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Pili

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    Georgia

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  1. I actually make my own. The sodium content in commercial brands is why I won't feed it to my family.
  2. Thanks for the advice guys. I'll try putting water in his kibble tonight and I have some home-made chicken stock I can add to his water.
  3. See I think this is the issue right here. He has come a long way, but he shuts down when stressed. I actually do keep water in his crate, but again. He will drink nothing until DH and I are in bed and the house is quiet (the crate is in our bedroom). The bowls are metal and he has never had any reaction or aversion to them before. Health wise, he is fine: gaining weight, no illnesses, nothing. The issues are all in his head. It has not helped that since we had wind storms come through here this week ripping down trees, the neighborhood is full of landscaping crews cutting up the wreckage, but this started before the storms, they just seemed to have exacerbated it. Desertranger: I'll try your suggestion. Maybe he just needs to be taught that it's OK to drink outside. As for indoors, I just don't know what to do other than keeping water available. Melanie: I know it's not funny but I needed that last line about Solo closing the lid...sigh.
  4. He is only drinking about two cups of water a day, and sometimes not even that.
  5. As the days are getting warmer I am worrying more and more over how little water Indy drinks. Food and water are the only really concerning issues I have about his health. He is coming around to realizing we are his forever home, but I have never seen a dog drink so little water. My previous dogs (a Great Pyre and a Schipperkee) both drank quite a bit. The Pyre would go through a gallon a day by herself. She didn'lt like drinking (or eating) when away from home unless she absolutely had to (she would never touch the water at the dog parks). At first I though Indy was the same way and would just need some extra time to adjust to us and his new home, but it has been almost three months now and he will only drink one bowl of water in a 24 hour period, if that and never during the day. He will go all day without drinking water, even if he is sitting next to the bowl. He only drinks at night, and by then I am pretty sure he is dehydrated. Also, he is 9 mos old and will only eat once a day (at night once he is in his crate). At first he would eat twice a day, as soon as I put the food down, but after a while he stopped eating his morning meal, and now he will only eat once we are all in bed. I wonder if the fact that I have started training him with tasty meat treats has put him off his kibble. He used to love it. Now he looks at me like I am depriving him when he sees his food bowl. I feel like I am rambling, but basically has anyone else experienced this type of eating .... disorder? Did I cause this or is it just him? I have tried only leaving the food out for twenty minutes and then taking it away, but he ended up not eating and I couldn't stand it, so now I just leave it out until he is done. He does eat it all and he is gaining weight. Any insight would be appreciated.
  6. I am also currently reading The Other End of the Leash and Control Unleashed. Both books have been helping immensely in helping me rehab Indy (he is a shut down dog). I saw Culture Clash at the bookstore the other day, so that is probably next on my list.
  7. Have you considered getting an already trained working dog and a puppy that the older dog could help train? If you have never had a collie and would be learning to handle one yourself, it may be worth the investment of getting one that could teach you how to do it right.
  8. Name: Indy, as in Dr. Jones Nickname: In, Muttly, Scary (3 yo DD calls him this), Cute (2yo DS calls him this), Baby
  9. I am not as experienced with dogs as others on this board, but what about articles about integrating a dog into the family. I think too many people think of dog ownership as just getting another gadget. They don't seem to realize the importance and responsibility of bringing another living being into their lives. It is one of the prime reasons our shelters are so full. You could write about all the different ways including your dog in your family life makes for a better dog and a better life. It may also make others think twice about the reasons they are getting a dog and maybe help them pick the right kind of dog.
  10. Beautiful girl! I am not one to scold as we too were "just looking" when Indy came into our lives.
  11. LOL! Do you know what "mensa" means in some spanish speaking countries? THICK IN THE HEAD!
  12. I have not experience fostering any dog, let alone a half dozen pups, but as the owner of a small child fearful dog I do have a suggestion. See if some of your dog savvy friends have toddlers that are gentle. Get them to come play with the pups - a lot!
  13. So, Indy has been with us for seven weeks now. He is opening up slowly and is definitely relaxing around DH and I. He is even starting to take curious sniffs at other adults (kids are a different matter). My question is this. When we go out in public his is still very skittish. I really want to get his training going because now that he is not afraid he is showing signs of boredom. I am reading training books and trying positive methods on him for the basics. I cannot afford a one-on-one trainer, but I could probably swing group classes. I just don't want to pay for something only to have him too stressed to do anything. I am ordering the "Control Unleashed" book. Is the DVD set worth getting so maybe I can try to do this myself or at least get him to a point where he will focus enough on me that he can ignore his surroundings. He appears to be quite well socialized with dogs, it is the people/place that is the issue. Any advice is appreciated.
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