Wednesday Afternoon with Photo

[nightdog_barks]

After being silent most of the day, the jackhammer two doors down has started up again. Boo and hiss.

To compensate, here is a picture of Chango (from this morning)

Comments

[nightdog_barks]

No, no, no judgmental nagging that I see! :-D

We haven't made a concerted effort to get her weight down, but then we haven't made a concerted effort to get our own weight down either. She eats Nutro Natural Choice Lite dog food, but I'd say she only eats about a cup and half (if that) daily (we have a two-cup kibble scoop). The problem is that she gets too many treats and not enough exercise, which I recognize is our fault. The other problem is that sometimes it's difficult to take her for walks because she can be very aggressive towards other dogs. She's fine with other dogs in "neutral" territory, i.e., the vet's office, but on our street she's quite fierce, barking and growling and pulling on the leash. So. Issues that need to be addressed.

[silverjackal]

Does Chango play fetch? Running after a thrown toy is an excellent form of exercise, entertaining for the dog, and easy on the owner. ;) (It's also not hard to teach -- the Fiend learned how to fectch in two five minute lessons on succeeding days, while he was still the definition of Epic Inattentive Spastic.)

I'll also sound very judgemental when I talk about the dog food you have her on, but I don't mean it that way. I know that dog food selection varies incredibly widely depending on location. Many places (like Australia) don't have dog food choices that I'd consider *good* -- their "premium" stops at my definition of "decent if you don't have anything else" for example. That said, the food you have Chango on isn't very good. It's full of carbohydrates (which are fattening rather than the reverse), it has poultry fat (fattening, generally unhealthy, and very suspect as to comtamination), and a very controversial source of Vitamin K that is being withdrawn from the market as a result of being linked to liver damage. (If you scroll down in the site I linked you'll see their opinion of the food.) If you poke around on that website you'll see numerous other reviews -- personally I wouldn't feed anything less than four stars (or a similar unreviewed food), and my fellow is currently eating Wellness Core Original -- only because it's egg free. If I wasn't constrained by his sensitivity to egg he'd be eating Orijen Regional Red as it has everything I'd look for for quality in a dog food. It's the Wellness Core Ocean by the way that caused him to lose weight when I didn't want him to, so you might want to try a fish food (which metabolizes quicker than red meat or poultry) for Chango. You can also use kibble in place of dog treats to cut the calories in treating, and keep "the good stuff" for when you really want her to pay attention and do what you want, like walking out the door and down the street with her attention on *you*, not other dogs.

My last suggestion (and then I'll shut up unless you ask me to say more, honest) is that you try a better control tool like a Halti headcollar for walks. It lets you have much better control over the dog (particularly the loud, sharp bits), it makes the dog much less able to lunge and pull, and most dogs don't mind it at all if they've been properly acclimated to wearing it. You'd only need it for the first little while anyway, and then could just switch back to her collar.

[nightdog_barks]

*g*

I'm happy to have your input, sweetie. I will say that seven years ago, Nutro was a decently-rated food, but I see they've gone downhill. Shows the importance of not keeping up with food ratings. Thankfully, it looks as if our local PetsMart does carry some of the Wellness varieties, as well as Blue Buffalo, so I can buy a small bag of one or the other and begin the process of switching Chango over.

The Halti headcollar looks like something I would be very interested in! :-D

Oh, and Chango knows the game of fetch -- except with her it's more "I'VE GOT THE BALL AND YOU CAN'T HAVE IT!" Heh.

[silverjackal]

If you go with the Halti introduce it slowly and gently -- first let her sniff it, then give a treat, then hold it open and coax her to put her nose through it, give a treat, etc. In fact that's quite enough for a first introduction. Many people just bang it on the dog, which causes the dog a great deal of distress because there's suddenly this thing on their face and they can't get it off. Slow and positive is the key, working up gradually to having it on, then letting the dog roam around the house with it on, etc. before ever snapping on the leash and walking out the door.

That said, every dog reacts individually. My hypersensitive spastic isn't at all bothered by the head collar, and I was able to put it on him in one continuous go, take it off, put it back on half an hour later, and then walk him in it later that evening. No stress, because the Fiend is weird. :D (That's actually also why I recommend the Halti as opposed to the Gentle Leader(TM). The latter is tight on the dog's face, and some dogs never adjust to it. In contrast the Halti just sits there loosely unless the dog pulls, which is an aid to training as well.)

As for your description of Chango's "fetch", that's not fetch, it's another dog-game called KEEP AWAY! Humans can't win that one. The way to teach fetch is to keep the dog in reach (using a dragging leash on long line) and *two* balls, or a ball and treats, or even two balls and treats. And you can simultaneously teach the dog the cue "give"/"drop it"/"out"/whatever you want to call it. Essentially you throw one toy a short distance, and then encourage the dog to come back with it and drop it (on their own, without you asking) for the treat and/or other toy. At that point you throw the ball again. After a couple of repetitions when the dog is returning the ball you can teach the cue (by giving it before the drop and still rewarding the behavior) or you can just work it into a chain. Once the dog has learned that if they bring the toy back and drop it the game carries on you can remove the other aids and just play with the ball. You ensure the continual return by stopping play (i.e. you turn and walk away, you don't chase the dog or ask for the toy) until it's ingrained. Most dogs catch on very quickly, as chasing and retrieving the ball is fun. It's also important not to overdo and bore the dog -- always stop before they tire, to keep the game fresh. And in Chango's case you wouldn't want her to physically overdo because she could hurt herself with overexertion until she sheds some weight and gains fitness. I wouldn't throw more than three times at first, slowly working up to five, more distance, etc.

[nightdog_barks]

:-D

She does some of this already -- she doesn't want to give me the ball (and play growls when I act as if I'm going to take it from her mouth), but she'll drop it where I can get it, and if I start to go back in the house she'll drop it.

I should get some new tennis balls, too. The ones we have are pretty ragged.

[silverjackal]

Chuckit! Ultra Balls are the best. Light, bouncy, durable, etc. Since they're natural rubber if the dog puts a tooth through them they just reseal afterwards, and keep bouncing. The Jaws-of-Doom! (otherwise known as Aidan) would play with a single ball for six months before it started to show wear. He'd often just incidentally crush even expensive tennis balls while catching them because his bite was so strong. I laid out much money before discovering the Chuckit!s After I didn't have to replace balls more than once or twice a year, and they're great to handle for both the human and dog. I hope the people who make these get very, very rich, because they deserve it!