[NicStl]

Hello, my dog eats twice a day but he really loves food and I hate for him to be hungry a few hours before he eats, so I have given him a few Goldfish a few hours before he eats to help kind of tide him over. Anyway I was just curious, what are some other good foods that are easy on dogs' stomachs? Are any types of fruit good, or any kind of dry foods, etc.?

Also my dog is a Lab/Doberman mix and he is about 3.5 - 4 months old if that makes any difference. Also I don't feed him like a whole bowl of human food, just a couple pieces of goldfish or stuff here and there. I just want to know if there is anything possibly more healthier for him and easier on his stomach. I don't want to risk feeding him something that may hurt his stomach.

[flirtatioustara]

you know, i'd be quite interested in an answer for this too, because my pup is ALWAYS searching for food (im not exaggerating either!) he knows where its kept and keeps scratching the door and trying to get in there!

He has a few doggy biscuits throughout the day when hes done something good (as we're training him)

But sometimes i feel that im waiting too long to feed him (his usual times are 8-8.30, 1.30-2.30 and then 7-8pm) the breeder we had him off said to feed him 1/4 cup of the food we got 3 times a day until hes roughly 6months and then go to 2 times a day and then one.....are you sure they will be okay with that? its seems like they are going forever without food!

[opossum]

Be careful, every one of those obese dogs that can barely walk has an owner that always thought the dog was hungry. Dogs will eat more than they need to, especially if it's human food. If he's eating appropriate amounts twice a day then he's in no danger of starving. A few treats should tide him over fine. While you're at it, get the extra benefit of using the treats as training rewards.

[flirtatioustara]

oh right thanks..seems im doing right then, i NEVER feed Charlie human food, my uncle does it and his dogs have BADDD breath, pheww! they are soo cute (yorkshire terriers) but when they come to your face its like eww grab a sick bucket lol...and ive since heard its because they eat human food....plus i dont like the idea of him eating it, our food contains soo many preservatives and added sugars, etc, hes hyper enough as it is! dog foods been made for a reason!!

[briteday]

Why do you think they are hungry? Puppies especially, always seem hungry. IMO, part of it is that they have to compete for food while in the litter with mom. It takes a while before they lose that instinct of competition for food. Also, they can nurse on mom almost whenever they please. It is a lesson for them to learn that the rest of life is not a 24/7 chuck wagon.

I don't worry about my dogs being hungry. I even have a 7 year old dog that would eat the entire bag of dog kibble if I left it where she could get it.

That being said, as long as your puppy is growing normallly, ask your vet when you take them in for vaccinations, then I wouldn't worry about your dog being hungry.

I do give my dogs one or two treats each day, bite sized. When we had large dogs I might give 1/2 as milkbone biscuit after each meal. For my little dogs, a safe, cheap, and low cal treat is microwaved turkey hot dog chunks. I take a hot dog, split it lengthwise, take each half and split it lengthwise again, then cut each long 1/4 piece into 1/4" chunks. Spread the chunks on a paper plate and microwave ~ 2 minutes, until they are almost dried out. Keep in a dry place for up to a week. I use these as training treats as well as daily treats, but sparingly.
The hot dogs will keep in the freezer for a month or so. I just take them out as needed.
Giving your dog a few of these treats each day won't hurt. I keep a container next to the back door so I can reward our puppy when she doe sher business outside, but she's old enough that I only reward a few times each day now. But if you are feeding your puppy the suggested amount of food 3x/day (remember that the amounts on most dog food bags are grossly inflated as they are trying to sell dog food!) and they are gaining appropriately, then no worries.

In general, stay away from human food as stated in earlier posts. If you have a favorite dog biscuit that the dog likes you can break them up so that they are not eating a full meal just in training treats each day. But I have found the hot dogs to be less expensive and my dog performs her requested duties. Besides, if you take your puppies to training classes they will request moist treats only for rewards. Crumbs left on the floor will distract the other dogs.

[opossum]

Originally Posted by flirtatioustara

oh right thanks..seems im doing right then, i NEVER feed Charlie human food, my uncle does it and his dogs have BADDD breath, pheww! they are soo cute (yorkshire terriers) but when they come to your face its like eww grab a sick bucket lol...and ive since heard its because they eat human food....plus i dont like the idea of him eating it, our food contains soo many preservatives and added sugars, etc, hes hyper enough as it is! dog foods been made for a reason!!

I can't say that my dogs don't get any human food. We do try to keep it to a minimum, but they get some table scraps on top of their dog food. Once you start doing that though they will look at you like you're nuts if you only give them dog food. It's best not to start but it happens. We have two young kids and the dogs follow them around cleaning up the dropped gold fish, graham crackers, etc, etc. Not the best thing but it sure is handy

[flirtatioustara]

briteday... i guess i'd say i thought he was hungry because hes scratches on the door to the cupboard where his food is, tries to get into his bowl and scratches the hell out of it, even though its empty!...i dont know? maybes hes just playing, seeing if food will appear if he hits the bowl enough lol

opossum... lmao yeah, i can see why! as soon as we sit to eat our food hes jumping up on us and trying to eat our food...following us round the table lmao. but he gets nout! =P

sorry to NicStl, im taking over your thread =(

[NicStl]

Lol no I'm glad this thread could be a help to the both of us. I may still give em a goldfish or two cause they are baked and vey small, plus its one of the few treats he really likes. He just sniffs the science diet treats, doesn't even touch em really lol.

[briteday]

Depending on the dog, age, and size I have given things like carrot chunks, a soft dog treat but broken up into itty bitty bits so one 1' square chunk lasts a whole day, an ocassional dab of peanut butter (if you smear it on the roof of their mouth it takes forever for them to work at it!).

flirt...if the dog is pawing at the door with the food...are you feeding a quality product that keeps him fulfilled? If your dog is a pup and gaining properly on the rations you give him then correct the behaviors and put the food in a metal can in the garage. Eventually one day while you're gone or not looking, your dog will get access to the food and may eat himself sick. The neighbor dog ate so much that it had to spend 3 days at the vet. Don't risk it.

[CrzyBritNAmerica]

Also peanut butter in a kong does wonders for keeping a dog entertained! Bridgette loves it...although I'd suggest to anyone to spend a little extra and get some natural peanut butter because there is all kinds of crap in the non-natural one! Also I just got an email from the ASPCA that Peter Pan peanut butter is on a recall for making several dogs very ill...so beware of that (I didn't read the whole article because I don't buy that brand, but just a mini-warning).

Also I agree with briteday...what are you feeding the puppy? It may not be the right choice?

Briteday: How did you get your dog to eat carrot? I've tried, but she refuses! LoL. She rarely asks for many treats though. She has a few throughout the day, but that's it.

[opossum]

Originally Posted by CrzyBritNAmerica

Also peanut butter in a kong does wonders for keeping a dog entertained! Bridgette loves it...although I'd suggest to anyone to spend a little extra and get some natural peanut butter because there is all kinds of crap in the non-natural one! Also I just got an email from the ASPCA that Peter Pan peanut butter is on a recall for making several dogs very ill...so beware of that (I didn't read the whole article because I don't buy that brand, but just a mini-warning).

Where you been hiding
Just kidding, I don't keep up with news much either, but there is a major recall on Peter Pan and wal-mart brand (made by peter pan) because of salmonella poisoning.

[Chloef_2799]

We like to call Chloe mop sometimes because if we ever drop something on the floor she is right there to slurp it up and lick the floor clean hehe . She doesn't get much people food anymore only vegetables and the occasional piece of cooked chicken breast or fish (salmon or trout) cooked. She likes carrots, apples (peeled and only gold delicious or grany smith at that....shes picky) and she also likes pineapple. She likes rice also, especially the long grain wild rice that is chewy. She only gets little bits and only once in a blue moon at that (and by blue moon I mean like once a month). We fix a bit of rice and chicken or fish and put it into her bowl (about a cup or a cup and a half in total). And she gets carrots and apples whenever she wants because they are good for her.
Carrots are are great for dogs teeth, they keep them clean and alot of vetrinarians will tell you that they are good for doggy treats. You have to be careful ebcause sometimes they don't chew the carrots. I give Chloe little bits chopped up and watch her when she eats them to make sure she chews all the little bits properly. I also like to give them the occassional piece of cheddar cheese.
You have to be careful with people food because people food is usually very high in fat and can be very bad for dogs. For example cookies, french fries (VERY BAD!!!), some kinds of crackers (sorry to say but goldfish have alot of fat and they can be bad for doggies to if they have too many). And there are certain food that are toxic for dogs. Grapes, tomatoes, raisins, garlic, onions, chocolate and even certain nuts (macadamia) are bad for dogs and can cause kidney and liver failure and chocolate can kill dogs because of the chemical theobromine which will cause their heart to fail. Coffee or caffine and mushrooms can also make dogs very sick.
This is a good website for you to check out. It tells you what common food are bad for dogs and what kinds fo food you can give dogs and how much and even how to prepare it (if you are that attentive or crazy about your dog.....you know like me, hehehe!). http://www.starbreezes.com/11/foodsafe.html
I will add that Sadie likes all those foods as well and she gets the same amount as Chloe. You will notice that apples are on the list of bad foods, but it is the seeds that they cannot eat not the actual meat or fruit of the apple.

[CrzyBritNAmerica]

Originally Posted by opossum

Where you been hiding
Just kidding, I don't keep up with news much either, but there is a major recall on Peter Pan and wal-mart brand (made by peter pan) because of salmonella poisoning.

Wow, that is kind of pathetic of me!
But hey, I rarely follow the news (I know, I know it's awful!! But I hate seeing all that depressing stuff!), although I may have heard that one before and not paid attention because the Peter Pan brand has always kinda scared me!


(On a cute/happy sidenote: I was watching the news this week because they were going to show a story about a pit mix that looked a lot like mine so it caught my eye. I was so afraid they'd say it attacked someone and was being euthanized...but it was a good story (for once!). I guess a family had adopted this dog 2 days prior and the lady was out telling a friend how excited she was about this new dog when she saw the same dog on tv! I guess a family had actually lost their dog and the a newer person at the shelter had adopted it out by mistake!! They took it back to the family, who were very happy to have him back and the other people ended up adopting a different dog. It was a sweet story...anyway that's the kind of news I like!! Hehe.)

[opossum]

Originally Posted by Chloef_2799

We like to call Chloe mop sometimes because if we ever drop something on the floor she is right there to slurp it up and lick the floor clean hehe .

Whenever the kids spill some goldfish or other snack and the dogs are not already there, we just yell CLEANUP and here they come. One of ours is even so kind as to clean out the high chair for us. It's funny to see this dog body with it's front legs hanging off the ground pushing a high chair across the kitchen. And if you look into the chair you see a wide eyed sideways head moving around trying to get at every crumb.

[CrzyBritNAmerica]

Hehe yeah Bridgette is our vacuum cleaner too! Well she gets all the crumbs from under the table, but she isn't allowed in the kitchen so I have to actually use the real mop for that! lol.

[flirtatioustara]

well im feeding him pedigree puppy chicken and rice (dry food). its what the breeder gave us, and then we bought more.
Now mums heard of terrier meal, where you put a lil bit with his food, and its supposed to fill him without putting on weight.
so when she gets that today we will try that with him.

his food is high up in the pantry, so he wouldnt get it anyway..he just tries to get in there! although there are potatoes on the floor...i dont know if he'd try and get them, but the door is always closed unless we're in there, so i doubt he could open it himself, unless he could jump and turn the handle lmao!

thanks for the help...if hes still doing that after this terrier meal do you think i should consider changing brands? although i will have no clue what to get, im in the uk (incase u offer me names of brands i cant get lol) and i want to keep him on dry food!