It is hard to believe I've only had Benjamin for 6 months. I can't believe how much I love him. Jeesh, you'd think we were newlyweds or something, ha ha. In case it might be helpful to anyone, I will try to capture all of the ins and outs of a new puppy owner trying to come up with the right diet for him. It has been quite a journey, but at least for now knock on wood it seems stable.
At first I was feeding him Blue Buffalo lamb and rice puppy formula and Eukanuba puppy, which is what he was on with the breeder. He had a voracious appetite, and I thought it was a fluke because so many Havanese owners talked about their picky eaters. When I got him he was 9 weeks old, and a week later we started puppy training classes. As part of his training he was getting some treats, mostly dried lamb lung and freeze dried liver, both of which he became ecstatic over. He was still eating his regular food well. Then when we started learning the recall command and told to use "high value" treats, I fell upon the Natural Balance beef logs. He became even more ecstatic! Man, that is one enthusiastic puppy!
Training was going well, but towards the end of our second 6 week series, I noticed that he seemed to be figuring out that he liked the treats better than his kibble. I remember I particularly noticed it when we were on our Wallace Falls hike in August, when he was 4 1/2 months old. I foolishly did not bring enough of the beef treats, but had plenty of kibble. He still needed the treat reinforcement in order to walk well on the leash, and at one point when I tried to lure him with the kibble, he literally tossed his head as if to say "you think I am going to work for that??!" He was definitely holding out for something better. Even so, he would still eat his kibble at home, though with less enthusiasm than before.
Meanwhile I had been reading up on food and decided to supplement his dry food with some canned. I mixed some Natural Balance canned food in with his kibble, but soon noticed that he would pick out some of the pieces of kibble and lay them out on the floor surrounding his bowl. I would pick up the gloppy pieces and put them back in the bowl, and mix in a little more wet food, and he would eat them. This was frustrating in the morning when I was trying to get ready for work. CONTINUED IN NEXT POST
-- Eileen
At first I was feeding him Blue Buffalo lamb and rice puppy formula and Eukanuba puppy, which is what he was on with the breeder. He had a voracious appetite, and I thought it was a fluke because so many Havanese owners talked about their picky eaters. When I got him he was 9 weeks old, and a week later we started puppy training classes. As part of his training he was getting some treats, mostly dried lamb lung and freeze dried liver, both of which he became ecstatic over. He was still eating his regular food well. Then when we started learning the recall command and told to use "high value" treats, I fell upon the Natural Balance beef logs. He became even more ecstatic! Man, that is one enthusiastic puppy!
Training was going well, but towards the end of our second 6 week series, I noticed that he seemed to be figuring out that he liked the treats better than his kibble. I remember I particularly noticed it when we were on our Wallace Falls hike in August, when he was 4 1/2 months old. I foolishly did not bring enough of the beef treats, but had plenty of kibble. He still needed the treat reinforcement in order to walk well on the leash, and at one point when I tried to lure him with the kibble, he literally tossed his head as if to say "you think I am going to work for that??!" He was definitely holding out for something better. Even so, he would still eat his kibble at home, though with less enthusiasm than before.
Meanwhile I had been reading up on food and decided to supplement his dry food with some canned. I mixed some Natural Balance canned food in with his kibble, but soon noticed that he would pick out some of the pieces of kibble and lay them out on the floor surrounding his bowl. I would pick up the gloppy pieces and put them back in the bowl, and mix in a little more wet food, and he would eat them. This was frustrating in the morning when I was trying to get ready for work. CONTINUED IN NEXT POST
-- Eileen