Have our very first Yorkie

[bettyeanne]

Originally Posted by Higgin's Mom

Oh yeah....the grass is always greener.....other dogs' toys are always better....the other guy's food is always better......the next door neighbor's yard is better to poop in......

Dogs really do covet!

Another thing I learned "the hard way" as a new Yorkie owner! Every time Toto showed the slightest interest in anything new ... stupid me would buy a year's supply [I like to have things on hand]! I was hauling more food and treats across the street to Missy than they could use!! I still have several large bags of "Charley Bear" treats ... even Missy won't eat those!! I now just let Toto enjoy the "green grass in other yards"!!

[Higgin's Mom]

Oh yeah....been there, done that, worn THAT T-shirt!!! LOL

And speaking of over-supply, why don't they make smaller bags of puppy kibble for small dogs??? Especially the natural organic stuff with no preservatives! I've noticed that the dogs interest in their kibble has a lot to do with how old the bag is, even though we seal it well.

[fasteddie]

Wow, I thought it was only Yoda that would take a piece of kibble, and fling it around with his teeth, then chase it down and chomp on it. What was that about playing with your food? :P

[stormchaser]

Roxee doesn't seem to like just the kibble and eats very sparely if that's all she has but if we put alittle chicken flavored babyfood she eats like a pig. Infact i've worried about were she was gaining to much weight but the vet says she looks like she's doing great even though he does tell us the samething about getting her off the babyfood. So it looks like we've spoiled her bad on the babyfood we've been adding to her Science Diet. But it is much better to see her eating well and being so active rather than seeing her barely eat anything the other way so i guess we have a uphill battle to get her off the babyfood. I do have one question to ask though about why its so important to get her off the babyfood. She only gets about a teaspoon and a half of babyfood with each meal, from reading the label on the babyfood she's really not gettting very much from it so why is it so important to get her off it. If anyone could tell me why babyfood is so bad for the little ones i would appreciate it very much.

[Luvmypupster]

Before I got Mia and Bentley was an only child I really had a problem with him not eating his food as it became "old" . It took him so long to eat an entire bag I finally started freezing half the bag and placing the other half in a plastic storage container in the refrigerator. He di so much better after that. Now that I have 2 dogs I don't need to freeze it but I still keep it refrigerated. Those Natural Balance dog food rolls smell so good I had to tell my husband "this is dog food, don't eat it!" I use them for treat, just carve off a little sliver and they love it.
Stormchaser, I think the reason I would take your baby off the baby food is becasue she is having tummy problems. Some dogs react differently to foods other dogs may be fine on. Also giving dogs human food can sometimes create a picky eater, add on extra weight, cause allergies, etc. How much food do you feed her each day, these little dogs don't really eat very much and sometimes people think they should be eating more than they are. As an example: I put out 1 cup of fresh kibble each morning (thats for both of them) Mia and Bentley sometimes eat the entire 1 cup but most days I end up throwing leftover food away..I'm guessing they eat between 1/4 to 3/4 cup combined on most days. That's not very much for 2 dogs. Maybe your pup is eating enough and it just seems like so little to you.

[bettyeanne]

Originally Posted by Higgin's Mom

Oh yeah....been there, done that, worn THAT T-shirt!!! LOL

And speaking of over-supply, why don't they make smaller bags of puppy kibble for small dogs??? Especially the natural organic stuff with no preservatives! I've noticed that the dogs interest in their kibble has a lot to do with how old the bag is, even though we seal it well.

THAT is something that absolutely needs to be addressed! Even the Royal Canin Yorkshire 28 is 3 lbs.! Don't they know that it will take Miss Prissy Paws a year or more to eat 3 lbs. of kibble?? I wonder how it would react to being frozen?? I freeze the Natural Balance in serving sizes for 1-2 days serving in little freezer zip loc bags [at first I froze the 1 lb. roll ... needed a saw to cut it! ] Would the guys consider that a "mod"??

[Higgin's Mom]

Bettye and I were chatting about the amount of food they eat not long ago. They really eat so LITTLE! My vet said that a full grown Yorkie should eat a TOTAL of about 1/4 cup of food a day. If you measure that out, it's really not much at all.

I've always had trouble with portion control! And when you meet me, you'll notice that!

[bettyeanne]

Luvmypupster ... thanks! you answered my question about freezing the kibble while I was posting [watching TV out of the corner of my eye! ]. I will definitely try that. Isn't the Natural Balance great ... Patrick tasted it and says it tastes like "summer sausage"! Toto loves it cut in tiny little pieces and she does love a little tad of sour cream, parm or grated yellow & jack cheese sprinkled on it!

Stormchaser ... If you have to take Roxee off the baby food and she has to have something to encourage her to eat her dog food, you might try a little plain yogurt or some of Toto's faves mentioned above! I don't know about the baby food unless like Luvmypupster said ... because of the tummy trouble she already had. We gave it to Toto and she scarfed it right up but she didn't have any problem other than she was just plain spoiled and we made a picky eater of her!! She soon got tired of it and we tried other things.

Higgin's Mom ... After I began to monitor the quantity Toto was eating per day ... looks like probably 3 Tablespoons plus her kibble if she wants it! I just keep it there for her and sometimes she nibbles a piece or two, rarely she gobbles some of it ... most days she just tosses a couple of pieces around and eats it later!!

[bettyeanne]

Originally Posted by fasteddie

Wow, I thought it was only Yoda that would take a piece of kibble, and fling it around with his teeth, then chase it down and chomp on it. What was that about playing with your food? :P

We weren't allowed to play with our food as kids ... wonder if you could make a Yorkie sit in the corner? Toto does that a lot .... tosses everything up in the air! I heard something hit the wall in the den [BIG thud] and when I went to investigate ... Toto had tossed a golf ball against the wall!! How she picked it up is beyond me! Have to take it away from her so she doesn't "boink" herself on the head!!

[Higgin's Mom]

I've been thinking about calling up the Red Sox and letting them know about Higgin's pitching abilities.....Or perhaps he could fire some touchdown passes for the New England Patriots?

He tosses everything! When he gets bored and we won't play, he throws his own ball!

Seriously, the tossing behaviour is part of the breed. Our dear, sweet, darling little dogs that we take such good care of, are actually bred to kill RATS! And they DO that by tossing those rats in the air and snapping their necks!

In Earthdog Trials, the terriers burrow down a 9" tunnel where there is a small cage with RATS in it. They are judged on how energetically and well they burrow and "work" the rats when they get there. They don't actually get to get their teeth on the rats, but they are supposed to have a "kill the rat" attitude. I decided I don't want Higgins to do that.

So the next time you see your little darling toss something....it's a rat.....

[bettyeanne]

Originally Posted by Higgin's Mom

In Earthdog Trials, the terriers burrow down a 9" tunnel where there is a small cage with RATS in it. They are judged on how energetically and well they burrow and "work" the rats when they get there. They don't actually get to get their teeth on the rats, but they are supposed to have a "kill the rat" attitude. I decided I don't want Higgins to do that.

REAL live RATS??!! And Toto's Mom doesn't ever want to even watch those Trials in person!! Besides ... Toto is so Prissy she ... would probably just say something like "Higgy, Dahlin' would you be a gentleman and fetch me a rat!"
Cutest "ballgame" I have seen ... Austin [our 5 year old athletic prodigy] had noone to play baseball with one day ... I went outside to check on him and he was just standing there tossing the ball up and batting it into the yard and there was Missy [Border Collie] catching each one ... trotting to Austin & dropping the ball at his feet then trotting back out there waiting to do it again!! They did this over and over until I had to "call" the game!!

[Higgin's Mom]

ROFL!!! The visual in my mind of little Toto, all dressed in pink, with her parasol perched overhead.....and Higgins in his best black silk bow tie (he has one, too) offering her this dead rat on a silver tray.....red wine, do you think?

[fasteddie]

Higgin's Mom: guess they don't know about Yoda! He eats probably two very small scoops of Royal Canin a day, plus some chicken (usually the meat off one full drumstick when he gets it). We use small teabag coasters (I think you are supposed to put teabags in em) as our 'scooper'.

bettyanne: it'd be soooo pathetic to see a Yorkie in the corner, with tail tucked between their legs and a sad, "It wasn't me!" look... I couldn't bear it, I do sometimes yell at Yoda, but I feel bad when I do, and usually I have a reason (like not wanting him to run into the street). At least that's what I tell myself. The only discipline I really have is not giving him any of my food.

Wow, a GOLF BALL? Can she even fit that in her mouth bettyeanne??? I think perhaps she took a mini club and stood up and swung it when you weren't looking. She's practicing to be on the YPGA (Yorkie Professional Golf Association) Tour... :P

[bettyeanne]

Fasteddie, Toto just has small amounts too although we do let her just have a little bowl of Royal Canin "at her disposal". Now if she starts "disposing" of the whole bowl in a day ... let the "rations" begin!

Sounds like Yoda gets about the same punishment as Toto! The only time we have ever raised our voice to Toto is if there is immediate danger! And also, one of us never has a problem with having to tell her no about food .... however .... one if us, who occasionally sneaks her something, gets the "Yorkie Stare" every time he sits down to eat!! Seriously, Toto will sit on my lap and never ask for a bite while I eat!!

I have NO idea how she picked that golf ball up but ... she won't get another opportunity!! I had forgotten that thing was even in the bottom of her toy box .... when she was really small she would roll it on the floor and play with it but I NEVER dreamed she would be able to toss it!! I have found that if there is something that she REALLY wants to do ... she finds a way to do it!!

[fasteddie]

Creative little soul that Toto is! Heheh... Yup Yoda never asks me for a bite (though if I am eating alone, he WILL try for about 30 seconds before he gives up). He's too smart for that. He clearly knows who the suckers are.

Unless Yoda is really hungry, there's always some dry food leftovers. He knows how not to overstuff himself on that, but chicken and other meats, he knows it's a treat so he scarfs it down like a Yorkie alone on a deserted island!