by PAATRICE BLOOM
(SAN DIEGO CA)
Question
MY TWELVE WEEK OLD YORKIE ALWAYS ACTS AS THO HE IS STARVING. HE GOES TO THE CABINET WHERE I TAKE THE FOOD FROM AND GOES BANANAS TRYING TO RIP IT OPEN TO GET AT FOOD. THE VET TOLD ME TO FEED HIM FOUR TIMES A DAY, ABOUT A TABLESPOON FULL OF DRY DOG FOOD. BUT HE CONSTANTLY GOES TO HIS BOWL AND CRIES AND CRIES.
HE IS ABOUT THREE POUNDS,
HE DOES NOT HAVE ANY INTEREST IN THE WORD NO OR BEING CORRECTED FROM BITING MY ANKLES IF I SIT IN MY CHAIR. HE SEEMS AFRAID OF ABSOLUTELY NOTHING SO TRAINING IS HARD. IT IS MADE HARDER AS I AM A LARYNGECTOMY PAATIENT AND CAN ONLY SPEAK THROUGH AN ELECTRONIC LARYNX. SO IT IS ROBOTIC, AND NO INTONATION IS POSSILE..GOOD BOY AND BAD BOY SOUND EXACTLY THE SAME.
I ADORE THE LITTLE HOODLYM, AND HE IS APTLY NAMED RASCAL, BUT I WORRY IS HE JUST A LITTLE PIGGY, OR IS HE REALLY NOT GETTING ENOUGH FOOD. THANKS IF YOU ANSWER, NO ONE SEEMS ABLE TO TELL ME ABAOUT THIS.
Answer
Your yorkie might not getting the nutrients needed and therefore always craves more, in order to try and satisfy his needs. Have you ever considered homemade food so that you can make sure you make sure the food contains exactly what is needed?
Another thing to consider is how active your yorkie is. If he is constantly on the go or very highly strung, easily excitable etc, he would need much more dog food. He might also have a very high metabolism and therefore just naturally need much more food.
Keep feeding him four times a day but possibly try feeding him slightly more. As long as he is not overweight this shouldn’t be a problem. Just see if you can work out what amount would keep him satisfied.
As long as you have taken your yorkie to the vet and have made sure there are no health problems this will be fine.
With regards to training and the lack of intonation due to your electronic larynx, you could try buying something that makes a loudish noise alongside saying no and something else that makes a more pleasant noise alongside saying yes so that he undertsands that one is acceptable and the other is not.
I hope this helps. Please keep us posted on how your yorkie does.
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