First I would like to say thank you to all of the suggestions and advice on here.

Second I would like you to know she is feeling completely comfortable now. In fact, I think her licker is broke. She licks me when saying hello and each lick has a different meaning, much like barking. She licks my feet when I feed her and after every treat, so shoes are becoming popular in the house. She licks my arms when she wants a rub on the head which is constant and if I didn't live in FL I would probably buy long sleeves. She licks your hands and face if she wants you to wake up and she will also try to pull you out of bed with her teeth. If that doesn't work she resorts into a high pitch wail that will pierce the ears especially on those like myself that have hearing issues. I personally think this is all funny. Especially, the eating. One bit mommy needs a lick. Two bites mommy needs a lick. Third bite mommy needs a lick this goes on until the food is gone. And yes she will run back and forth through the house to ensure that you have received your lick. If one person is up in the house then she has taken it as her personal duty to make sure everyone else gets up as well. Which is cool for school I say sweatgirl go get the boy and she promptly runs in and wakes him up. BUT at 4am when my husband has to leave early she still wakes everyone up. lol

Housebreaking I don't know what to say. I have done as I've been told and now she feels totally comfortable with peeing in front of us so much that she will stop squat and pee in front of us no matter where she is! I'm not finding this amussing and the more we take her out the more she uses the house. The only way I can take her out more is to stay outside and never enter the house.

Bathing is being left to the groomer because I'm the one getting wet and she somehow manages to stay dry.

She has stopped gaining weight and this concerns me greatly. She is eating two bowls full of food daily and treats such as bones from the butcher shop but even then she doesn't seem to want to eat as much? Tried yogurt and she turned her head up to that and looked like a little kid being given a bowl of spinach topped with liver and onions. I'm buying Ensure today to try, vanilla flavor. She won't eat bread but loves to play with it!

Her new play is getting into the garbage. She doesn't eat anything she just likes the boxes and bottles and takes them out while dragging the rest of it across the floor. She has more toys than any dog I have ever seen. She has pull toys, ropes, socks and old shoe, balls and a her own stuffed animal so why is she tearing up my garbage? The more I say no the more she wags her tail. Am I that non threatening?

Good news! She is getting much better with walking on the leash and will even run out of the house and stop when I hollor for her. Now she won't come back to me but she will stop. I think she thinks it is a game. BUT she is not running off as before!

The crate is a great device that she enjoys jumping over and sitting on top of but getting in no way...no way at all! I tried putting food in there. I tried shutting the door with dog bones in there. I tried putting her stuffed animals in there and her bed, which made her cry. So I took it out and put it back in her "spot".

And last but least she hides my shoes, don't know why, but she hides them, she doesn't tear them up so I have started locking them in a storage bin along with my husbands and my sons shoes. So now she drags the storage bin across the floor and rest her head on it.

Last her new "name" is sweat girl because she likes that better. She responds to sweatgirl everytime where as Marley Girl only part of the time.

Hope everyone is well today!

PS I'm dyslexic and invert words and I think I'm having big issues this morning with that so if pardon the above mess.

 Quote:

She has stopped gaining weight and this concerns me greatly. She is eating two bowls full of food daily and treats such as bones from the butcher shop but even then she doesn't seem to want to eat as much? Tried yogurt and she turned her head up to that and looked like a little kid being given a bowl of spinach topped with liver and onions. I'm buying Ensure today to try, vanilla flavor. She won't eat bread but loves to play with it!

Michelle, are you weighing her food out so you know exactly how much she is getting? You say two bowls of food, but that doesn't say how many ounces?
For a growing puppy, you want to make sure she is getting between 5-10? of her body weight in food daily.
http://leerburg.com/feedpups.htm
The above link will help you see these figures.
It helps greatly to weigh out the food to make sure you have the right amounts.

You are feeding a raw diet right? I just wasn't sure because you said She is eating two bowls full of food daily and treats such as bones from the butcher shop but even then she doesn't seem to want to eat as much
You are feeding consumable bones like chicken necks and backs?
Just to be clear, the butcher shop bones are recreational bones and are for chewing only, and would give no calcium/phosphorous,
like the chicken bones provide.
Also, check this out, from LB feeding dogs page:

 Quote:

Foods to Avoid:

1-Chocolate

2-Do not feed a dog any sugar. Sugar increases a dog’s chances of getting cancer. Sugar is made when dogs eat things like sugar beets, molasses, grains or dairy products

3-Dogs do not require any grain in their diet; they have no nutritional need for it. Carbohydrates from grain are simply not needed. Our pets get their energy from fats and protein. Grains break down into sugar which can grow yeast, produce mucous and may contribute to a multitude of problems including skin allergies, cancer, digestive upsets and skeletal disorders to name just a few.

4-Do not feed any kind of yeast. This includes brewers yeast. Yeast increases problems with allergies. Our pets have no need for yeast.

5-Do not feed dogs milk or dairy products. Dairy products turn into lactose in a dog’s body. Lactose is sugar - this only causes problems with allergies.

6-Do not feed unhealthy treats (the store-bought biscuits). Never feed cooked bones, this includes steak bones. Cooking bones makes them brittle and they then splinter when eaten.

I would NOT feed your dog ENSURE, it is completely un-necessary and will have lots of sugar, milk etc.
Bread is off the list too.

That said, glad you are enjoying your pup and having progress with her.

Yes I'm sorry the bones are for chewing only it helps her to have something to do and she chews on boxes which is why she gets in the garbage the bones are for fun only.

I've giving her about 1lb and a half of food daily from the raw food from the butcher shop plus I mix in a dry food. She runs and plays a lot. I split it into two servings. For treats she likes puparoni and I give her cheese. Usually, about 1/2 of a stick of cheese string every few days. The pupparoni my son gives her daily, one to two sticks. I will give her a awr chicken leg and or neck etc...when I'm making chicken but she just seemed to stop gaining weight. Her chest plate is still sticking out and that bothers me greatly.

If not ensure can you suggest something more than what I'm doing?

PS even with cheese I buy organic.

 Quote: Michelle Bell

Yes I'm sorry the bones are for chewing only it helps her to have something to do and she chews on boxes which is why she gets in the garbage the bones are for fun only.

I've giving her about 1lb and a half of food daily from the raw food from the butcher shop plus I mix in a dry food. She runs and plays a lot. I split it into two servings. For treats she likes puparoni and I give her cheese. Usually, about 1/2 of a stick of cheese string every few days. The pupparoni my son gives her daily, one to two sticks. I will give her a awr chicken leg and or neck etc...when I'm making chicken but she just seemed to stop gaining weight. Her chest plate is still sticking out and that bothers me greatly.

Ok, well for starters, you should never mix dry food (kibble) with a raw diet. They have different absorption rates, and could allow bacteria to grow in the gut causing a whole host of digestive problems.

It is imperative that you feed the right amount of RMB's for the necessary calcium/phosphorus needs of a growing puppy.
What exactly are you feeding, in ounces of RMB's daily?

She recieves 3/4lbs of raw food in the morning. She also likes carrots which I cook in butter for her or she will not eat them. She will pick through them. I have not been successful in getting her to eat any other vegetable.

At dinner she gets 3/4lbs of raw food mixed with..http://www.karmaorganicpet.com/products/default.asp?id=1503 because she will NOT eat any vegetable but a carrot and that is not everyday ...she will pick them out and skip them on most days.

She will not eat salmon oil, she does get vitamin E oil tablets opened and poured out on her food and will only eat it if she doesn't see me putting it on there or she will skip it. She will not eat any other fish oil if on her food. It will sit until I throw it out.

She gets one new doggie bone every two days and cheese as mentioned above as a treat.

Raw food is as follows: ground meat the butcher shop uses to make dog food...left overs of lamb, beef, chicken and or pork. I try to ignore the pork factor because we do not eat pork in our home. It also consists of any chicken necks, liver, heart and or skin that I remove from the chicken when I cook it. She does get the bones, raw but not every day...simply because my child will not eat the chicken if it's not on the bone...I don't know why but that is the way it goes. But the chicken bones I would say she receives 3 times a week. As well as salmon skin, every couple of weeks when I cook fish and lamb bones. All uncooked.

The dog bones I get are cut with the marrow in them and a good bit of fat or left over meat on the sides, they cut it that way just for her and put it in the back for me. I go in every two days or I would never have enough dog food. She loves, loves her bones mostly because she likes the sound of the bone hitting the floor. She picks it up and drops it, wags her tail gives it a lick and then does it all over again. I throw them out every two days and replace them with a new one. She does eat the fat, meat and the marrow first.

This is her diet in completion and she is bony! She does not have worms or anything like that. She has been to the vets he said increase her food intake. She is active and overall happy.

Ok. Michelle, I truly think that you should abandon feeding raw, and just feed your pup the Karma kibble you have.

The reasons why is because if you are going to feed a raw diet, you HAVE TO feed Raw meaty bones daily, not just every couple days.

This is beyond confusing to me:

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It also consists of any chicken necks, liver, heart and or skin that I remove from the chicken when I cook it. She does get the bones, raw but not every day...simply because my child will not eat the chicken if it's not on the bone...I don't know why but that is the way it goes. But the chicken bones I would say she receives 3 times a week. As well as salmon skin, every couple of weeks when I cook fish and lamb bones. All uncooked.

I am not saying any of this to make you upset in any way.
But a growing puppy really needs a lot of balanced nutrition for growing healthy.
This diet as it is now, is not balanced, especially in the RMB's category.

I am worried when you say that your dog is bony. I don't believe that your pup is getting the proper nutrition as is.
While feeding raw is not difficult to do, it must be done in a certain way for puppies so they don't have major insufficiency. .

I agree with Joyce a million percent.

"Raw food is as follows: ground meat the butcher shop uses to make dog food...left overs of lamb, beef, chicken and or pork. I try to ignore the pork factor because we do not eat pork in our home. It also consists of any chicken necks, liver, heart and or skin that I remove from the chicken when I cook it. She does get the bones, raw but not every day...simply because my child will not eat the chicken if it's not on the bone...I don't know why but that is the way it goes. But the chicken bones I would say she receives 3 times a week. "

This is not appropriate for a growing puppy, who needs the digestible bones (nothing to do with recreational bones) that "come with" the dead prey.

Scraps of boneless meat from the butcher plus this: "any chicken necks, liver, heart and or skin that I remove from the chicken when I cook it" are not a calcium-phosphorus balance diet, and this is a growing puppy. A puppy is laying down bone, growing teeth, and more -- all of which requires that the diet be based on RMBs. That would mean either actual poultry with all the bones included, or cheap parts of it that replicate the entire bird (backs, for example, with a little muscle meat added). That boneless butcher stuff would be appropriate as the added muscle meat -- not at all as the diet's basis.

We are thinking only of the puppy here. A raw diet can be pretty cheap and easy, but this one as stated is not at all appropriate for a growing puppy. I'd fix this asap before the pup has porous bones and bad teeth.

eta
" .... you should never mix dry food (kibble) with a raw diet."

Big ditto.

Edited by Connie Sutherland (10/02/2010 10:13 AM)
Edit reason: eta