 My typical day involves checking if my bowl of nibbles is full and throwing the bowl around to gain attention if it is empty. Then I move on to sitting and looking intently into mum and dad’s eyes, during dinnertime, waiting for my serve. If mum forgets about dinner, this is why I have dark eyes and a long nose, I can stare intently at her with a serious face, and as soon as I have her attention, I turn sharply and point my nose toward the kitchen door. She usually gets the message. I have even helped with a nudge or too, giving her a gentle push toward the kitchen door. Sometimes I rush over with enthusiasm and tell mum, I love her (flattery gets you everywhere), and then do the stare into the eyes, sharp twist of neck toward the kitchen door, fixed stare at the kitchen ,.repeat the procedure if necessary, and I am usually most efficient at organizing on time meals in this house.  Indigo's training commands, to her humans. I have an important role to play in mum’s healthy eating plan; I volunteer to eat chicken skin when she will not. Then I require my ‘good girl’ rewards. I do after all contribute to the household economy as a professional writer, dog blogger, enough to pay for my own bags of ‘Schmackos’, these days. Anyhow, mum has not been very nice about all this lately. She is calling me names and making nasty threats to me. Names like ‘NIBBLER, BEGGER, FAT DOG and GORMET GUTS’ and she has not only threatened to, but she has cut back my allowance of chicken skin and my Schmackos servings, and tells me to accept it or it will be best weight loss products not leftovers for me to vary my diet. L She told me to look at these descriptions and see if I recognise myself in any of themL. Gee whiz, it is scary reading; they all describe me, though my mum has never allowed me to eat sweets, not that I have not asked for them. At four years old, I need to watch my weight now, to protect my joints later, if I want to be able to chase ball for years to come. I am glad mum is looking after me after all.  Type I: THE NIBBLER: "But doctor, she hardly eats a thing." (My first thought is that whatever she is eating, it is too much!) This pet probably has food out for it all day and nibbles a little at a time. When dinnertime comes and the pet picks at the left-overs, it will take the choicest morsels, leave the rest, and still appear not to have eaten very much. However, over a 24-hour period, "THE NIBBLER'S" total calorie intake is excessive and it gains weight. Hardly eats a thing, eh? Type II: THE BEGGAR: "But doctor, this rascal won’t keep quiet unless she gets her treats. And she won’t go to sleep at night until she gets her little dish of ice cream." What has happened here is that the pet has discovered that the more noise and fussing it produces the more likely it is to be rewarded for this behaviour. The owner finally "gives in" to keep the pet quiet and the pet sees the food as a reward. In effect the owner is training "The Beggar" by rewarding its behaviour. It turns into a fun game but the pet’s health may suffer if obesity is the result. Type III: THE GOOD DOG: "But doctor, she’s such a good dog we don’t want her to go hungry." This pet became overweight because the owner’s signal of affection for their pet has focused on feeding. (Usually each family member secretly offers treats to the pet...and does not know the other family members are doing exactly the same thing!) It is an understandable trait but unfortunately, for the pet it can be a case of too much of a good thing. The owners' method of showing affection should be directed more toward physical activity than feeding. Think, "FETCH" not "FOOD"! Type IV: THE GOURMET DOG: "But doctor, she just refuses to eat dog food." In this case, the pet has trained its owners to feed it such things as chicken, liver, ice cream, cookies, etc. Although most table scraps are just fine to feed, ((stay away from bones) http://www.thepetcenter.com/imtop/bones.html of any kind!) this pet has been given a choice of what it wants to eat and has chosen certain people food. If a child is given a choice it would probably choose cake and candy over vegetables, and its health would suffer. This Gourmet Dog usually overeats because it is not getting a proper balance of nutrition, plus everything tastes so good there is a reward factor in eating. The solution is . . . you choose, not your pet. Comments Your comment will be posted after it is approved. Leave a Reply | Follow me on Facebook, Kathy Shell
Indigo tours Australia reviewing Dog Friendly Caravan Parks.
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