Lucky my dog not fetching any ball?

**Mummy2ThaliaAndHaylie** · 29-09-2007 18:55

We got a dog who is 2 years old name Lucky our Staffy x from people that already had two owners but the first owner that had her was very absive to her

and ever since the last owner before we had her they never tought her to fetch and whenever we tried to teach her she gets scared of it.What can I do to make her fetch the ball I already tried to put dog buscuit in the ball but it doesn't work because she is fussy eater so she wouldn't fetch it with the buscuit.What can I do about that as well to stop her from being fussy?Because we can only afford the Aldi's one

but I think she could eat the other proper brand ones like Pedigree and ect but we haven't tried yet with any other good brands because of the money problem(even though we try to feed her everyday and try to last til our next pay)and she only eats food is whatever we eat and not dog food.
The vet said as well that she has to mostly eat dog buscuit then the dog cans becuse we always feed it to her only everyday at night time when it's dinner time so then it will maybe last more longer then the dog cans and it will give her diahorea?(sp?)

**Grizabella** · 29-09-2007 19:06

Aww poor puppy - I honestly wouldn't try forcing her to fetch. At least not until she is fully aware that you aren;t going to do anything to her. The sudden actionof throwing the ball may be scarig her.

I would just play with her gently give her lot's of cuddles and pats.

Have you tried dog meat roll? It isn't too expensive, and she may prefer it. It is more like human food, and better then the stuff from cans. other then that I am not sure what you could do, except maybe use human gravy on the biscuits? May tempt her.

Good luck - and give her a cuddle for me

**SorenLorensen** · 29-09-2007 19:12

not all dogs fetch...if she does not like it and is scared of it then i would say dont do it. if she is new to your home she may already be a bit iffy and doing something that scares her would not really be a good idea..
try other games, my dogs have never fetched but i still have fun running around with them

with the food...pet food rolls are good, if she is not eating biscuits it might be because she is either fussy and does not liek that brand or it could be that she is not use to them....try buying a small bag of good-o's but the chewy ones...if she eats these then it might be the hardness of the other biscuits and with that you can either add some water of gravy to soften it up.
personaly i dont like to give my dog all out left overs becuase i dont feel a dogs stomach is made to cope with the **** that we eat, but i do give my dog raw bones with meat on them that i get from the butcher....a grocery size bag cost about $3 or $4 (they are cheap because they are just cut offs)

**subaruforestermum** · 29-09-2007 20:12

Originally Posted by flick83

not all dogs fetch...if she does not like it and is scared of it then i would say dont do it. if she is new to your home she may already be a bit iffy and doing something that scares her would not really be a good idea..
try other games, my dogs have never fetched but i still have fun running around with them

with the food...pet food rolls are good, if she is not eating biscuits it might be because she is either fussy and does not liek that brand or it could be that she is not use to them....try buying a small bag of good-o's but the chewy ones...if she eats these then it might be the hardness of the other biscuits and with that you can either add some water of gravy to soften it up.
personaly i dont like to give my dog all out left overs becuase i dont feel a dogs stomach is made to cope with the **** that we eat, but i do give my dog raw bones with meat on them that i get from the butcher....a grocery size bag cost about $3 or $4 (they are cheap because they are just cut offs)

Totally agree about the food....

I have found that our Mastiff X (who is only still a pup) doesnt really like to fetch with a ball either, so we dont push it! She prefers to play with one of those cloth frisbie type things! It is made with heavy rope, then a canvas attached to it, so its like a frisbie, but also a tug toy...she loves it as it doesnt bounce up at her, which seems to scare her! So maybe try a different toy...

In reguards to the food situation, I really feel for this dog....maybe you should consider giving this dog another home! I know money is an issue for a lot of people, and this is why they should not own a pet if they can not afford to keep them...Please do not take personal offence!

Alternatively have you tried making up some food...which is cheaper by far than cans!

You can make up dog food, you can buy chicken mince for $1 a kilo at Leonards, buy white rice in bulk, add vegies, egg for protein and make up some food, and it will last for quiet a while! And is cheaper than buying the cans of food!

**Mum2Tyla** · 30-09-2007 11:33

Hi,
my dog does not fetch either, it is not a big deal I would leave it and not try push the issue, in regards to food a dog will not starve itself, they can go a week without eating, you should keep offering the sme food every day leave it out for 1/2 an hour if the dog doesnt eat it take it away and offer again that night, dogs are designed to eat a very stable diet and dont tend to do well with changing it all the time some dogs are worse than others, most cheaper supermarket brands of food such as black and gold etc are poor quality and filled with fibre and dont give much nutrition, so they need to eat alot more to get what they need which means they poo alot more, if you feed a better quality food it will last longer, also raw mince vegies etc are good but make sure you give some raw marrowbones to chew on for their teeth or they can have dnetal problems, good i can dribble on cant I
Kelly
PS well done ofr giving a neglected and abused dog a home, they are hard work

**Mummy2ThaliaAndHaylie** · 01-10-2007 14:09

Originally Posted by subaruforestermum

Totally agree about the food....

I have found that our Mastiff X (who is only still a pup) doesnt really like to fetch with a ball either, so we dont push it! She prefers to play with one of those cloth frisbie type things! It is made with heavy rope, then a canvas attached to it, so its like a frisbie, but also a tug toy...she loves it as it doesnt bounce up at her, which seems to scare her! So maybe try a different toy...

In reguards to the food situation, I really feel for this dog....maybe you should consider giving this dog another home! I know money is an issue for a lot of people, and this is why they should not own a pet if they can not afford to keep them...Please do not take personal offence!

Alternatively have you tried making up some food...which is cheaper by far than cans!

You can make up dog food, you can buy chicken mince for $1 a kilo at Leonards, buy white rice in bulk, add vegies, egg for protein and make up some food, and it will last for quiet a while! And is cheaper than buying the cans of food!

Sorry but we are not like that to give them away because of the money problem because we are so attached to them that we don't want to give them away so we try our best at least to feed them as much as they need and everyday.

And I am not trying to force my dog to fetch it was just something probably to take time for her to do because the other owners didn't teach her to play like that so I just wanted to see other peoples opinions and my opinion is that I do feed the dog everyday and we don't treat our dogs the wrong way for no reason like some other people do.

And I didn't get offended because that is your own opinion and I have a opinion too so everyone says different things for things.

**subaruforestermum** · 01-10-2007 14:23

Originally Posted by Diana Nguyen

Sorry but we are not like that to give them away because of the money problem because we are so attached to them that we don't want to give them away so we try our best at least to feed them as much as they need and everyday.

And I am not trying to force my dog to fetch it was just something probably to take time for her to do because the other owners didn't teach her to play like that so I just wanted to see other peoples opinions and my opinion is that I do feed the dog everyday and we don't treat our dogs the wrong way for no reason like some other people do.

I feel sorry for her for what she is going and has gone through... (It is a shame that she is like this with food, and was treated the way she was previously), is what I meant by feeling sorry for her!

I regards to giving her a new home, I can understand that, its just that you made the comment about how hard it is to feed them, due to money problems, which is why I said it!

I was also not the one who said not to force her to fetch, I gave my situation with our pup, and explained what we tried instead! And suggested a different toy but the same game!

I also not implied that you treated your dog badly, I just said, that in my honest opinion, if you (meaning people in general) cant afford the expenses of a pet, people in general should not have them....There are alot of people who cant afford pets and keep them and dont treat their pets badly...so it was in no way intended for you to interpret it as an insult on how you treat your dog. You are obviously worried about her, so its clear you are not a BAD owner...

I also gave you an alternative to canned food, which works out a lot cheaper for you...

So please dont be insulted, you asked for opinions, I gave mine, and in no way was it nasty! Nor did I imply you were a bad pet owner!

Cheers

- just thought I'd clear that up with you

**Mummy2ThaliaAndHaylie** · 02-10-2007 16:06

Ok then fair enough.

**samken** · 02-10-2007 16:25

Hey Diana Nguyen

My dog is a bit of a fuss pot and very timid and shy (he is a blue heelder/kelpie you would think otherwise) but he does know how to fetch. I also look after other dogs who haven't been taught to fetch, I found if you have another dog who can set an example and he can play with then they suddenly understand what you are trying to say. Once they can see the point (ie it is fun) they actually start picking up the meaning. If you have a dog play area and a friend with a similar age nice dog you may be able to give it something to appreciate and enjoy. Also never underestimate the pleasure of 'beach heaven' I've yet to meet a dog that didn't fall apart with joy when given the opportunity to play on a beach.

As for food, my dog is not a fussy eater but a controlled eater, ie he eats when he wants to eat and how much he feels like. Even a juicy bone which he just loves could be buried if he isn't ready for it. All I do is always have a bowl of proplan or ecanubra and water out and throw in the occassional bone or scrap and he is happy. The proplan and ecanubra (yeh I can't spell it) are expensive in the short term but if you buy a big bag it lasts three months and if you do the math you will find that you have saved a huge amount of money over all other types of dog food. I actually worked it out in the beginning and was amazed.

Some dogs can control their diets so don't think your dog is odd, my dog's brother is useless when it comes to controlled eating, if it is there he eats.

**DivinelySophistimicated** · 02-10-2007 17:07

We found the dogs cost alot to feed. This is what we buy for our pups (we have 2) for a week.

4 big cans of dog food (works out cheaper then 7 small)
2 pkts of no name spiral noodles
a bag of dog biscuits
a few eggs

We put some biccies in their bowl crack an egg on top then put some boiled pasta and half a tin of dog food...

It seems like alot of work but it saves us around 7 dollars a week.