Two questions. 1 food aggression and 1 raw diet portion

[musicdeb]

Hiccups are normal. Give her time, he's stressed with the change in environment. Relax...he will start to eat. As long as pup is drinking water, going potty normally and playing normally, he is ok.

 

[corsotx]

Thanks Musicdeb!

Update - Day 5 - Lunch and Dinner

Still not eating much. Maybe about 300g of chopped chicken thighs hand fed. His "Leave it" command does not actually work because I feel that it is weird to have the dog to drop the food that they are eating. Isn't it?

What I did was I put another piece of meat next to him where he is eating the other one and gave the "leave it" command and then kept feeding another meat. He responded really well and didn't mind me touching him everywhere including the meat that he is eating.

Also, I noticed that when he does not want to eat, he will put the meat on the floor and tried to bury it with "imaginary leaves/grass", lol. How should I respond to this?

He is doing very well so far with no aggression when hand fed. How long should I keep feeding him by hand?

 

[musicdeb]

OMG! I'm so sorry, you're telling him to "leave it" with the meat? Telling him to leave the meat alone is counterproductive, IMO.

Tell me step by step exactly what you do when you hand feed him.

 

[corsotx]

Update Day 6

Puppy hiccups every meal. Drinks water and potty just fine. However, doesn't eat a lot. Instead of eating, puppy still tries to bury the food.

Detail approach:
1. Put puppy in crate
2. Put into SIT position
3. Hand feed raw pieces of chicken thigh and drumsticks
4. Put meat on near paw but closer to me giving a "leave it" command. Puppy is not allowed to take it.
5. Immediately, keep feeding the pup raw food. Pup understood that the piece that is one the floor near to me not allowed.
6. Pup only eat with my "ok" command off my hand.

Is it alright?

 

[musicdeb]

He's bury the food to save it for later, it's typical of raw feeders in the beginning. Titan used to do the same thing when I first started raw diet with him.

It appears your routine is working for you. Has the wife participated in the feeding?

 

[DMikeM]

Sounds like you are getting some improvement. I am not a fan of chicken backs unless you are feeding a breast too. The chicken leg quarter, (drum, thigh and hind back) is about the perfect bone to meat ratio. Then I like adding some other meats like ground beef or chunks of pork and an egg. With the leg quarter I just separate the drum from the rest and feed as is. Chopping it to smaller peices takes away that chomping part of the program and can lead to gulping down food and causing hiccups.

 

[corsotx]

Update day 7

The hand feeding advices is working. So far so good. It seems that chopped pieces of food might be the cause of hiccups. However, I'm probably going to maintain this until my wife is comfortable with the puppy. We will slowly increase the size of the chopped bits.

The puppy just barely finishing a chicken leg quarter. He seems slimming down. He is age 13 weeks. His potty and drinking is normal.

 

[musicdeb]

Dramatic weight loss? If yes, then add some raw ground beef to his diet. Start with a small amount and then increase as you see his system is handling it.

 

[musicdeb]

How's pup doing?

 

[corsotx]

Update Day 10

Hi Musiscdeb, thanks for checking on us. I apologise for not being to update as we are working on the crate training at the same time.

So, here is the the update.

As mentioned, the pup wouldn't take more than 0.4 lbs per meal when it is chopped. Therefore, I started increasing the size of the chicken and now he is eating a leg quarter of chicken which weighs about 0.9 lbs which should work out around 2.7 lbs. It is still short of about 0.5 lbs or so based on 2-3% of 150 lbs adult ideal weight. We will start adding other meat in it to increase his desire. It took the him around 17 mins to finish a quarter.

Also, as said, the other issue that I am having with him is that he cries a lot when in crate. It is not separation anxiety as he does fine in the pen which is attached to the crate. He just seem to hate the crate a lot. The breeder did crate trained the pup for about 3-5 days prior me getting him. FYI, the crate that was used by the breeder is way too small for him. I do not know how he was being trained by the breeder. Anyway, I am feeding him in the crate and giving the ultimate treat only in the when he voluntary goes to the crate. But as soon as he gets his treat, he wants out. He would prefer sleeping at the corner of the pen.

Right now, I am writing just next to the puppy while he is in the crate. I gave him treats in the crate and immediately sat next to the opening and blocked his way out. He barked/whined/tried getting out for about 15 mins. He finally gave in and now he is sleeping in it (We just at 10 mins of walk and burst running hoping he wouldn't give a fight).

I will now leave the door open and get out of the pen. Is there anything that I should be doing to make it right so that he would love his crate. I am definitely not sure with my approach just now where I blocked his way out.

 

[corsotx]

Oh well, he left the crate immediately when he sees that I am out.

 

[musicdeb]

Give him time, he will get used to the crate. Are you using the crate the breeder used? Did you purchase a bigger crate for him? What do you have in the crate?

If you want to block him in the crate, close the door.

Having the pen connected to the crate is too enticing for the pup, either allow him to remain in the pen or detach it. He's used to the pen and the freedom of movement and the pen can be used instead of the crate until he gets bigger. It is better to crate train and use the pen at other times.

Sounds like the feeding is going great. Consistency is key.

 

[corsotx]

Give him time, he will get used to the crate. Are you using the crate the breeder used? Did you purchase a bigger crate for him? What do you have in the crate?

If you want to block him in the crate, close the door.

Having the pen connected to the crate is too enticing for the pup, either allow him to remain in the pen or detach it. He's used to the pen and the freedom of movement and the pen can be used instead of the crate until he gets bigger. It is better to crate train and use the pen at other times.

Sounds like the feeding is going great. Consistency is key.

Thanks Musicdeb, you have been very supportive.

Regarding the crate training (I have never crate trained before), I will/ should remove the pen and set it up at another location. Then, leave the crate door open?

1) the pup would definitely not going in unless I feed him there. Should I close the door immediately?
2) I could lure/motivate the put into crate. How long should I keep him there? I understand that it should be brief and extend the length periodically.
3) should I leave the pup there and move to another room or sit next to him?
4) When not in crate, where should the pup be doing? Wandering around on-leash?
5) I bought him a crate that has divider and it is a very comfortable size, not too big that he can potty but not to small that he can't stretch. Definitely, can't put his water bowl in their. So, if the water is not in the crate, does that mean that he should not be in the crate for long period of time? (right now the water bowl is in the pen and he sleeps near the water)

 

[musicdeb]

Regarding the crate training (I have never crate trained before), I will/ should remove the pen and set it up at another location. Then, leave the crate door open? Yes, leave the door open so he will become comfortable going in and out of the crate. When you want to crate him, put a treat or piece of meat in the back of the crate to entice him to enter. Once he enters, praise him and close the door.

How often did you want to crate him during the day? How long?

1) the pup would definitely not going in unless I feed him there. Should I close the door immediately? Yes
2) I could lure/motivate the put into crate. How long should I keep him there? I understand that it should be brief and extend the length periodically. Keep the pup in the crate for as long as you want to crate him. For example, if you want to leave the house to run errands or go to work.
3) should I leave the pup there and move to another room or sit next to him? Where is the crate? The crate should be in a area close to the family.
4) When not in crate, where should the pup be doing? Wandering around on-leash? Allow the pup to check out the house and move about freely. Keep on leash while he's learning to accept the leash or when guests come into the house. Do you have small children in the home? If so, leash the pup when they are playing. Do not allow small children on the the floor with the pup because he will think they are playmates. Puppies play by biting, nipping, growling and barking.
5) I bought him a crate that has divider and it is a very comfortable size, not too big that he can potty but not to small that he can't stretch. Definitely, can't put his water bowl in their. So, if the water is not in the crate, does that mean that he should not be in the crate for long period of time? (right now the water bowl is in the pen and he sleeps near the water) Do you allow him to potty in the crate? He should be trained to potty outside only, not in the crate and not on pee pads.

If you cannot put water in his crate, then "no", he should not be in the crate for long periods of time. Pups at all ages should have access to clean water at all times.

Hope that helps.

 

[corsotx]

Thanks so much Musicdeb. I will start proceeding according to the suggestions. It is very reasonable and I can't agreed more. I will start putting more carpets on the floor as my living is tiled.

 

[musicdeb]

Thanks so much Musicdeb. I will start proceeding according to the suggestions. It is very reasonable and I can't agreed more. I will start putting more carpets on the floor as my living is tiled.

Your welcome. Keep me posted on his progress. BTW, what is the pup's name? Can you post a pic?

 

[corsotx]

 

[corsotx]

Sorry the crate picture. I will edit it when I'm back at the computer.

Anyway, I have removed pen and left he crate opened as attached photo. The pup never enters without treats. Also, wouldn't drink water that is not located in the crate.

 

[corsotx]

Double entry

 

[musicdeb]

He's adorable! What breed is he? A Cane Corso mix?

That's ok that he will not enter crate without treats, he's in training. It's ok he will only drink water not located in the crate. When they eat raw diet, they do not drink as much as they would if they eat dog food. You have to train him to drink water in the crate but I would wait until you get him comfortable with the crate.