Quote: Connie Sutherland

I am very pleased and surprised that Tom Lonsdale answers emails from strangers. He must be as cool as his book suggests.

I just emailed him on a whim and was very surprised to get a reply. His book has got me wanting to try whole carcass feeding. I've been scopin' out some Turbo sized whole carcass like feeder chicks, mice, quail, baby rabbits, etc.

Under exercised would be the last thing that I would have thought, but I have been doing the same amount of exercise since the weight loss. 3 extra lbs. on a small dog is a lot. He probably does need alot more. Thats almost a 20% weight loss if I'm doing the math right. That amount would definately be reason for more exercise to keep him sane.

Michael, it does sound as if he's just bored and needs stimulation, mental and physical. I would not send him away for even a day, it would unsettle him more.

You said "It seems like he is constantly let down during our time together because when I get up to go to the bathroom or kitchen he jumps up thinking we are going to do something." If that's irritating you (and it's understandable!), he's picking up on that. I think dogs, out of their uncertainty to our reaction of a certain behavior, escalate that behavior. IMO the reason they do that is because of insecurity (based on you being irritated). Am I making any sense? It's still early AM and have only one cup of coffee under my belt.

Maybe you need to help break that cycle. How well does he know the "down"? Could you use the down to keep him down when you get up, walk a few feet away then call him to you? At least this way you'll be the one initiating and controlling his response to you getting up. Then of course, half the time after you call him, you could do some basic obedience with him in the house.

Whole LIVE food: scatter some birdseed or chicken feed around your kennel or yard & very soon you'll have so many MICE running around that you won't have to buy any DEAD animals for the dogs (!!!) Catching the critters also builds canine prey-drive & provides mood-elevating exercise <:-)

(No, this post is NOT a joke...)

Thanks Sandy. You made a lot of sense. It has been kinda irritating. I think anticipating his behavior and giving a sit command and then releasing when I want should help him to stop anticipating me.

Candi, that would be tons of fun for my dog and for me to watch, but I don't even have to ask to know that my lovely wife would KILL ME! It was hard enough to get her to let me give my dog poor little baby chickens. Sounds like a blast though.

Baby chickens!? AHHHHH!!
Poor little wee chickie babies - has your wife been able to bring herself to watch the mad scramble? I remember the olden days, when wildlife shows never showed the predator ripping apart and eating the prey. They showed chases, but never the ensuing, how shall I put it, carnage? At least I don't remember that part, maybe as a kid I shut down when I saw it Seems now those documentaries show E-V-E-R-Y thing. My son tells me I'm a wimp, says that's life in the jungle, aka the real world.

Maybe later if you remember, you could post a follow-up. Oh, and I wanted to address the part where you said "Should I initiate training, exercise, or play when he is mopey? The past 2 weeks it has been kinda hard to catch him at a time that he wasn't. I have been afraid to do too much with him while he is in that mind set because I didn't want to reinforce it, but like I said it's hard to find a time when he's in a good mood." My feeling is this: we don't want to reward bad behavior, but in my mind I don't see being mopey or depressed as bad behavior and don't believe you would be reinforcing it if you play or do whatever with him. Towards the end of my previous GSD's life (Sierra pic below), she would mope cause I had curtailed her exercise and her outings for a couple of weeks cause she was sick and tired easily. But then I realized she would rather be out even for a walk 3 houses down than to be laying around the house, so that's what we would do and it refreshed her. It made her happy. I think it's about lifting their sweet spirits when they're depressed. Kind of like what they do for us.

Hey, just to clarify: it's good for my Akita, but I don't consider it a "blast" personally -- Lure-coursing with my Borzoi is more my speed (when he kills the lure, there's no blood & death-cries!)...

 Quote: sandy moore

Baby chickens!? AHHHHH!!
Poor little wee chickie babies - has your wife been able to bring herself to watch the mad scramble?

Theres no scramble. They'll already be dead when he gets 'em. I haven't gotton any yet, but I did find some for a CHEEP price.(pun intended) I'll definately update if there are any breakthroughs.

 Quote: candi campbell

Hey, just to clarify: it's good for my Akita, but I don't consider it a "blast" personally -- Lure-coursing with my Borzoi is more my speed (when he kills the lure, there's no blood & death-cries!)...

I was talking about the hunt and chase part not the blood & death-cries part. What is lure coursing?

Thank you Michael, for clarifying about the baby chicks
Edited to add: lure coursing - http://www.asfa.org/coursing.htm

http://www.asfa.org/coursing.htm

I don't know why they have such a crappy video -- hounds course in threes, not in twos, and these 2 aren't even well matched, so it's a very lame course, IMHO

But at least this link will tell you about the Field Trials for Sighthound breeds -- They also have Open Field coursing with live/wild game (primarily jackrabbits, which are considered vermin in agricultural areas)...

Just posting an update. He is still mopey sometimes, but most of the time he has his tail and ears up and looks happy. The weird thing is that now when we play he gives up early and when we are walking or running it seems like he tires out faster. Could I have just finally worn off all extra energy? Before he was mopey with endless energy and now his body language says happy, but he seems to have less energy. Or is my dog bi-polar? Just kidding.