im back !!! and replying to starving my dog!!

coliel

hi
my computer broke down !!!
i know my post has been locked and i dont want to up set any one .
i just wanted to let you all know that i dont starve my dog to be mean i do it as it is in my oppinion best for a dog!!
as for the top dog bit im sorry and i know alot of you dont believe in being the top dog but for me i think it helps the dog especialy when you have a few . in a natrel pack of dogs it is the top dog who has the best food and desides on when each of the lower members of the pack are alowed to eat!!
my fathers dogs have always been very good dogs and have never had some of the problems you hear of today.
i understand this isnt for every one but then it isnt for me to let my dog on my bed or give it prozac but it dosent mean that they are bad things to do !!
i am still intrested to know especialy from twig wether she thinks merlin who is nearly 8 months is to young ?
love coliel
ps i dont mean to be rude but can we try not to get into a raging debate!!!??
my name seems to domenate the locked threads !"!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
and the best part is i never even imagin some people would feel so strongly about my views!!!

carolmystic

Hi Coiel,
i missed the post about starving your dog, but just had to say i believe in being top dog, as you say if you have a few dogs you do need to be able to handle them. but i couldnt not feed them for a day. but thats my opinion.
i dont let my dogs on bed or furniture, always walk in before them, and when we are eating they have to lay down, usually in there beds, and as chap is 17 i dont think i have done too badly. as i say i didnt see the post so i am only going on what you have posted here.
carol

honeydlc

You naughty girl, getting all the locked posts Laughing

I don't think you're cruel, sometimes people have to agree to disagree on things, your views are just a bit more 'old fashinoned' than others that's all. I don't fast my dogs, and don't see the need, but sometimes Rosie fasts herself and won't eat for a day or so, Honey however would eat 6 dinners if she could, all dogs are different.
It would be a pity if the thread was locked again because it is a valid discussion point, so long as people don't get grumpy lol
Good to see you back Coliel XXX
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Georgia, Honey Bear, Rosie, Obi, Timber, Mia, Oscar and Mango XXXX

coliel

thanks!!
i do love this site as i do admit to being a bit old fashened and i have had some fantastic opertunitys to widen my knollage on here as i prefer info from real people aplying real things!
my fathers dogs always lived out side and they were for a purpose and they were all the happiest well ajusted friendly dogs who never had any ale ments!!
i try to adopt what my father dose but molding it to suit me as for example my dogs would always live inside and they dont have "jobs" but i want the best for them and my father is adament that dogs do best if they know their plase in the pack and miss a meal .
the miss a meal bit is for ther digestion system and keeps them healthy.
the reasen it is important to pick the bowl up and put it down empty is you want the dog to trust you and know that you are in charge and know what is best for the whole pack.
i think lotts of dogs mis behave because they cant cope with the responsability of being top dog.
i promis i dont miss a meal to teach him he better behave better!!! or to tease him etc and non of dads dogs ever looked sad or annoyed they hadnt been fed but were happy in the knollage that they were safe.
love coliel

clareabella

Hi, personaly i dont starve Diesel for a day then again i never heard of it before. I wouldnt do it either simply because he is used to being fed twice a day so i wouldnt want to upset him.

You however are simply following in your fathers footsteps, so each to thier own Wink

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littlelab

Can we all be careful here, as I don't want ot have to lock the thread, but this has already beeen discussed and everyone agreed to disagree Wink

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Natalie and Co xxx

nahatalie

I missed the starving bit too, but I'd like to share my opinions here aswell, and I'm being completely neutral as I don't even have a dog, these are just things I have learnt.

At uni, I did a course called "Horses, Cats and Dogs" and it was all about the nutrition, reproduction and digestion of guess what...horses cats and dogs! In this module, they did mention that for a dog in the wild, they would not necessarily feed every day. A dogs digestive stomach is designed to hold a large quantity of food as in the wild dogs might scavange or kill something really big together and they have to eat as much of the kill as possible in order to take away all the meat and prevent other animals eating it. The pack may not make another kill for several days! However, there may not be an absolute need to do this in a domestic situation, but I wouldnt object if someone did this to thier pet.

Also, as for being top dog, I think it is essential for the human to be top dog and I reckon you've got it spot on coleil. Has anyone watched the Dog Whisperer? It's an awesome program! The dog trainer guy goes around to people with problematic dogs and basically shows them how to be top dog and reclaim thier authority within the pack. Most dogs do not like to be top dog as you said, as they cant cope with the responsibilty. They respond much better with consistent boundaries as it makes them feel safe and they know what you expect of them. And after the dogs had assumed a lower rank within the pack, they all look so much more relaxed and happier as it is like a burden being lifted from them and they can get on with being a dog again!

coliel

hi
thanks for your possative input their nahatalie,
the course you did sounds intresting , would you know how old a dog should be to gain the best out of missing a meal each week?
as i said dad says 6 mths but merlin is 8 now and i havent started yet.
love coliel

nahatalie

I wouldnt know the answer to that I'm afraid, we didnt go into much detail about doing it to pets. I would guess it's best to wait until they are fully they toilet trained (missing meals might upset the routine of their bowels...) but i guess he is already toilet trained...to be honest, having no practical skills in rearing dogs im not the best person to ask! hope you get on alright!

hev_gsd

im not really sure what i think about the starving the dog thing,i think each to their own really.
i dont starve kia an tiger,kia usually gets fed around 7 mugs of kibble with 1 mug of tripe(or whatever i have in for them) and both kia and tiger are fed late at night as, if they are fed any earlyer they will both do the toilet in the house this why works better for me.tiger is fed twice a day,because chi's have a fast metabolism and they tend to get a bit shaky when they dont have 2 meals.but kia has only 1 cup of kibble and a tiny bit of tripe on a fri night because she has obedience on sat morning an i need her to work well in heelwork as when she has had a full meal the night before she isnt as bothered about working for a treat and because i dont use cruel methods of training there is no other way around this.
i couldnt give her nothing as i dont really think thats fair on her but that is just my opionion. Very Happy

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My goal in life is to be as good of a person as my dog already thinks I am!

coliel

hi
thats a good idea their to reduse the amount of food, and then feed it in treats - i use treats as i find it a good way of showing what is good behavior and i supose if you had an obese dog you could then carry on giving treats as long as you count them as part of their daily food amount.

nahatalie

As long as the treats don't become the main constituent of the diet for any animal. But you're right, it's a great idea to make the dogs work for a bit of their food, esp with dominant dogs, reminds them who boss is without having to show your authority physically (and by that i mean the owners body language, nothing cruel!)

Violette · Last edited by Violette on Thu Aug 14, 2008 10:35 pm; edited 1 time in total

removed by Violette

Hcollie85

My dads collies got fed once a day with the kind of food for working dogs

Heather
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coliel

hi
heather the idea of missing a meal to help keep top dog isnt quite what i meant!!
the missing a meal bit is for their digestion. the top dog bit is the picking up the bowl cleaning it and putting it down empty letting the dog know you havent just forgotten to feed him but rather chose not too - this is so that the trust betwean you and the dog isnt broken - a good pack leader makes sure all the pack eat when they need to the pack leader also eats the best bits etc, my father believes that a dog to be healthy needs to miss a meal but he also believes that a dog must trust you 100 %.
funnily enough i do the same things like you before feeding and i incourage my children to do so too - its good manners for a dog not to snach food and also showes the dog the kids are above him!!!!
like your self and as you know we do give breakfast - porrage (great stuff )
love coliel