I now have a puppy that was fed too little diet dog food for about 60 days. Between 4 and six months of age, she was starving. She is guarding food, hiding food for later, won't let my old dog eat from my old dog's bowl. I bring my old dog Gracy in and make sure she gets enough food out of the sight of the little one. Gracy is taking it well and being a good dog, the little one is hoarding all the food and running her off the bowl and my old dog is guarding the puppy night and day. I read advice on the internet and disregarded most of it. I am not making the puppy earn her food, playing any kind of food games with her, or showing her who is the boss. I plan to keep her two food bowls filled in two locations outside with puppy food, and Gracy has one bowl we are going to keep telling DeeDee is Gracy's. I will feed her a pack of beef liver every two weeks for now, and cut back to monthly when she is looking good. I will cook her scrambled eggs as I can get 60 large for $5.50 and they are wonderful for people and dogs. Hotdogs will be given as treats as she could use the fat. I make my face show I'm not happy, I make unhappy annoying sounds, I will hold her collar if she tries to jump my older girl or clap and let her know I am displeased if she is out of range. I make happy sounds and tell her she a good dog and pet her when she doing things I like. All she has to learn to do is be a good buddy. It requires her to be calm inside and leave my stuff alone, not chase my cats, jump on the furniture, check out any dishes on end tables. No peeing or pooping in the house. Sitting calmly with me or taking a nap because I feel like a nap. There really is a lot to being a good buddy and an indoor/outdoor dog. In time she will learn my phrases and you will think she speaks English because I don't use common commands. I don't need her for fetching, I don't need her to roll-over (unless she is on fire, drop and roll won't come in handy) I do teach leave-it as a command as it is really handy. I raise companions. It sounds like nothing special but I think it is. I was going to ask for advice on the food issues she has, but I am okay with trying this and seeing how it goes. If you know things I need to know and don't want me to measure her food or be a pack-leader, I'm listening. I will be busy for a bit with her. I won't have too much time for 3d. My dogs are both pit-bulls and both are kinda rescues. I tell people what I love about pits is they have all the charm of juvenile delinquents, little smarty pants they are.

Oh, honey, I feel for you. Our two dogs are rescues as well and one is part pit. Neither have food issues ... and we have set feeding schedules according to feeding instructions. A bowl with dry and a little wet in the morning and a bowl with dry and a little bit of wet in the afternoon. We also give chicken jerky treats when we eat to share the meal experience. Since you use the "graze" style of feeding you have a slightly harder go of it, but frankly, I think you are doing the best you can. Had we chosen that method, and had that food issue we would pretty much do the same as you. I don't care for the "tough" love approach to dogs. We have had many rescues and that doesn't work. Kindness and patience is the only way to go. IMHO. Our Maggie has a condition where she only trusts me and will have little or nothing to do with Jo. In fact she runs from her as if she were abusive. Jo has always been the animal whisperer ... so this is new. Maggie had even been returned to the shelter because of this behavior with her previous family. She chose one person and treated the other as if they were the devil incarnate. It's been a year and a half and she still barely allows Jo to hand her food. Moki on the other hand is wary but pretty much trusts us both. We all have our baggage, issues and demons to bare. Why should dogs be any different? Bless you for taking in such a sweet baby. She may never get over this problem ... you may have to adjust to this permanently, or she may slowly adjust. It doesn't matter. She is loved.

Take care!

Boni

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"Be Hero to Yourself" -- Peter Tork

Thanks. Its not too hard to feed Gracy out of sight sometimes. She let me give Gracy a treat of a hotdog when I gave her one without too much fuss. I showed her a hand gesture two or three times then pushed her out of my chair on the porch yesterday. This morning when I went out to check the bowls and spend time with them DeeDee hopped into my chair and was waiting with a grin. I made the hand gesture and she hopped right down and looked so pretty doing it. She wanted to show me she had learned her trick. She is a smart girl and eager to please. She's going to be a fine pet in no time. No one has taken the time to teach her but she is super smart, my job with her is going to be easier for it. She was guarding the porch and I had to call Gracy to approach the porch and get her treat later in the day. Gracy is giving her space and DeeDee is watching Gracy and getting ideas about the kind of calm behavior I like and reward. The food issues may stay but she has a lot of potential never the less.

Well, its been going good. I keep dry puppy food out all the time and Gracy and DeeDee can even eat out of the same bowl. She put on some nice weight and her back legs are filling out a little. She kinda looks like she's gonna be a mini-pit. Not a lot of demand for stunted pit-bulls I would imagine. I fed a lot of eggs and hotdogs at first but have tapered that off as she is looking much better. I keep telling myself she could still grow but so far she is only filling out and her head and jaws remain small and delicate looking for a pit. We are working on her being calm outside and not coming inside yet. She went after the cat one too many times. She tries to get inside, but when she does she runs and checks every place one might have left a morsel of food, jumping up on things to do so. Eventually I'll work on her indoor manners but for now I go sit with her in the heat. She is learning we don't like mouthy pits and she is attempting to nibble on hands less. She doesn't bite, but she likes to hold your hand in her mouth. That's what I mean when I say mouthy. Its not aggressive on her part but people tend to be harder on pits about it. Frankly it can freak people out when a pit tries to hold their hand between her teeth. So I am working on eliminating the behavior.

I have about given up on getting DeeDee not to be mouthy. I just told my husband she is a pitbull, if you are not bleeding, she had no intention of hurting you, she is just playing. I pointed out there is never a scratch on anyone. She is trying to initiate play or just claim you by holding your hand with her mouth. If I had guests over, or planned to take her to the doggy park and introduce her to strangers, it would be a problem. I am private and reclusive. The select few who visit are not gonna flip out because I have a mouthy puppy or dog.