Too many people think about how to make a dog NOT do something, like yipping. The trick is to teach them what TO do. When someone knocks on the door, my dogs know (the youngest is learning) to lie down 3 feet back from the door. I have big dogs, and it is way more scary and impressive when I open it to see those alert faces, Down, and staring, perfectly controlled, than it is to see me wrestling a monster back from the door, but, it's also hard for them to bark from that upright-Down position. By teaching the dog the right thing to do, Down, Here, you have made it difficult or impossible for them to do the wrong thing, yowl their heads off.
Before you ever tell a dog No/quiet/stop that - think about what the dog SHOULD do instead.
Don't leave food down. Pick a time, 2x a day, and food goes down for ALL dogs for 15 minutes and comes up.All right! my turn...
I have 2 rough collies, I love them to death. My younger (2.5 yrs.) female collie Rory is the pickiest eater I have ever owned. She just recently had a growth spurt and went from 55 to 72 pounds! And now, she's skinny againwe were just getting to a good body! and not being able to feel her ribs... I'm so disappointed. We feed Victor Hi-Pro plus Performance and victor chicken and rice canned food. our 11 year old male Auggie loves it and eats it every time. But Rory... well she just leaves it in her bowl for hours and sometimes leaves it all together. We exercise her for about 2 to 3 hours a day to keep her from going nuts. She just doesn't eat! She likes Orijen but mostly eats the raw bits out. I just want her to be big again... I don't have the money or time to feed raw but partially freeze dried may be an option.
She's such a pretty girl, I just want her to EAT! any advice?? Any help would be appreciated.
Make a routine. Have the dogs Sit, Stay while you prepare their food, then wait for a release word when you put the bowls down.
Doing these things makes eating a Thing We Do, and adds a bit of a competitive factor. If your older dog is happy, excited and scarfing down dinner, the younger one will want to do it too. If it gets taken away, they'll want it more next time.
Vary the diet. A raw egg today, a little splash of milk tomorrow, a half-cup of hot water the day after, a spoonful of yoghurt, a sprinkle of garlic powder (I know garlic is one of the things people currently freak over, however, for centuries, a pinch of garlic has enticed picky dogs to eat)
Try feeding raw part of the time. Chicken leg quarters - which are, conveniently, a collie-sized meal - regularly go on sale for less than a dollar a pound. Organ meats are often very cheap, and can be finely chopped and mixed with kibble if you don't want to make it a whole meal. Freezer-burned meats can often be had for free. There's nothing wrong with that but taste, and the dogs don't care.
@black_cat , Bernese are absolutely lovely dogs, but thanks mostly to the AKCs limited registration program, the breed will likely soon be extinct, as heart disease and defects are now rampant in the breed, and it is a rare one that lives to see 9.
