Dr.Greenthumb

Ahh, I have read that, sorry for my lack of description. I intend to give him the variety that is needed in a Raw diet. Im still internally debating wether or not I switch him to this new diet, as I would love to do so. Another forum user brought up a good question regarding bones that you may be able ot answer. If bonemeal was purchased, could this be used with boneless meats in the various varietys instead of giving them raw bones? That is my biggest concern, as anything else I have no worries about.

Red Dog. Do you feed him once a day or morning and nite?

hmmm. This is tough. I don't want to run the risk of my dude gettin bones lodged the wrong way, or not being able to digest them. However the e benefits that I have read are good enough to make me want to try. I guess back to the research. This is gonna be a tough choice.

ok so 3%. I will use chicken as the staple, throwing in duck and some organs I think?? It seems like it would be difficult to feed this way as opposed to opening a bag, measuring it out, and feedin him. But I do want whats best for him, and since the girlie doesn't want to deal with feeding raw I will be doing it.

Hehehe. Ive been looking at that forum. I just want to get all the answers so I do this right. Like where do I feed him? I use stainless steel bowls, so would i just stick it in there? He would probably look at it look at me and go, "what am I supposed to do with this?" Respect. Dr.Greenthumb

Jeez, I dunno what to do and how to go about this switch. Do I just feed him some chickens, with their organs, or what. This seems like something that I will have to research for a while before I get the switch. However I would like to have it happen sooner than later. Maybe I'll just get another 20lb bag of kibble since Im runnin' out and hope to make the raw switch after that one. My boy weighs 40 pounds. What would be a good serving for him? and would it be once a day, or how I have it now once in the morning and once at night. Respect. Dr.Greenthumb

I am considering switchin my dude off Natural Balance due to their recall. He's not on the line that they recalled, but I could care less I still don't want to risk his health. I would love to read some good material regarding the RAW foods, as well as any suggestions that any may have. Respect. -Dr.Greenthumb

Sounds like Chevy and Holly are one in the same, lol. I have a hard time getting him to do tricks such as weaving because he doesn't really want to move. I have yet to entice him with one of his toys instead of a treat, and now that I think about it Im sure that he will want to weave then. He seems to show more interest in toys than food, weirdo lol. Im gonna have to check out that DVD, sounds like you have learned some great things from it. Once I get Chevy into agility too, we will have some experiences to exchange with one another. Respect. -Dr.Greenthumb

How should I go about switching to raw, if I intend to later do that? I mean if its' better for my dog, I have no reason not to. Any online literature you have I could reference to? Respect. -Dr.Greenthumb

Feeding raw? What are the benefits of this? Is it better than getting a high quality kibble?

Little updat for you all. Chevy now knows how to high five, he picked up on it right away. We also played the sit (or lay down) and stay while I hide the toy game. He loves it!!! I'll come back to his location and he will be waggin' his tail becuase he knows that he's about to search for his rope. I tell him good stay, wait a few seconds and tell him to "get his rope" and then he takes off tail waggin' and all. He prances back with it, so you know he feels good about his acomplishment. We went on a long walk yesterday, and everytime he sees another dog he will bark and pull. This has been a problem for a while now and he seems to be slowly improving. I give him a little tug and tell him to leave it when he gets that way around other dogs in his sights. It wasn't until the end of the walk when we were in a neighborhood and he had two dogs in his sights and couldn't decide who to bark at, on top of me tellin' him to "leave it" so he just sat down and gave me a little glance. This is why I think he is starting to slowly improve. Anybody have some suggestions on what I can do to help break this habit? *Hollys mum* I think chevy will be able to creep as well, so I am definetly going to try that soon. Its fun adding new tricks to his bag, and it seems like he enjoys it as well. Respect. -Dr.Greenthumb

Hey there. I am new to the boards and owning the breed as well. However I did decide that I wanted to adopted one instead. So here I am, owner of a 20 mo male for three weeks now. I can't give you much advice as I am still in the early stages like you, except I don't have to deal with potty training as he already was. Socialize them with other animals as well, Chevy goes crazy when he sees or hears a cat, this is the only time he ever barks. I am currently trying to figure out why he doesn't seem to like any other dogs that are his size or larger. Good luck with your pup, we're in this together. BCs are a gnarly breed so don't give up as I know I won't Respect. -Dr.Greenthumb

Righteous!! Thanks for all the good info. I have thought about clicker training, but I just want to make sure I am doing the training right so that way I don't get him all confused when I learn which way I should have been doing it, lol. I think the crawling one would be interesting for him, so we're gonna try that today. He's pretty good at shaking so I think that a high five is definetly in his future arsenal. Hiding the toys will be something that we can do in the house, as he always wants his plush soccer ball (lovin the fact he likes futbol) tossed down the hallway. I will post some pics of him later on when I get home. He always gets mistaken for a girl and gets called beautiful, lol. Its all good though he is my little wimpy dude. I think for the time being the dog park will have to be put off. At least until I get him into those obedience classes, so we can try and figure out why he is like this all of the sudden, and the trainer can help. The place Im takin him has a behaviorlist who is supposed to be really good. Thanks again all. If you think of anything else throw it my way. Stay Fresh. -Dr.Greenthumb

Chevy gets daily exercise, wether it be a 1/2 hr to an hour walk or playing a game of fetch for at least a 1/2 hr. He knows lay down, sit, and shake. As far as cuddling goes, I give him plenty of that and so does the girlfriend. I do't know how to go about teaching him new tricks, basically how to go about it. I have read to not reward him for not completing it, but if we go for too long he loses interest. Any literature you could suggest? Respect. -Dr.Greenthumb

Greetings all. This is my first post, but I wanted to jump into this topic. I just adopted a 20 month male BC, named Chevy. Today is 3 weeks exactly and he is fabulous, I have always wanted a BC and finally got one! I met him at a dog park and he was fine being around other dogs, but now when I take him to a local one, he snarls at bigger dogs and leaves me fighting with a decision to take him to the dog parks or not. Mind you he hasn't done this to any small dogs as he now lives with two female dachsunds at the time being. Two days ago he got into a fight with a German Shepard within the first three minutes we were there. We never go in when its crowded, and now I just take him to a field where he can fetch the ball. He is very sweet and doesn't show aggression any other time. Anyone have any ideas on how I can work on this with him? He is great off leash, and his on leash skills have greatly improved since I've had him. I plan to take him to some obiedience classes in June, where I wish to get involved in agility afterwards. Any relationship building activities and training games would be greatly appreciated as well. Respect. -Dr.Greenthumb