Please ease my mind here...

[TrixiesMom]

Trixie is the first puppy I have owned.. Chakita was a full grown Chow, she was 4, and was always bouncy...

Yesterdat Trixie was her normal happy self, we ate a little but not much.. I was told that's ok, some times dogs will eat like they're starving and then only eat a couple pieces of kibble the next... This morning we didn't poop (s'cool, we didn't eat much as I said.. ), and at first she didn't want her breakfast, then she came back to eat it... She whined when I was in the shower (normal), was all bouncy to see me and now we're kinda.. moping.. We don't feel like playing or snuggling.. but we are following me around... So is she feeling down in the dumps, or is this part of her breed being 'independant'?

She has no tummy gurgles so I know it's not something she ate that's disagreeing with her..

:(

[LorraineO]

I think she is fine,, youre just reading too much into it really,, but if youre really concerned,, the Vet is the best place to get the right answers for sure... :)

[TrixiesMom]

She was attacking my pants as we were walking down the hall, and she just went and ate/drank some... She must have just been in a 'mood'.. just like a woman =)

[K9soul]

Glad to hear she's doing better now. :) Do you take up her food if she doesn't eat it in the first 15-20 minutes or do you leave it down? Taking it up is best as it will encourage her to eat while it is down. Tasha sometimes shows less interest in her food some days than others, but not Tommy, he's always ready to wolf down food that's put down. If Tasha left her food alone one day, it wouldn't worry me, but Tommy it definitely would. It just seems to depend on the dog.

[TrixiesMom]

No, food is always down, Trixie grazes all day.. She does know she gets Rollover for breakfast and dinner.. if she doesn't want it, it stays in her bowl (she has a special bowl for Rollover) for an hour, then it goes in the fridge for dinner or if I train her I use it for treats..

[Vette]

Awww.. you made laugh out loud when you said 'just like woman' hehehe :D

glad to hear shes doning good and she sounds real cute!!!

[Crikit]

Originally posted by TrixiesMom
No, food is always down, Trixie grazes all day.. She does know she gets Rollover for breakfast and dinner.. if she doesn't want it, it stays in her bowl (she has a special bowl for Rollover) for an hour, then it goes in the fridge for dinner or if I train her I use it for treats..

I'm not sure if you know the following info or not but it's not always a good idea to leave the food down so the dog can free feed. It might seem like a good idea for all but really it can do a lot to undermine your authority in the future. After all you want to be seen as the primary source of food and other good things like that.

[K9soul]

Originally posted by Crikit
I'm not sure if you know the following info or not but it's not always a good idea to leave the food down so the dog can free feed. It might seem like a good idea for all but really it can do a lot to undermine your authority in the future. After all you want to be seen as the primary source of food and other good things like that.

Crikit said it well, free feeding can cause some confusion as to who is in control of the pack. A dog can see the ability to feed whenever it likes as proof that it is leader, and food/feeding can become a control issue. I read an amazing story about a peke that was actually starving itself to death and wouldn't eat, and the trainer called in believed the food had become such an issue of control for the dog. By leaving it there, it was asserting that it could leave food and no one dared touch it because they recognized the dog's leadership. The trainer believed the dog was leaving the food because if it ate it, it would give up this control that it had. After instructing the owner to pick it up after 20 minutes or so, the dog began to eat when the food was provided since it knew it could no longer store it for whenever it chose to eat.

Just some food for thought, no pun intended! :)

[Vette]

:eek: I didnt know that. i have water and food container things always filled for him to eat or drink out of it when ever he wants. i havent had any problems with him about it though.

[TrixiesMom]

I haven't had any problems either.. I free-fed Chakita as well..

It's perfectly fine to freefeed Tibbies...

I found out the problem through.. I took her to the vet yesterday..

She's been eating clumping kitty litter (we caught her) and has a torn up throat from it..

[Vette]

I have a idea to keep her out of the littler pan. you could move the litter pan to a new location. this time to a room with a door.. and what ya do is buy one of those hook and chain security things,, making it so that the door only opens up a few inches. just enough for the cat to squeeze through the door and hopefully leaving the puppy out of trouble and letting the cat do its thing..

if puppy does manage to squeeze through the crack in the door,, you could try putting something in the way.. something the cat can jump over but not the puppy..

i hope that all makes sense. :eek:

[bckrazy]

Originally posted by TrixiesMom
I haven't had any problems either.. I free-fed Chakita as well..

It's perfectly fine to freefeed Tibbies...

I found out the problem through.. I took her to the vet yesterday..

She's been eating clumping kitty litter (we caught her) and has a torn up throat from it..

oh my gosh!! poor Trixie! :(.. have you tried an enclosed litter box? like, one of those boxes with a little enclosed ramp that leads up? or maybe try putting the litter box up high.. that sounds horrible.

But, yep, free-feeding can become a problem in the future. Even if it isn't, most trainers/vets really encourage controlled feedings, for dogs of all breeds! It establishes you as the alpha, and helps you monitor more easily how much she is eating and when she will need to go out to potty. Since Trixie is little now, you never know if/when she'll decide that she is the boss from all the control you give her. It helps dogs to see you as the giver and taker of food ;)

[K9soul]

Originally posted by TrixiesMom
I haven't had any problems either.. I free-fed Chakita as well..

It's perfectly fine to freefeed Tibbies...


Besides giving your dog the message that she is alpha by free feeding, which doesn't necessarily cause aggression by any means but can put a big damper on training vital things like coming when called, there are other reasons it's best to give scheduled meals. I found a pretty decent site that talks all about feeding, and has this to say regarding free feeding:


Free Feeding

Some dogs go their whole lives eating without a schedule, having food left out all the time. Several things can cause this to suddenly become a problem, though.

If you add another dog to the household, or another dog comes to visit, you'll need to separate the free feeder from the other dog whenever they eat. The free feeder will suddenly not have constant access to the dish.

Dogs can develop medical problems from going too long without food. The free-feeder dog is of course not aware of needing to eat every so many hours. As a result, these dogs become candidates for things like seizures from hypoglycemia.

Free-feeding dogs often become overweight or underweight after awhile, resulting in the need to adjust food amounts. You'll need to convert the dog to scheduled feeding then.

Some boarding situations will require that your dog be able to eat on schedule rather than free-feeding. This would be especially true if a friend or relative with a dog needed to keep your dog for you.

Free-feeding a puppy makes housetraining more difficult. When a dog eats on a regular schedule, bowel movements occur on a regular schedule. That helps you figure out when your dog will need a potty outing.

Here is the site too if you (or anyone) wants to take a look. It has some nice information about various things like picky eating, food begging, and using food to train. :)

http://www.veterinarypartner.com/Content.plx?P=A&A=1549&S=1&SourceID=47

[TrixiesMom]

It's my parents that have the cats, so she's been going back and eating the litter when we just thought she was 'investigating'.. =/ We are over at my parents at least twice a day (they just live 5 doors down, the same floor) She's starting to let me know when she has to go outside (kinda) by stopping in front of the elevator either on the way or coming back..

So they went out yesterday and found a baby gate that is low enough for a) the cats to jump over, b) Trixie NOT to jump over, and c) those with arthritic hips (my mom, my dad and me =) ) to walk over =)

The chicken/rice mush doesn't sit too well.. well, it stays down but it comes out in a soft pile.. I was told to start introducing her regular kibble and food back today so I am doing so, and she ate the chicken mush with her regular stuff in it quite ravenously =) It's not easy when the dog has food allergies and a testy stomach.. Those are quite common in Tibbie puppies and there is a good chance she will outgrow it =)

And as for freefeeding, this is taken from The Tibetan Spaniel Network (http://www.tibbies.net/facts/index.html)


Q. How much do they eat?
A. Tibbies eat well for a little dog. Although it varies from dog to dog, they eat around one cup of dog food a day. Some owners prefer to feed them twice a day, others feed them only once a day. It is perfectly OK to leave dry food out all day for those that prefer to nibble.

She gets her other food at breakfast and dinner.. she knows the schedule for those.. She knows who is the alpha in the household, there is no worry there =)

[wolfsoul]

I have to agree with everyone else -- Free feeding can cause alot of problems. It makes a dog so hard to housebreak, and it can make them overweight. My grandparents leave their shi tzu's food out for a long time until she eats it all -- she is very overweight and has alot of medical problems. She also has to be let out to go to the bathroom 20-30 times a day, because you never know when she will have to go.

In my opinion, a dog should be fed right after the owner is fed. It is consistent, and it shows dominance. Consistency is probably the most important thing when you have a new dog, as well as establishing the proper hierarchy.

It can also be very dangerous to free feed a dog, because it knows that it will have food available to it constantly, therefore you won't see some signs of sickness in a dog. One of the first and most important signs of illness is a dog's appetite. You see, when you started this thread you were confused, because she didn't seem hungry. If she is fed on a strict schedule, you will start to realise her habits and know if she is in a situation where she is not eating for a reason.

I dont know how old she is, but an adult dog should be fed twice a day. :)

Good luck!

[TrixiesMom]

She's underweight still and I'm trying to beef that up.. I'm starting her on 3 meals a day on advice of my vet... He knows her kibble is left out and he doesn't have a problem with it.. She is already housebroken, she's just having a couple pee accidents because of the extra water she's taking in (with me having to make chicken mush) but that will change tomorrow when she's mostly back on regular food...

All dogs are different, so what might be right for some about freefeeding might not be the same for others =)

[Vette]

Ack. i wish you luck with her. maybe when the weather is warmer and sunny out she'll come up in spirit wise too. :)

i know the sunshine brings out the puppy in my dog during cold months. he hates the cold.