Hi All! Well I went and done it now. I volunteered at the local shelter on my spring break vacation and this big dog girl fell in love with a little male smooth fox terrier mix pup.

I'm trying to think this through in my mind if it will work with my situation. I'm reading through the info on introducing dogs, reading up on his breed, making a mental list of what supplies he would need, and his diet. I'm probably overthinking this whole thing and if I am please tell me...I know you will.

Any additional advice to Ed's article on introductions to Vashti would be appreciated or any other thoughts on adding a second dog. I want to confirm on the diet. He's probably about 15# - he can eat the same things as Vashti correct? Can he eat a chicken back? Or should I stick with chicken necks, cornish game hen parts, smaller rmb's?

No decision made but I want to have a general game plan in place. He'll probably get adopted before I feel comfortable in making my decision but I guess as long as he gets out of there and into a good home that's the main thing.

Any help appreciated.

Little dogs are fun.
The only thing I'd think about in a fox terrier is that they tend to last a LONG time.

Yep, little dogs can eat the same things as the big guys.

Whole chickens are entirely edible for dogs of that size.

A smooth fox should be able to chew through a chicken back. If not you only need to smack it with a meat hammer to help him out. Use a scale to get used to the smaller amount of food.

If you can find a copy of Competitive Obedience training for the Small dog by Barbara Cecil and Gerianne Darnell it's worth it's weight in gold on trouble shooting small dog obedience.

Otherwise with a little common sense clauses little dogs are pretty much exactly like big dogs.

Thanks all!

Mitzi is 8lbs. She eats chicken backs, necks, turkey necks cut into 1.5" lengths, pork riblets and can handle the 2 smaller joints of a chicken wing. The larger joint gives her trouble and she will chew off both the soft ends and leave the middle, so I don't feed them any more (I don't want her to swallow too big a piece).
Good luck with the adoption if that's what you decide!

When you feed a chicken back; is that their only meal for the day? Just thinking if I'm feeding 2-3% body weight that's about .4# and one chicken back could .5#?

Cut the chicken back in 1/2.:wink:

Then you can feed the other 1/2 the next meal, or feed whatever you want the next meal.

Well that seems logical told you I'm over thinking things. Thanks

Buy a good pair of scissors, and you can cut through any bone in a chicken and make the parts into meal size portions.

The whole fryers I buy work out perfect for Turbo. Give or take an ounce, a leg, thigh, wing, and 1/2 back weigh about 3 oz. each. Then the 1/2 breast can be cut into 3 more 3oz. pieces.