Food
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I like your approach of using the regular meal kibble for treats, much better than going for something they will learn to prefer.
The do get 'special' treats, not stolen from their daily ration, if they are particularly good when I am wielding the dremel ! But not otherwise !
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@mikesull I posted recently about my finicky eater (at 12 weeks old). I was willing to try anything because she was getting bigger yet losing weight. When ribs start showing on a puppy it's not good, imo. Things have turned around for us. I started feeding raw which she would mostly eat (chicken w/ veggies preferred). She walked away from raw turkey/beef heart.
I was hard core about timing. MY timing. I learned in the last couple weeks - leave the fixed portion down for her to eat when she was ready. It worked. Mixed in kibble slowly. Her eating habit is to eat 10% now, 50% 30 minutes later, the rest in the next hour. Fine. She ate. She gained weight. Now I mix in chicken broth (Petco's Petcoach that looks more like human chicken stew) with Honest Kitchen kibble and we're good! I will start making my own cooked "stew" for cost and convenience and freeze in small portions.
The lesson for me is to let go of hardcore pedantic methods. I will probably never "free feed" but this puppy eats on a different schedule than any other dog/puppy I have ever cared for. This schedule works for us.
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@beth314 You are on a learning curve ! This is a Basenji you are dealing with. You have to relax and do things her way !
(But its worth it in the end !)
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Thanks Beth!! So far - maybe two weeks now - i give him cooked boiled shredded chicken 3x a day on top of some of that canidae or instinct kibble (one day he eats kibble next wont touch). It has been great. No bad poops and he is booming. He is really a great dog. I am first time dog owner and think i may have gotten lucky with this basenji. I do tire him out tho - lots of miles - he drops by 7-8pm every night. One thing is the car - he hates it - whimpers - hopefully just puppy stuff. He needs to learn car rides mean big time hikes that he loves!
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He cries and cries
Try opening the window so he can feel a breeze. Doodle loves to stick her head out the window! Or,
talk to him (or sing). Hearing you speaking could be extremely calming. Or,
if you typically play the radio, or listen to a broadcast, turn the volume down and see if that helps. Or...
stop and let him out to "water the grass". -
Thanks Elbrant- tried all those!! The window with his head out of it - he seems to like it when he is actually doing it- but he stops on his own to come back in and whimper some. I think its just a phase- a few more months and confidence and he’ll be a -ok.
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@mikesull - Personally I believe that it is not the right thing to do with letting your dog hang it's head out the window... if you are using a harness with a seat belt, ok to have the window cracked for air... but I have never found that needed... mine always are in crates, period.
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@tanza Agreed ! I am quite appalled by the suggestion to let the dog put its head out of the window of a moving car ! Crate is essential if you are travelling with a dog. OR, if your car really won't accommodate one, some sort of secure harness.
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I would find out what he scared of or what he dislikes about the car. Is it the car itself, the sensation of being closed in, the movement when the car is being driven? Then work on whatever the problem is, with food.
As for food, I use raw duck and vegetables. And I hand-feed all meals, so I never have a problem with not eating/partially eating. I would also recommend hand-feeding for anyone who does have a dog with food issues.
Shredded chicken is good (as long as he doesn't have any reactions). But that and some kibble isn't a balanced meal. You may wish to look into a vitamin supplement, specifically something that has a focus on omega 3 (since chicken is high in omega 6), Vitamin C & the B vitamins (because if all he's eating is chicken and kibble, where is his source of vitamin C and the B vitamins?), zinc & copper (same reasons).
All the best.
EDIT: I just realized this thread is a year old and was bumped by what is almost certainly a bot.
