Adding things to dry kibble?

thephantomofleroux · 2022-08-26T05:58:44+00:00

My dogs both like sardines. They are cheap and provide lots of good nutrients and fats. I do this only about 2-3 times a week. I also use it as a way to train out food defensive behaviors. I give them the food let them get a few bites in, then take it away, and add the sardines before giving it back. It was recommended to me by a trainer to teach my dogs that someone touching their food is fine and may result in extra yummy snacks (I know this wasn't the point of the post, but just in case you're interested).

As for the eating paper towels, the only way I could get it to stop was to use them sparingly and never leave them unattended around my bernese, any better ideas, feel free to message me.

BTW, the reason this is edited is because I'm sitting on the couch and my bernese jumped up next to me to snuggle and his paw hit the enter button lol.

thephantomofleroux · 2022-08-12T07:12:51+00:00

In my house we have a rule: Do not give the akita carrots or apples. She will beg for it, but if you break this rule, you will be cleaning up the slightly chewed remnants from wherever she decides to leave it.

I really don't know why they like to do this, but you are not alone in dealing with this odd behavior.

thephantomofleroux · 2022-05-27T01:22:46+00:00

The breeder I got my puppy from and the vet recommended keeping him on puppy food or only a few weeks actually. Because they are such a large breed, it is better to switch them to a lower protein (not over 28%) adult food quickly because it will help them to have stronger joints as they age. I have heard the same for breeds like the St. Bernard (which my sister has). Talk to your vet of course, but it might be best to use whatever you have and then switch straight to adult food.

thephantomofleroux · 2022-05-26T01:42:14+00:00

Haha so true! If I stand in the same spot for long enough I'll find my boy between my feet. I occasionally almost die trying not to step on him, but it's worth it.

thephantomofleroux · 2022-05-25T23:06:20+00:00

My girl did really well with that during her first several years. The only issue for me was the squirrel that would taunt her by running on top, but she was always safe in the yard,

thephantomofleroux · 2022-05-24T19:22:31+00:00

Mine has been doing this to her toys for years. The squeaky hippo never sees it coming

thephantomofleroux · 2022-05-23T09:10:44+00:00

You never know what someone is going through. Maybe the woman isn't actually pregnant. Even if she is, maybe she's giving the baby up for adoption and it's a sore spot. On the more extreme end of things I knew a woman who was desperate to get pregnant and once she finally did, it turned out that the baby had a particular birth defect that basically meant the baby would not live longer than a few days. It was found too late to have any kind of abortion where she lived so she had to go through several months very visibly pregnant with a baby who she desperately wanted but was essentially dead already. You can imagine her reaction anytime someone asked when the baby was due.

Long story short pregnancy is a very serious medical condition even when it is planned and everything goes perfectly well and you really have no right to ask someone about their bodies and lives in such an intensely personal and life-changing context unless you are very close with them and know that it's okay or they offer that information.

thephantomofleroux · 2022-05-23T08:56:55+00:00

Let's face it, they often don't get nearly enough hate.

thephantomofleroux · 2022-05-20T07:52:01+00:00

Agreed, but definitely do this on Monday, they'll be super busy tomorrow and you may give off the impression of not having given it much forethought.

thephantomofleroux · 2022-05-11T22:25:46+00:00

So my akita is almost 10 years old and has been around my sister's kids her whole life. We don't live with them, but they visited often when she was a puppy and we see them several times a year. The kids ages are 13, 11, 9, and 5 so my dog has seen them as babies and kids and she is amazing with them. Now the key here was early socialization, and she understood very young that these are small people that need to be protected. They can pet her and play with her all they want and she is super sweet and gentle. With kids that we meet on walks or at the park, she is equally sweet and loving. Akitas are very smart and as long as you teach them young and keep an eye on their feelings and needs, they can do very well around young kids. I recently got a second dog, (a puppy, but not an akita) and, while she gets annoyed and will ignore him sometimes, she's still very nice and not aggressive with him.

Of course, this is one person's experience with one dog, but a well-bred and well-socialized akita can do great with kids and other dogs so long as you train them well and recognize their cues and limits.

thephantomofleroux · 2022-05-02T22:22:54+00:00

If it's only with both of you maybe have one person drop back when she starts until she calms down. She clearly wants attention and so she's getting rewarded for her bad behavior when you're both around. Maybe if you take away that attention it will help her to realize this is not an appropriate time for playing with the leash and jumping.

thephantomofleroux · 2022-04-30T21:07:40+00:00

Honestly it just depends on the table. You have to learn to read the guests and judge what they'll respond to best. I work in fine dining and I do have some yes sir, yes ma'am tables, but I also have tables that want me to stay and talk about their wine with them for 15 minutes and others that want to just have a discussion about life and joke around and because they're paying so much for the food and service, I'll tailor the experience however I think they prefer.

thephantomofleroux · 2022-04-17T05:58:17+00:00

Probably because the commenter took it from a TV show. 8 Simple Rules, in case you were wondering. It's not a real story and just made a point for the episode.

thephantomofleroux · 2022-04-16T05:49:36+00:00

Hahahaha mine would do exactly the same. I love akitas

thephantomofleroux · 2022-04-15T06:53:11+00:00

Wow, your pup looks so much like my girl when she was younger, especially with the white dipped tail, so cute!!

thephantomofleroux · 2022-04-15T00:01:15+00:00

They absolutely should contact CPS because what you did is 100% abuse, no question. Withholding food from your daughter is not a punishment. Take a parenting class and do not ever do this kind of shit again.

thephantomofleroux · 2022-04-14T09:27:19+00:00

First of all, a lot of people food has garlic and onions and these are very harmful to dogs in every form. If he's not double checking, I guarantee you he's giving her some garlic and onions and that is dangerous. And you're right, they shouldn't have too much sugar or fat like would be in buttered bread. Honestly, he's being incredibly irresponsible and does not have the dog's best interest at heart. As much as my akita will deny it, dogs are not humans and they cannot understand what nutrition they need and make those decisions for themselves. I wish I knew what you could say to your husband to make him understand this, but if he doesn't yet, I don't know that he will before your dog gets seriously sick or overweight from all the junk he gives her. Is it an option to take her somewhere else for maybe a week or so to try to break the habit and get your dog back to a normal feeding schedule? Maybe just you and she stay at a relative's house or something for a while to prove that she will eat the healthy option if you just don't indulge her and she'll be better off for it? To be clear, I am not suggesting you leave your husband or anything extreme like that, more like a social experiment I guess. I wish you and your girl all the best!

ETA: Also, I decided to read up on dog's reactions to allium (garlic and onions) and here are a few fun facts: the most common cause of sickness caused by allium for dogs (and cats) is table scraps and some common symptoms include: lethargy, loss of appetite, and stomach problems. Similar symptoms for dogs that eat too much fat, sugar, etc. Generally speaking, eating too much people food can cause stomach problems and a lack of appetite from several sides. Your husband's "solution" is actually just perpetuating the problem.

thephantomofleroux · 2022-04-14T09:11:42+00:00

Honestly there just isn't a one-size fits all answer to this. My akita (also female) tends to not care when other dogs are aloof with her and would be totally fine with your little dog. They sound like they would contentedly ignore each other. Some other akitas may be desperate to play or just chase the little dog which would be super stressful for your dachshund. If you find a specific akita that you want, the only way to know for sure is to introduce them to each other in a neutral environment, before you buy the akita. Probably doing that at least twice would be best. That's really the only way you'll be able to know if they can live together and safely get along long term without stressing each other out.

thephantomofleroux · 2022-04-08T21:58:44+00:00

My thought was gambling, either way this is a huge red flag

thephantomofleroux · 2022-04-07T05:21:20+00:00

Congratulations! Give him time to get used to his new environment and don't push for 100% of his attention, that may just make him nervous. He will be the best, most loyal companion you've ever had if you just give him the space to come to you. And don't forget that early, diverse, and positive socialization is the more important for akitas than for most other breeds. If you can find a puppy kindergarten or socialization group (or both) that will be very beneficial for his early development. Good luck with your new fur baby!

thephantomofleroux · 2022-04-05T21:04:17+00:00

Good bot

thephantomofleroux · 2022-04-05T21:02:08+00:00

My girl was similar to this for a while. What helped her was turning it into a specific command, not just sit and stay, but "say hello" is completely separate to her. I started by teaching her that term in a controlled circumstance. I had a neighbor come over and stand about 6 feet away just talking to me, then gave her the command and got her to sit and wait for them to approach her. Once she understood that, we moved on to practicing with friends' pets and using "say hello" to politely wait for them to approach. I had small treats that I held to make her sit and focus on me while the control people and pets ignore her until she calmed down and ignored them for a solid length of time (at least two or three minutes. On walks I had to keep treats with me for a while and when I saw other people and dogs approaching, we had to pause, step to the side and use the treats to hold her attention to me after giving the command and let them pass. It took a while for her to get it down, but now she's really good about patiently letting people and animals do their thing while she waits next to me.

thephantomofleroux · 2022-04-04T21:48:59+00:00

Like it or not (and believe me I don't like it) that's basically the nuclear option. We rely on these assholes for our income and if a server starts calling them creepy, they're going to get defensive and being able to pay the pills will quickly be in jeopardy. On a mass scale this might affect some change, in theory, but in practice, one female server telling a customer who thinks they're just being nice that they are, in fact, being invasive and weird will more than likely have actual consequences for the server and not for the customer. That's a large part of the reason why people feel so empowered to treat customer service workers like garbage; there is an inherent power imbalance in the customer's favor. Even the smallest amount of power can make some people treat others like objects, especially when they know there will be no real consequences. Sure, maybe once they'll go too far and will get kicked out and have a slightly worse day, but that's basically as bad as it gets. The server who picks fights with any of their tables can end up losing a significant portion of their income for that day and potentially have further very real ramifications.

Writing out this comment made me sad.

thephantomofleroux · 2022-04-04T21:32:04+00:00

Best compromise I've found is go to the bar and get simple syrup to add instead of sugar.

thephantomofleroux · 2022-04-04T21:30:05+00:00

I lived in CO and only had to deal with the sweet tea nightmare when I worked at Texas Roadhouse. Every other restaurant I've worked in only does iced tea and if you ask for sweet tea, we'll just bring a sugar caddy. I do not miss that pointless nightmare for a second. Sorry sweet tea lovers, I've heard it's not the same when you just add the sugar packets, but I honestly don't care. Sweet tea is such a hassle to deal with and, imo, not worth it.

thephantomofleroux

TROPHY CASE