Food questions

Basenji Talk

  • Hi,

    I just got a mix/mutt with a lot of Basenji in her, the vet tells me she is 2-3 years old. (Stray dog). About 18-20 pounds, not skinny.

    I am not sure what she ate in her previous family or on the streets, but she seems very particular in her food choices.

    She does not like her dog biscuits, she does not eat dry food. She will eat any human food given to her (dinners).. AS LONG as it contain MEAT.

    I have been able to hand feed a couple of banana bites and a couple of dry pellets, but in general she is not eating much. She does not look hungry and she will not be standing behind us in the kitchen while making food. But if you give her something she likes (cheese, sweets, meat) she will get it down in no time almost swallowing.

    Is she just very particular with her food choices or is this common behavior for stray dogs in need to get used to new food?

    Any suggestions


  • As they say, unless they are sick, they will eat when hungry. I would suggest that you feed her whatever dog food you decide on.. put it down, give her x amount of time to eat (10 to 15 minutes) if not eaten, take it away. Do not feed her anything else. Next feeding time, repeat the process.

    If she is hungry she will eat and she will learn that when the food is put down, need to eat it or it will disappear


  • I agree with Tanza - also, try mixing in a little beef broth with the dry - it works with mine.


  • Since she was a stray, she was used to eating people food and not dog food. She will eventually learn to eat dog food. You just have to have patience!

    Jennifer


  • Agree with all above - you also might like to try mixing a teaspoon of sardine/tuna with a little water and spreading it over the food. Good luck!

Suggested Topics

  • Allergies to food

    Basenji Talk
    6
    0 Votes
    6 Posts
    694 Views
    elbrantE
    I am big fan of cooking for my dog. I used to make big pots of food and freeze the portions. Lately she has been eating what I eat, I set a portion aside in her bowl (which sits on the table while I eat my dinner and then is put on the floor for her). I have to say that I do think I'm eating healthier because of concerns for her "diet". We are both a bit overweight, but conscious of it and exercising (i.e, going on long walks) as much as possible.
  • A couple of questions

    Basenji Talk
    9
    0 Votes
    9 Posts
    3k Views
    ShannaniganS
    My boyfriend and I got our Basenji in February, and he's 9 months now. We did our research, used positive reinforcement training, crated him at night until he was potty trained and then let him sleep in the bed with us, and we had extensive play sessions with him in the mornings and walked him until he (or we!) got tired in the afternoon/evening. He's crated for a few hours during the day when both of us are at work; we live in a small apartment with no room for an x-pen, and are considering doing some test runs with leaving him free in the apartment, because he hasn't been destructive the few times that he has escaped his crate. Result: he sticks to us like glue. Though we rarely get to let him off-leash anywhere, he likes to keep us in sight and keeps a watchful eye on strangers who come near us both in and out of the house. We still have playtime with him in the morning (anywhere between 30 mins and 1 and a half hours of fetch, tug-o-war, chasing, and the Basenji500), and we try our hardest to give him a good long walk before we go to bed. He's okay with the crate, though he doesn't hang out in it of his own free will, but he tolerates it for when we're gone. His most destructive times are in the morning when he wakes up before us and decides to see if we were silly enough to leave any clothing or paper in his reach to shred up (we've lost money, a deck of cards, shoes, underwear, shirts, bookbags, etc.), and in the afternoon when one or both of us happens to be home but not paying attention to him, so he starts tugging on drapes, bedding, even the carpet - but more to get our attention than actually ruin anything. It's work, but Paco makes it worth it in the end with cuddles, doggy-smiles, and never-ending enthusiasm!
  • Dog food question, need help

    Basenji Talk
    41
    0 Votes
    41 Posts
    16k Views
    bellabasenjiB
    I just bought Bella some Merricks Grammy's Pot Pie (dry). It sounds so good I'm tempted to give it a try, LOL!!! I haven't given it to her yet, I'm trying to time it out so I can introduce it slowly… I had to get it at a feed & seed supply store. It IS sad that people are uneducated about the differences of dog foods… but what is worse is that some of these companies don't care how bad the food is for our pets. Another example of how money is more important in their pocket... BTW, for treats we like Old Mother Hubbard!!!:D
  • Crating Question

    Basenji Talk
    9
    0 Votes
    9 Posts
    2k Views
    rnastoR
    The only reasons I would not crate little bs with big bs is (1) I don't want any fighting so you would have to play that one by ear (2) If the little one potties in the crate accidentally the big b has to suffer too. But I only have 1 so thats all I could think of
  • OFA Question

    Basenji Talk
    8
    0 Votes
    8 Posts
    2k Views
    tanzaT
    @soulmate: Did not know that. But what for do you have to answer then the whole questions, when you register with the CPP? And yes, it would be helpfull, if you would be able to see in which country the B's are registered if they are not in the US. Regards, Esther Because CPP uses that data for other studies.
  • Question…

    Basenji Talk
    10
    0 Votes
    10 Posts
    3k Views
    nomrbddgsN
    @Jylly18: THanks everyone for the advice, she ended up being fine, I fed her this morning and no throw-up when we got home :) I was just worried cause she has never done it more than once before. Its funny about how you said you put her over the toilet, my husband managed to hold her over the garbage when she threw up, so she looked ridiculous but at least it made no mess! HaHaHa! That conjures up a picture!