(Melinda Shore) spoke these words of wisdom in news:g4l955
:

but it seems to me that
people who have food-related problems (dog won't eat, dog is
fussy, dog is too damned fat, etc.) free feed.
I have never free fed a dog. And i certainly DON'T overfeed. You can see
ribs on Tuck. He's not the typical Elkhound beer keg


It could be
that people who free feed their dogs are less skilled and
therefore more likely to have problems, or that free feeding
itself tends to lead to more problems, or that I'm totally
wrong about this. It's kind of interesting.

.. Agreed that free feeding does lead to eating issues, but that's just not
the case here.

diddy none wrote in
:

Agreed that free feeding does lead to eating issues, but that's
just not the case here.

You said that Tuck finally ate? Some progress, even though it might
be small.

I think it's pretty clear that Tucks's eating issue is anxiety-
related. Not surprising, as his papa had some anxiety issues
himself. I do wonder how much of it is genetic, in terms of
predisposition, at least. Some of it might be nurture, as well. It
may be that separation anxiety manifests more strongly in dogs who
grow up in a home where they're with their primary care givers 24/7.
What I mean is, maybe dogs like Tuck didn't learn early on how to
cope with separation (be it from you, Reka, or just other dogs in
general)? (None of that is meant to be critical! Just food for
thought, if you hadn't considered it before. You probably have,
though, because I don't think any of it is new news.)

Now, your job is to figure out how to give Tuck the skills to cope
with being away from Reka/you/other dogs.

--
Shelly
http://www.cat-sidh.net (the Mother Ship)
http://esther.cat-sidh.net (Letters to Esther)

In article ,
Shelly wrote:


Now, your job is to figure out how to give Tuck the skills to cope
with being away from Reka/you/other dogs.

I agree. For all the wonderful relationship Diddy has with Tuck, this
part of it is an unhealthy one.

--
Janet Boss
www.bestfriendsdogobedience.com

Shelly spoke these words of wisdom in
6:

diddy none wrote in
:

Agreed that free feeding does lead to eating issues, but that's
just not the case here.

You said that Tuck finally ate? Some progress, even though it might
be small.

I think it's pretty clear that Tucks's eating issue is anxiety-
related. Not surprising, as his papa had some anxiety issues
himself. I do wonder how much of it is genetic, in terms of
predisposition, at least. Some of it might be nurture, as well. It
may be that separation anxiety manifests more strongly in dogs who
grow up in a home where they're with their primary care givers 24/7.
What I mean is, maybe dogs like Tuck didn't learn early on how to
cope with separation (be it from you, Reka, or just other dogs in
general)? (None of that is meant to be critical! Just food for
thought, if you hadn't considered it before. You probably have,
though, because I don't think any of it is new news.)

you are exactly right. Separation Anxiety is most frequently a problem with
owners who are with their owners all the time. And my situation is an
incubator for separation anxiety issues, because I take my dogs everywhere
with me. If my dogs aren't included, i really want no part of that
activity.

And i feel that even though his dad had separation anxiety, you have to
keep in mind, his dad had no mom, and from a puppy, went to work with me in
a backpack, so I could feed him and his littermates every two hours And
stayed with me constantly from then on. Probably no more than a week total
in his lifetime, was he ever away from me for more than a few hours at a
time.

That's a certain recipe for Separation anxiety, so it did not have to be
genetic. I'm doing better with Tuck. And we are working on it. And he's
getting better.
It was with great relief that I endoscopied and discovered ulcers were NOT
a part of the equation.

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.


Now, your job is to figure out how to give Tuck the skills to cope
with being away from Reka/you/other dogs.

Yeppers

Janet Boss spoke these words of wisdom in
:

In article ,
Shelly wrote:


Now, your job is to figure out how to give Tuck the skills to cope
with being away from Reka/you/other dogs.

I agree. For all the wonderful relationship Diddy has with Tuck, this
part of it is an unhealthy one.


I certainly agree, And aim to fix it

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?

--
Handsome "Jack" Morrison

Handsome Jack Morrison spoke these words of
wisdom in :

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.

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?

--
Handsome "Jack" Morrison

diddy none wrote in
:

And my situation is an incubator for separation anxiety issues,
because I take my dogs everywhere with me. If my dogs aren't
included, i really want no part of that activity.

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.

And i feel that even though his dad had separation anxiety, you
have to keep in mind, his dad had no mom, and from a puppy, went
to work with me in a backpack, so I could feed him and his
littermates every two hours And stayed with me constantly from
then on. Probably no more than a week total in his lifetime, was
he ever away from me for more than a few hours at a time.

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!

--
Shelly
http://www.cat-sidh.net (the Mother Ship)
http://esther.cat-sidh.net (Letters to Esther)

Free feeding worked for Genny. Her veterinarian recommended it when she
was a puppy. He was careful to say that it meant leaving DRY kibble in
her dish and NEVER giving her people food. I followed his instructions
to the letter. The biggest problem I had was training other people not
to feed her from their plates-- as when we picnicked with friends.
Genny was never overweight. I don't have pictures to prove it, and I
know the business about how people deceive themselves, but she really
wasn't.


The important point is that free feeding can work with an only dog. I
wouldn't try it in a multi-dog household. I also wouldn't try it with a
lab.


We also quickly abandoned it with Sheppe. Sheppe was Jim's dog before
we started spending more time together. She was plump when I found her,
and despite our best efforts with portion control and exercise, she
never lost the plumpness. At least she didn't get bigger and grow into
a blimp. It was obvious that's what she had in mind those first few
days when we tried free feeding. Her whole life, she inhaled her food.
It was gone from the instant we put it in her dish and told her it was
O.K. to eat.


Cubbe would be a candidate for free feeding except for 2 things. We use
food treats for training, and Jim is not easily trained. We've been
having this argument since we got her. I have no trouble just giving
her dry kibble. The moment my back is turned he gives her the watered
down milk from his cappuccino, lets her lick out empty ice cream
cartons, and gives her the gristly bits of meat from his plate. He's a
good guy in other ways.


--Lia