I'm not sure if this should be in behaviour or feeding.

Following my suprelorin thread I went looking for options on how to adapt onetwothreefours advice to stop raw feeding and make them work for all their food.

I really really prefer how they are in their health and vigour on raw so I decided to try and ditch the bowl and stick with raw. Minced green tripe is the worst part of this decision!

It's been about a fortnight since I started this and about a week since I went full time (previously they were getting breakfast from a bowl due to my workload in the morning). So far I have only been feeding in the normal 2 sessions a day and only in the house but next week I'm going to start changing locations and/or timings. A meal is typically meat and bone so I work them for about 10-20 minutes to earn their meat then ask for something really hard (for them) for the bit of bone which they then get to take off to lie down with and enjoy. I feed them one at a time but back to back. They have had the odd meal from a bowl if I'm out and my husband (who's in plaster) has had to give a meal.

They are both happier for it. It obviously makes training much more rewarding for them, upping the stakes.

Does anyone else hand feed? Maybe not raw but at all? Any tips or hints for moving to new locations? Ideally I'd like to get them used to the idea of working for their meals outside and then just fill two pouches every day and feed it throughout the day. With them being deep chested I'm a bit worried about bloat as standard advice is to rest them around meals which doesn't really fit with using their meat on walks.

I've occasionally handfed a reluctant feeder, in the home: moistened kibble and/or tinned meat, cooked chicken or fish.  It can be messy. Only tried it a couple of times out of doors with raw-as-reward: not easy to juggle lead, clicker, bag of raw food, possibly also full poobag etc. while also keeping a watch out for potential (canine) muggers.  But I'm not terribly dextrous, especially when my hands are cold. If you can do it in one of the fenced-off areas you use you would probably have less "stuff" to hold and no muggers.

Consider forming the mince into small meatballs and freezing them - if your dogs will relish them frozen or semi-thawed they'll be easier to handle and carry, and will be pre-portioned. Also I'd recommend wearing latex or similar gloves, if your dogs will accept food from your gloved hands. 

No experience with hand-feeding a bloat-prone breed I'm afraid.

We have resorted once to hand feeding a fussy eater & would NEVER do it again.
I don't want to go into detail but this particular bitch got frightened whilst eating her food one day & then became a worried eater, she would go days with hardly anything.... it was a nightmare. We done several months of trying allsorts to tempt her, there would have to be utter silence & lots of cajoling before she would even go near the dog bowl... We decided she was not going to have any body to show her, she ate when she ate. After a good few years she did body up a bit but we rarely showed her but she always was a hard feeder.

I think poodle noodle is doing the ditch the bowl plan for training not for fussy feeders . It is going to be harder with raw from your pov but I would persevere  I know many who use it with success  . Taking a measured amount food out with u  cut cut into small pieces in a bag  would be my preferred method or similar at home. U may also need gloves
.as long as the training isn't too energetic u shouldn't have problems with tummies . I would also break down the training to short session with food as.the reward in between .if u are on FB join canine enrichment group they will have ideas as well.o haven't done exactly what u are but I do raw feed and hide food around the garden for them to find sometimes or in small container in the house they do this  .one at a time and  . love it and yes green smelly tripe too and no I wouldn't change from raw for training .infact I don't know what would make.me change

Yes that's the idea exactly!

I moved mealtime/training to the garden today and by attaching their lead to a belt around my waist was able to have two hands to handle clicker and meat and work on some heelwork. Very satisfying and a good alternative to a long walk in the absolutely torrential rain this morning.

poodlenoodle - My boys are not regularly fed a raw diet.  They have good quality grain free kibble with a high meat content but they do enjoy raw whenever they have it.

I'm always trying out really tasty food to take out with me on walks for training purposes, especially to keep recalls and "leave it" responses as sharp as possible.  As raw is a real treat I sometimes use Nature's Menu "Country Hunter" nuggets (various flavours) and carry them in small tupperware pots (Systema do a great range in various sizes).  I find these containers easier than faffing about with various plastic bags.  The nuggets aren't too messy to use, especially if they are cut up & used while still slightly frozen.  I find I can tip portions of them out via the lid without having to handle them too much!

I also use cooked meat from time to time - chicken is very popular - easier to handle.  As the total amount used out on a walk is not great, perhaps using some cooked meat on your training walks would not interfere with your raw regime too much?

My boys also absolutely adore dried sprats - but I think you said your lads are not that keen on fish.  I find them very effective & easy to transport/handle - although they do smell!

All these different food rewards sound like a bit of a palaver and at first I thought I couldn't be bothered but I have it all organised now.  Couldn't do it without the aid my trusty canvas cross-body bag which carries all the dog walking essentials and the treat pots, plus phone.  It's not very big but it is roomy & really useful.

Also, can't manage to faff about with all the treats with gloves on - so antibacterial wet wipes are also in the bag!

Meant to add - of course what you are doing in the garden sounds great - it's just that out on walks rewarding with raw can be a bit more tricky - hence my long winded post!

You do have to become something of an octopus regardless of its raw or kibble together with a clicker and two.dogs . personally as u will have guessed I would stick with the raw and carry on as u are

I have enough trouble with one dog but then coordination is not my thing.most likely  should have been diagnosed as dyspraxic except when I was at school u were just clumsy lol

Just thought including some dehydrated offal.or meat might help.you but take.the mositure loss into consideration when doing their food allowance.u may alps.nees to invest in a dehydrator to make it coat effective

I do give them liver cooked because they won't eat it raw. No idea why! And my eldest loves raw lamb heart but won't eat beef heart! Youngest will though. I feed chicken cooked too because the eldest will only eat it raw if its minced with green tripe.

My main concern with a lot being fed out on walks is that they both get enough overall - the pup is still growing and the dog tends to a wrought iron railing type physique but if I get into the habit of prepping and boxing the night before I expect i can make sure each gets their box overall. I suppose I can always jackpot if I have too much left - I did that this morning. I was practicing dashing forward and stopping and dashing again with the pup at heel stopping and going with me when the rain went from downpour to monsoon and he got a big handful of pork shoulder steak!

My coordination isn't amazing either! As with every thing I do, good enough will have to be good enough!

"Good enough" sounds great - as are jackpots.

Yes - FF it does feel like I need 8 arms sometimes!

I'm lucky in that my boys are very greedy.  They will (and do) work quite happily for kibble and they have a lot of their basic meals as part of training/fun games.  In fact my youngster would probably work for sawdust!

But there's no doubt that using extra yummy rewards does make a huge difference in speeding up their responses and it puts the tail-wagging rate right up.  So I'll continue to use raw and other "special" treats on walks - it's worth the extra bit of effort and, indeed, the octopus factor.

It's good to know that raw can be used on the hoof as well as kibble!

Okay I just took both a very short walk each (only a mile) seperately. One training lead around my waist, with theirs looped through on the middle setting so they could get about 6 feet away. Both wearing their kumfi fixed headcollars. A clicker in my right hand and a big bag of chopped lambs heart in my left pocket.

It was BEAUTIFUL. They can both be so distracted on walks due to the other-dog obsession. My eldest didn't even notice the only other dog we passed. He walked at heel the entire time wagging his tail sedately and glancing up at me from time to time, something I haven't managed since his puppy days in class. Even the pup, 9 months old and rammed full of hormones, quickly realised that right beside me was the best place to be and looking at me was worthwhile (he was still on his toes a bit but he's only a pup). Well worth the sensation of sticling my hand in a bag of hearts. I thibk the next time we walk with my pal and her black lab he is going to pass out in delirium at the quality of treats (he already comes, very reliably, to my whistle).

Walking both together on lead will be the real challenge but at the moment they are better individually anyway and both off lead in the dog runs, so that's no hardship.

Wow - sounds great - well done.

Hats off to you for the hand in the hearts - that would be beyond my comfort zone!

Like you, I am walking my two separately at the moment (unless off lead together in safe field) as my youngster is only 8 months.

As you say, walking them on lead together will be interesting.  I have managed both of mine for short distances but it's too soon to venture much further - I don't want to mess up all the hard work I've done with the pup by expecting too much of him too soon.

I have walked mine together on lead and can only say that you are right not to. All bad behaviour gets exacerbated. The elder justifies his naughtiness because the younger is doing it too and vice versa. I can keep them both mostly organised at immemse phtsical cost to myself! In addition I feel they both tend to "pack" when responding to novel things and I want them copying my response, not one another's! Sometimes needs must, they certainly did well together harnessed to the sled in the snow (video on their Instagram page fonziandroo). But for instilling manners 1:1 with a (semi) sensible human is better.

Totally agree with you, poodlenoodle.

It'll be interesting to see when I think they'll be OK on the lead together - might be a while (and can't resort to sledges as we never get any snow to speak of!)

Meanwhile, I suppose I am increasing my fitness with all these separate walks!

Totally agree with you, poodlenoodle.

It'll be interesting to see when I think they'll be OK on the lead together - might be a while (and can't resort to sledges as we never get any snow to speak of!)

Meanwhile, I suppose I am increasing my fitness with all these separate walks!