Handsome Jack Morrison spoke these words
of wisdom in :

On Fri, 04 Jul 2008 09:26:06 -0500, diddy none wrote:

On Fri, 04 Jul 2008 09:12:55 -0500, diddy none wrote:

I certainly agree, And aim to fix it

Along those lines, what have you decided to do/try today?

Reka is here today already, so there isn't anything really to try. We are
preparing to head to Michigan for a dog show.

Okay, one last question. Until next week.

Did Tuck eat *all* of his food yesterday?
yup

Shelly spoke these words of wisdom in
6:
I think maybe the separation anxiety is a two-way street with you and
your dogs. You depend on them and they depend on you.

It is. And I liked it that way, until Danny started having medical issues
and separation was required. And waiting for a medical event is NOT the
time to start correcting a long term problem that i not only allowed, but
encouraged to happen. Which is why i do not want this to happen with Tuck.

That had to be really hard on both of you. I think, though, that
with a dog whose life starts out that way--where he's dependent on
the same person from day one until the very end--it's even more
important to make sure that the dog gets taught how to cope when that
person isn't around.

That's a certain recipe for Separation anxiety, so it did not have
to be genetic.

Nope, it doesn't, but I wonder if any of it is, and if so, how much.
SA--and anxiety in general--is just something that I'm really curious
about, both from a personal standpoint and that of an owner of a dog
who has battled anxiety.

I'm doing better with Tuck. And we are working on it. And he's
getting better.

Good! I know you do want to find a solution to Tuck's eating issues,
and I think you will.

It was with great relief that I endoscopied and discovered ulcers
were NOT a part of the equation.

I can only imagine.

It's clearly behavioral And now clearly identified as such, I've
got the green light to go ahead and work on fixing it without
worrying about added stressors such as ulcers factored in.

Excellent! I'll be watching for updates, because I really am curious
about Mr. Tuck's little problem.

I wish you luck!

thanks

In article ,
Julia Altshuler wrote:
The important point is that free feeding can work with an only dog.

I think that when you put the word "can" in there it might
stop being an important point. All kinds of things "can"
happen. It doesn't make them likely. If feeding on a
schedule increases the likelihood that the dog will have
fewer food problems and free feeding increases the
likelihood that the dog will have more food problems (and
those are big "ifs," but there seems to be some
correspondence [although I don't know why]), why free feed?
--
Melinda Shore - Software longa, hardware brevis -

Prouder than ever to be a member of the reality-based community

In article ,
Julia Altshuler wrote:

He was careful to say that it meant leaving DRY kibble in
her dish

I was discussing kibble being left out with a cat owner the other day.
Kibble left in a bowl for grazing gets a lot of saliva on it, which
dries onto the food, food grows nasties, and well ---- gross. Fresh
food is a really good idea IMO.

There are a lot of behavioral reasons to feed scheduled meals a well
(again, IMO), even if the dog has no weight issues.

My dogs get fed measured and scheduled meals and their weights are
closely monitored. Which means I can indulge them with yogurt, or ice
cream or veggies or fruit, or whatever, and it doesn't make them tubby
nor does it make them picky about their food. Feeding from the table
is still a no-no, but the actual food? Not a problem at all. But I
think you have to have good feeding practices in place FIRST and then
indulge.

--
Janet Boss
www.bestfriendsdogobedience.com

In article ,
(Melinda Shore) wrote:

why free feed?

I think it's for people who don't want to add "love" to their dogs'
food. HTH!

--
Janet Boss
www.bestfriendsdogobedience.com

In article ,
Janet Boss wrote:
I think it's for people who don't want to add "love" to their dogs'
food. HTH!

I think we create a lot of our own problems where our dogs
are concerned (she says, typing with a nearly full-grown
puppy in her lap) and feeding is perhaps one of the best
examples of this. For a healthy dog without special dietary
requirements, and that's by far the vast majority of pet
dogs, avoiding food problems is just not that hard.

On an unrelated ('cause nobody ate it) note, somebody caught
a bird out on the deck this morning and I think it was Jack.
On the one hand I don't like it when they kill stuff but on
the other hand my dogs are awesome.
--
Melinda Shore - Software longa, hardware brevis -

Prouder than ever to be a member of the reality-based community

On Fri, 04 Jul 2008 09:36:04 -0500, diddy none wrote:

Did Tuck eat *all* of his food yesterday?

yup

Yay!

Was there anything else "special" about yesterday?

--
Handsome "Jack" Morrison

God bless America! Happy birthday!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MeFi3SDi_n8

Handsome Jack Morrison spoke these words
of wisdom in :

On Fri, 04 Jul 2008 09:36:04 -0500, diddy none wrote:

Did Tuck eat *all* of his food yesterday?

yup

Yay!

Was there anything else "special" about yesterday?


Nope, I think he just got hungry.
I forgot to pick up his food.
Maybe he got tired of waiting out Reka's return, not knowing exactly when
that would be, and broke down and ate?

On Fri, 04 Jul 2008 10:31:58 -0400, Julia Altshuler
wrote:

Free feeding worked for Genny. Her veterinarian recommended it when she
was a puppy.

Did he say why he recommended it?

Genny was never overweight.

Genny also wouldn't have been overweight if you had chosen to feed
her, say, twice daily, and in recommended portions.

I just don't get this free feeding thing at all, leaving food down all
day, possibly attracting pests and/or bugs, letting the food become
stale, etc. (with the possible exception of a health problem of some
sort).

What did you, as the dog's owner, gain by it?

Only having to put food in her bowl once per day?

--
Handsome "Jack" Morrison

God bless America! Happy birthday!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MeFi3SDi_n8

Handsome Jack Morrison spoke these words
of wisdom in :

On Fri, 04 Jul 2008 09:36:04 -0500, diddy none wrote:

Did Tuck eat *all* of his food yesterday?

yup

Yay!

Was there anything else "special" about yesterday?


As a matter of fact, there was. He didn't pick up his dish and bring it to
me, so I forgot it. And he got a bath, brushed, and his toe nails trimmed.
We didn't train at all yesterday because it rained. I've got a big weekend,
and just did house cleaning and stuff, and the dog got pretty much a day
off , except for grooming and stuff