driven! She got the ramp training right away: If I walk on the ramp, I get a treat, if I walk beside the ramp, no treat. Titan, well, let's just say it's a good thing he's handsome, 'cause he's a bit short in the brains department.

    If Xena had a few pounds to lose, I'd be less worried about her missing a few meals, and I think she knows it! Can you say "spoiled"?
    Titan and Xena - almost three year old Great Danes
    Stormy, Beaumont and Khloe - cats
    Near Denver, Colorado
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  • #2
    Can you start using the kibble as the 'treats' instead and use that for training?

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