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  #61  
Old May 5th, 2004, 06:18 PM
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heidiho heidiho is offline
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I dont think it is teasing the dog,but i do think it is confusing for the dog
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  #62  
Old May 5th, 2004, 06:41 PM
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Mona and I asked about the feeding schedule, so much to read you probably didn't see that.

How much and how often do you feed and is he alone for these 10 hours when he's not eating? He shouldn't be left alone for longer then 4hours at a time. If you can't be there you have to find someone to take him out and feed him.
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  #63  
Old May 5th, 2004, 06:54 PM
Lucky Rescue Lucky Rescue is offline
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Science Diet is not good. I suggest getting him a better food.

10 hours is too long for a 4 month puppy to go hungry,and this is probably contributing to his food aggression.
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  #64  
Old May 5th, 2004, 07:38 PM
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I think I missed a post or two so I went back, did'nt see that there before

Science diet isn't very good, I agree

2x a day isn't enuf should be 3x a day or 4x, your dog is growing.
2x a day is for an adult dog
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  #65  
Old May 5th, 2004, 08:13 PM
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heidiho you have so come to the right place. look at the 3 pages and you will see lots of caring people and lots of advice, every one here just wants to help, makes me feel warm and fuzzy .

luba with tug o war games, i was always told that if you never let the dog win it is ok?? what do you think?? i seem to be given alot of those toys.

Kids and dogs- it is against the law here (australia) to leave a child under 12 with a dog, under companion animals act. dont know what happens elsewhere. and my neice is a dogs worst nightmare, poor puppies- little brat poor dog wont be in same room as her..

and bloating, that happens if you feed before excersise right???

have a nice day everyone
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  #66  
Old May 5th, 2004, 08:34 PM
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Melanie
The tug of war is ok if you win just makes the dog want to try harder.
It puts you in competition with the dog for strength, for status in pack.

I would never play tug of war myself...there really isn't any sense in it to be honest. The dog sees your hand as something its' competing with to win over something it wants...no reason to have the dog view you as competition and threatening..not even in game. Because sometimes they can't tell the difference, to them it's all the same.

Many larger breed dogs get bloat and it can be painful and fatal. Play and exercise (vigorous) before and after meals has said to from what I've read contribute to it. Dogs have shorter GI tracks then we do, so feeding them smaller but more frequently is a good idea.

Even with my small terrier he got breakie lunch and din din (lived to 16 so there u go )
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  #67  
Old May 5th, 2004, 09:43 PM
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melanie,Bloat is prone to deep chested dogs...A friend of mine lost her St.Bernard to Bloat...And adding water to kibble is a no-no..Especially those prone to Bloat.
Here is a link that explains it.

http://www.globalspan.net/bloat.htm

I never new that Luba....I had the dry out for them also when they were pups....I guess I was blessed with 2 good puppies...
.

That's one thing I never did,was play tug-of-war with my guys.

As for the feeding,I still think 3 times a day is much better...That's what I did and my boys.They are now 8 and in great health...Well except for a bit of arthritis in Tron....And my previous GSD was 13....
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  #68  
Old May 5th, 2004, 10:01 PM
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I never knew it either Mona till I knew it!

LOL

too funny

tx for that link mona
Dachshunds are prone to bloat, that I never knew but makes sense they're deep chested but low to the ground!!
Great info there, thx very much oh knowledgeable one.
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  #69  
Old May 6th, 2004, 09:35 AM
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What is wrong with science d??what do you feed your gs??I was told 2 x a day is fine to feed,dont want the gs to grow to fast,taking him off puppy food at 6 months also..
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  #70  
Old May 6th, 2004, 10:03 AM
MBRA518 MBRA518 is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by heidiho
What is wrong with science d??what do you feed your gs??I was told 2 x a day is fine to feed,dont want the gs to grow to fast,taking him off puppy food at 6 months also..
Most SD feeds have corn as the high percentage (first listed) ingredient. Check the ingred list, they are listed in decending order starting with the highest percentage ingredient.

Dog's can't digest corn very well, corn meat is a little better but still not great, so the corn is just filler... which is fine if it is down the list a ways... but not good as the first ingredient... the more corn in the feed.. the more that comes out the other end.. and you pick up later and the more you have to feed so your dog gets what he needs out of it.

There are lots of quality feeds as the pet stores... and I have found a great feed at costco called nutra nuggets lamb and rice, it is a great feed for a low cost - $22 for a 16 KG bag and my 75lbs rottie only gets 2-2.5 cups a day and looks and feels great.

I'm not sure if one brand or type is better for a GSD, maybe one of the GSD owners can answer that for you.
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  #71  
Old May 6th, 2004, 10:33 AM
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Your pup should remain on a high quality puppy food for atleast 6 mons
Can switch to an adolescent diet at that time. 2x a day is not enough for a growing pup that needs nutrition 3x or 4x a day. You should not be feeding large amounts to a pup at once.

Did you aswer my question about the 10 hours while the pup is alone? I didn't see that anywhere. If you did, where is it so I can go look?
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  #72  
Old May 6th, 2004, 10:50 AM
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Well i was told by two vets that 2 x a day is fine...and i am at work ..
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  #73  
Old May 6th, 2004, 11:11 AM
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My vet also say 2 x a day is fine, and seeing how most of our jobs can't count on us running home every 3 hours, my female vet said she will survive.
However she recommended with my other dogs when I was feeding from the bag that they stay on puppy food for at least 6 months but better if they could stay on it for a year. So thats what we did before. Now its homemade and Abbey still gets fed more than she should because she is still growing.
Why would they recommend taking your gs off of puppy food when its still growing?
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  #74  
Old May 6th, 2004, 11:15 AM
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bECASUE YOU SONT WANT THEM TO GROW TO FAST,BECAUSE THE PROBLES GS HAVE HEALTH WISE.SO I WILL BE SWITCHING ALSO AT 6 MONTHS.Yeah 2 x a day is fine i was told by 2 different vets to//
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  #75  
Old May 6th, 2004, 11:21 AM
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Ok Ok! But Thats Why They Need The Food Because They Are Growing Fast!! Maybe Gs Are Different! Whatever! You Do What You Feel Is Best!!
See Ya!!
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  #76  
Old May 6th, 2004, 11:33 AM
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ok!ok! wow some of you guys are very touchy... see ya also...
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  #77  
Old May 6th, 2004, 11:38 AM
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I believe smaller amount more often for a dog that tends to gulp and go....do you know what I mean? Like Lizzy will think the end of the world is coming and she is racing to eat her food beofe it happens. Then she gets the burps from more air swallowed then food.

But if the dog (Ok don't take my word for this...this is just how I feel) isn't a gulper and feeds calmly I would think 2 times a day is great.

Also long backed breeds are prone to spinal injuries.
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  #78  
Old May 6th, 2004, 11:43 AM
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I was told by 2 vets to go to 2x a day,and to take off the puppy food at about 6 months,because of the breed.....and also most people do work so 3 x a day would be impossible//
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  #79  
Old May 6th, 2004, 11:54 AM
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LOL Luba.

I guess my knowledge comes from being raised with GSD's....


MBRA is so right about the Science Diet.....The first 4-5 ingredients should NOT contain corn....

I suggest you switch to another brand...Please don't ask me to think ball years ago to what I was feeding my guys when they were pups....I'm getting old and forgetting.......LOL.

Also,because of Bloat,I suggest not just feeding him dry only....He should also be having canned.And if your 2 vets said it was ok for just the dry,then I suggest they do more research on Bloat.

Yukon and Tron are both 8 and still get canned along with the dry.Even when they were pups.

How long is he left alone during the day?
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  #80  
Old May 6th, 2004, 11:59 AM
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two days a week he is alone about 8 hours..what food do you suggest for gs 's ??? And i have a friend who trained and showed doberman p's and he said dogs are fine with the crate because like wolves in the wild they have there den{crate} and sleep 15 hours a day anyway......
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  #81  
Old May 6th, 2004, 12:13 PM
Lucky Rescue Lucky Rescue is offline
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I just have to comment on this "dogs are den animals like wolves" thing.

Adult wolves NEVER spend any time in a den unless they are whelping and nursing puppies and neither do Cape Hunting dogs or dingos - other canines comparable with our own (top predators) I think this is something someone made up to make them feel less guilty at leaving dogs all day, locked in cages just big enough for them to stand up and turn around in.

Even if wolves did go in dens, they would certainly not sit there for 10 hours.

Heidiho, you can feed your dog almost anything that will better than Science Diet. The high corn content can cause allergies and may be what is making your puppy bite at himself.

You can feed Nutro, or Wellness, or Innova, or Solid Gold - or many other foods found in most pet food stores.
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  #82  
Old May 6th, 2004, 12:20 PM
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yeah i think i will try nutro//// and about the crate thing i have no choice either that or get rid of him and that will NEVER happen...HE WILL BE FINE...
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  #83  
Old May 6th, 2004, 12:20 PM
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So very true about the Wolves LR.

Also,8 hours in a crate with no breaks in between is way to long for a pup.

And LR listed some great foods....

I have my boys on Eagle Pack Holistic,the blue bag..But they are both 8 and one has a touch of arthritis...So this brand is good for their bones and joints.
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  #84  
Old May 6th, 2004, 12:23 PM
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heidiho heidiho is offline
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P.s. Yeah The Itching Thing,he Only Seems To Do It,first Thing In The Morning Or At Night,does That Mean Anything??
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  #85  
Old May 6th, 2004, 01:08 PM
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what about royal canin food,it is made just for german shepherds?? anyone ever here of that food???
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  #86  
Old May 6th, 2004, 01:20 PM
MBRA518 MBRA518 is offline
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I'm not a fan of crates... is there not another area you can confine him to when you are gone?... somewhere he could move a round a little?

I'm sure he will be fine in the crate, but he would likely be more comfortable in a larger space.
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  #87  
Old May 6th, 2004, 01:30 PM
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Well i was thinking of taking the crate facing it into the kitchen leaving it open so he can sleep or lay in there,and he can have the kitchen to walk around,just worried he will chew on the wood cabinet doors.....and what if he goes potty in kitchen,wont he start thinking it ok to go potty in there??
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  #88  
Old May 6th, 2004, 01:37 PM
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does anyone know i keep hearing corn meal is bad,does science diet have that in it??
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  #89  
Old May 6th, 2004, 01:37 PM
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I'm not a fan of crates either (although I respect the choice to do so, it is simply not mine).

None of my dogs were ever crated as puppies, including Oliver, who is now 9 months. I have suffered minimal damage to my home (and trust me, even with a crated puppy, one has to expect at least a little damage) and all were house trained very quickly. What is unique about Oliver is that he is the first dog I have ever raised in a condo (the others were in my parents' home which is a very large home on an acerage with plenty of companion animals so a totally different approach) and I found it much easier than I thought - and all without the crate!! I had someone come in in the middle of the day to walk him while I am at work (he still gets the walks and thinks of them as an Oliver inalienable right...) and simply made sure there was nothing left out that he could hurt himself with or that I couldn't bear to have destroyed (ie unplugging everything at ground level, making sure all clothes and shoes were put away) and would spray certain items with bitter apple to ensure that he did not chew things that he shouldn't (like rug fringe and dining room chair legs). Couldn't spray the cat though so she had to learn to deter him herself - LOL!!

Michelle
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  #90  
Old May 6th, 2004, 01:41 PM
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I have seen that one by Royal Canin...But I have not tried it.

I never crated...I had the kitchen blocked off for them.I've had them since they were 3 months old.And we are talking 2 pups...LOL...

Try the kitchen.Can you block it off?...Is he a chewer?

How is his house training?Does he go in the house?

Does he have enough toys?Have you gotten him a Kong?

I know,so many questions.LOL
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