CC puppy food and training questions

[Uther]

Hey Everyone,

I have been lurking, reading your forums for a few months now. It is a helpful resource, thank you.

We got Uther, here in Sacramento, at the end of January. He is now 16 weeks. Uther has had all of his vaccinations, finalized this past Monday 3/29/21. Uther weighs about 35 pounds.

1)

Uther is currently eating Taste of the Wild Ancient Grain that I mix with either cottage cheese or bone broth (beef bone, kale, carrot). The toppers were added because Uther reduced food consumption by at least 3/4 a week ago. I took him to the vet, other than antibiotics for loose stool Uther has a clean bill of health. So I removed treats to encourage him to eat his food. This was hard because treats are a massive training tool with Uther. Fast-forward a week, and here we are. I think Uther just does not like his food. He still won't eat more than 3/4 of a cup at a time, even with a topper. After he stops eating he looks to me like he is hungry but won't eat his food. He LOVES the bone broth I make and the cottage cheese, but I am not ok with that as a meal. I did notice today some hair loss under his armpits. He does itch a lot.

Uther and I are stuck in a rut with mealtime, and I am afraid I am teaching bad habits with toppers. Can someone suggest a beef kibble that has quality ingredients without legumes in the first 10? Any suggestions for making mealtime more effective?

2)

Our vet strongly recommended we do not let Uther outside of the home perimeter until fully vaccinated. We followed orders. We did not leave Uther home, however, I have just been carrying him on walks and in the store, ECT.

That being said, Uther needs socialization and training now that he is good to go. Can anyone recommend a good trainer for us in the Sacramento, CA area?

Thanks for your help!

 

[Uther]

Update: we have found a trainer, we start next Monday 4/5. Finding a trainer right now is very difficult, finding a quality trainer has seemed impossible. Everyone is booked solid due to COVID. Thankfully I was able to speak to one of the owners and she has/works with Corsos. Gratefully she sympathized with the situation and made a spot for us. I will keep you guys updated on the progress. https://www.albree.com/

FOOD is still a struggle. If y'all have suggestions, I would love to hear it! Thank you

 

[Boxergirl]

Welcome! I think that I'd change foods. If you don't mind using toppers then I think it's fine. Be aware that sometimes it's really hard to stop them. I don't have a lot of flexibility with food choices because of health issues with my boy, but when I did I liked to choose a brand that had multiple protein sources. Meaning the formula was pretty much the same with only the protein being different. That way I could go from salmon to lamb, etc. and it never bothered them at all.

I took a look at your trainer. I'm glad to see she appears to be a positive trainer. That's the impression I got from the website. I find far too many trainers in your area and with your breed tend to embrace more old school training. When you learn better you do better. My daughter is a certified trainer and behavior intern. She does a lot of zoom classes, individual in-home sessions (masked), and limited/socially distanced/masked group classes. It's been hard for everyone and she's overwhelmed with clients. I'm glad you were able to find someone. Good luck with your training. Please let us know how things are going.

 

[Richie]

Glad you found a trainer that will work with you... This isn't your first dog is it? There are a few things in your post that raised my eyebrow a bit...

Finding the right food for your dog is very difficult. I'll share with you some of the best advice I received - There is no such thing as "the best dog food". The best dog food for you is the food your dog does best on.... to find the answer to that may require a lot of research and some transitioning from one dog foods to another (please do it very slowly). Here is where I started my research: https://www.dogfoodadvisor.com/best-dog-foods/best-large-breed-puppy-food/ The link provides a list of what they consider some of the best "Large Breed Puppy Food" based on ingredients. Cheaper is not worse and more expensive is not better... again it's a matter of what your dog does best on. Taste of the Wild is considered a pretty good dog food however your dog isn't doing well on it so it's time to change.

Also, you can sign up for notification if there is a recall. The latest recall was surprising as there are some "high-end" (Expensive) foods on the list as well as some foods that is a step below trash...

I hope the link helps as you do your research looking for the next food to move your dog to. Also, expect a small cut back in food consumption (I agree 3/4 is way too much) but my dog has cut back about 20% due to the heat... he drinks more and eats slightly less. I'm assuming you are splitting his meals. If possible three times a day and if that's no possible twice a day... he should not be eating once a day nor free feeding. Try to schedule two of his meals early morning and early evening or at night if you are able to feed three times a day. The objective is to feed him when it's coolest.

Good luck and btw, thanks for sharing the picture of your puppy, good looking guy....you'll be surprised how quickly they changed

 

[Uther]

Thanks for the responses! Here is an update:

Our trainer has become a real asset. It has been a challenge with advice because everyone seems to be selling a product. Vets, food, and training have been very challenging to find an un-sponsored opinion. That is the original reason I reached out to this forum, to get the opinion of people not selling my dog a product. This is not my first dog by a long shot, but this is my first Corso.

I appreciate the link you sent me Riche. There is a lot of great information there. After I made the original post and hunted further for better ingredients for Uther. I kept coming across the raw diet for Corsos and recipes to make your own dog food. Uther loved the beef bone broth I was making him with kale and carrots. So I figured I might start making his food. After one meal, it was clear I made the right choice. I alternate beef and pork with kale, carrots, cranberries, jasmine rice, plain greek yogurt, and water. He now leaves the floor and bowl clean. He has also gained weight, 46lbs from 33lbs since April 2nd.

Training has been going famously. Boxergirl, your statement about positive reinforcement is true with our trainer. They have focused on teaching me how to reinforce good behavior with Uther. Time on the leash and about town have just kinda' cliqued. Honestly, I think it's me learning how to Corso. But that has slowed because Uther has developed a huge rash/pimples on his belly. Last Friday I noticed a huge red hotspot under his collar. That rash has transferred to all his thin fur spots like where his collar goes. Poor guy. So he currently goes collarless. This means no leash time. We work every day on the basics but it's not the same as getting out and about on the leash.

Uther is still eating like a champ but his skin is so irritated. It makes me so sad to see him howl in pain. We got him into the vet Monday and they prescribed a mousse (skin guard restore) with the active ingredient chlorhexidine gluconate. It kills all bacteria good and bad. That ingredient just made the rash that much angrier. It does not seem like a good application for open soars. In speaking with our trainer, she suggested an elimination diet with an apple cider vinegar bath once a day. I noticed he wasn't digesting his carrots and if anything is leftover in his bowl, it's carrots. Carrots will be the first to be eliminated. So the plan is to continue with this path and see if we get results.

I have washed all Uther's beds. I gave the cider bath on the deck, rubbed it in, and let him dry off in the sun. We are big gardeners, and we just ripped out our lawn and replaced it with 20 garden beds. There is compost, horse and chicken manure in the beds and around the beds. So we are working to keep him away from that stuff too in case that is what is causing the rash.

If you have any suggestions or thoughts on what I am doing or what you would do, please share them.

Thank you

 

[Boxergirl]

How's his skin doing?

 

[Uther]

How's his skin doing?

He is on the mend but it is a process. Poor guy got a bit worse before he started on the mend. Our vet prescribed a topical mousse with chlorhexidine as the active ingredient. Same stuff hospitals use to kill all bacteria on a wound. I honestly do not know why they would prescribe that or why I applied it. It only made his open rash worse. I guess when you are in the thick of things you can make the mistake of trusting everything your vet says. After two applications we realized the mousse was making things worse. We stopped that treatment and went on an elimination diet. I have also started looking for a better vet.

I noticed he was not processing his carrot well. I took a stab in the dark and removed carrot from his food. Success, the rash has dropped dramatically.

Unfortunately, his belly is peppered with white spots from where the rash was. It kinda' looks like the aftermath of chickenpox. Hopefully, his body will repair that tissue/fur loss soon.

As it stands this is what I am feeding him and how:
3 times a day (soon to be 2 times a day)

pork loin/beef heart or london broil (one meat protein per meal)
kale/ spinach
Jasmine rice
cranberries
greek yogurt (once per day)
egg (once per day)
water

what do you think?

 

[Sheila Braund]

He is on the mend but it is a process. Poor guy got a bit worse before he started on the mend. Our vet prescribed a topical mousse with chlorhexidine as the active ingredient. Same stuff hospitals use to kill all bacteria on a wound. I honestly do not know why they would prescribe that or why I applied it. It only made his open rash worse. I guess when you are in the thick of things you can make the mistake of trusting everything your vet says. After two applications we realized the mousse was making things worse. We stopped that treatment and went on an elimination diet. I have also started looking for a better vet.

I noticed he was not processing his carrot well. I took a stab in the dark and removed carrot from his food. Success, the rash has dropped dramatically.

Unfortunately, his belly is peppered with white spots from where the rash was. It kinda' looks like the aftermath of chickenpox. Hopefully, his body will repair that tissue/fur loss soon.

As it stands this is what I am feeding him and how:
3 times a day (soon to be 2 times a day)

pork loin/beef heart or london broil (one meat protein per meal)
kale/ spinach
Jasmine rice
cranberries
greek yogurt (once per day)
egg (once per day)
water

what do you think?

my dogs have always had issues with grains, my lil powder poof poodle was constantly having infections in her scent glands. My black lab was always scratching.... I switched them to raw grain free food.... they both did really well and no more skin or scent glands issues. When I brought Bella home she was already on raw.....
I also like to mention that when people sneak Bella too much people foods that has grains she sheds like crazy..... most times her shedding is very minor.
There is also freeze dried dog foods out there without grains if you don’t care for the raw diet.