how much rice and chicken?

dakotajo · 03-30-2009, 01:14 PM

Dakota hasn't been eating her dog food much since training her with hot dogs so I thought I might add some chicken and rice to her kibble. What kind of rice is best? and how much of this should I mix in her dog food? She usually eats 3.5 cups of dog food a day [9 months old] any info would help

right now I'm lucky if she's eating 1 cup of food

Westhighlander · 03-30-2009, 03:09 PM

None. Don't cater to her finickiness. Stop giving her treats until she learns how to eat on your terms.

dakotajo · 03-30-2009, 03:12 PM

hmm that's kind of hard when at training they use treats

Westhighlander · 03-30-2009, 03:18 PM

Use her kibble for treats.

DobManiac · 03-30-2009, 03:28 PM

You could also try something calorie free like carrots. They have a natural sweetness, but your dog won't absorb any calories from them. That way it shouldn't interfere with meals.

But i agree with Westhighlander. If you start catering to the dog now you are setting yourself up for long term problems.

By the way, how big are the treats you’re using?

Willowy · 03-30-2009, 04:09 PM

I wouldn't fuss about it. Either she's getting too many hot dogs (how much does she get at each training sesion?), or she's going through a period of not growing very much. It seems to happen around that age. She might only NEED 1 cup a day of her kibble right now. Unless she starts looking emaciated, don't worry about it.

dakotajo · 03-30-2009, 05:00 PM

she gets about 1 hot dog at training [no bun

] I try to make them small pieces but she likes nibble the fingers too, the trainer suggests holding that one little piece for a bit but I think she's learning if she gets too greedy with my fingers too I say NO and don't proceed until she takes it nicer. I think you may be right though in her growth slowing down because when she was having a spurt she ate treats, dog food and anything!

Westhighlander · 03-30-2009, 05:25 PM

What kind of dog is she?

dakotajo · 03-30-2009, 06:32 PM

she's a Bernese. She likes carrots some but likes to chew them up and spit them out

Westhighlander · 03-30-2009, 08:10 PM

Pretty big dog, seems like even if her metabolism is slowing down she should be eating mote than 1 cup.

poodleholic · 03-31-2009, 06:46 AM

How about switching from hot dogs to Natural Balance Food Rolls for treating during training? It's much healthier nutritionally, and you can slice and dice it up into very small pieces, which is what you want for training treats. I've yet to meet a dog or cat who doesn't love it (don't call it doggie crack for nuthin'! LOL).

Some other things you can add to the kibble are low fat cottage cheese, in which you mix some fish oil (another favorite of every dog/cat I've fed this to), sweet potatoes, or sardines in olive oil.

I poach chicken breasts with garlic, then shred the meat with a fork while still warm. I often will then cook the rice in the broth from the chicken. I use brown rice, but, white rice is ok, too.

trumpetjock · 03-31-2009, 07:25 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Westhighlander

Use her kibble for treats.

Please don't do this. The vast majority of dogs get very little reinforcement from their regular kibble. Keep using your treats, but do NOT give in to any additions in her meals. Put the bowl down, give her 10 minutes. If it's not gone, she misses that meal. Period.

Dogs are built to be scavengers (or hunters if you so choose that theory, but it doesn't change the outcome), and therefore have body systems that are more than capable of going days and days without food with no adverse side effects. There are even alot of very trustworthy dog people out there that purposely fast their dogs once a week claiming health benefits from it.

She'll learn that she needs to eat her kibble. Now, if she goes for more than like 2-3 days without eating any kibble, I would bring in a stool sample to the vet and see if she has any GI problems. Alot of dogs when they are sick will stop eating their regular food but still snarf down treats.

Westhighlander · 03-31-2009, 05:07 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by trumpetjock

Please don't do this. The vast majority of dogs get very little reinforcement from their regular kibble. Keep using your treats, but do NOT give in to any additions in her meals. Put the bowl down, give her 10 minutes. If it's not gone, she misses that meal. Period.

Working for food is a universally accepted enforcer. Keep them hungry and they will treat kibble like liver treats. I regularly use kibble for enforcing as do many positive trainers.

"Each morning, measure out your dog's daily ration of kibble and put it in a handy container. (If your dog puts on weight, measure out less kibble each day and exercise your dog more. If your dog loses weight, measure out more kibble each day.) Throughout each day, use some kibble as lures and rewards for training, and stuff the remainder in hollow chewtoys." From Ian Dunbar's site. Here is the link if you need proof.

http://www.dogstardaily.com/training/food-critics

rosemaryninja · 04-01-2009, 06:51 PM

Hate to break up the off-topicness, but I really am looking for the answer to this question. I need to feed Honey chicken and rice today because she's been throwing up. How much should she eat? She is a 33lb Beagle.

Westhighlander · 04-01-2009, 07:46 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by rosemaryninja

Hate to break up the off-topicness, but I really am looking for the answer to this question. I need to feed Honey chicken and rice today because she's been throwing up. How much should she eat? She is a 33lb Beagle.

Usually you will want to start slow, so give her about 1/2 cup and see if she holds that down. After a few hours if she is doing well give her another 1/2 cup and see if she can hold that down. The idea is just to restart their system. If she is doing fine then I would just feed her as much as you would normally. So for me I usually give my dog the same amount as I do kibble in total.

marsha=whitie · 04-02-2009, 08:58 PM

I've read that grains aren't nessicarily good for dogs because they can't digest them...

Binkalette · 04-02-2009, 09:25 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by marsha=whitie

I've read that grains aren't nessicarily good for dogs because they can't digest them...

True, but of all the grains, rice is the most digestible.

Kathyy · 04-02-2009, 09:48 PM

I'd go even slower on the rice and chicken. Try one spoonful first and wait a half hour. Owie tummies need to take a break. Sassy gets 1/2 pound hamburger and 2 ounces of raw rice cooked together with too much water so it is all mushy, she is about 42 pounds. Probably be the same amount for your dog as chicken is lower in calories than hamburger.