OK I have 2 problems, First my mom used to put people food in our two four year old Bichons when they wouldn't eat. She also hand fed them and gave them people food at and away from the dinner table a lot. Recently I have been training them to stop begging and there is no more table food. However, they won't eat their Canidae kibbles any more. What I do is I put them in the crate since they are very good w/ the crate and only one eats her side of the dish. The other one doesn't and just whines. My mom and dad feel bad or something and sometimes let her out and then she eats the kibbles outside. She therefore, gets her way and whine a lot more, at anything. When the food is outside in the open they will eat it (sometimes) but only when they want to. The crate method is good for now, but what else should I do? I want them to eat when we want so they know who is boss, because they have my parents pretty much trained. How do I get them out of this? It frustrates me when I have made a big accomplishment with them and then my parents come and screw it up.

I am much better at dealing with dogs than parents. You sound like you are trying to do exactly what is best for your dogs. Bichons don't need to eat very much. Chances are you are feeding them too much, and if you cut back, they would eat better. This is a frequent problem. You can't go by standard charts. Many of the dog food packages apparently assume a very active, hard working dog. You need to examine the dog, and adjust its diet to its needs. You do this by checking its ribs. Here is a great illustrated guide for and dog on any diet.

September 07, link to chart replaced with LongLiveYourDog.com - Life Span Study - Rate Your Dog

I have learned most of what I know about caring for dogs from a large dog guide school. They have thousands of extremely valuable dogs under their care. When one of them is no longer able to work, they spend the price of a nice car on training its replacement. They have a huge incentive to figure out what actually works, a large data base to study, and share it with those caring for their dogs. They know what is good for dogs.

They say to put down what the dog should eat, and give it 15 minutes to eat. Then take it up. Do not give it anything to eat until its next scheduled meal. In a few days, it should be eating what it needs. Continue to check its ribs and adjust the food as needed. This is not easy. I had a Shepherd go 3 days on a few nibbles. I was a wreck, but she was fine. It is almost unknown for a healthy dog not to eat what it needs. Unfortunately, in too many cases, it is less than the package says, and less than the owner thinks the dog should have. Many dogs are quite good at holding out for tastier chow. The Canidae kibbles you are feeding is a highly respected chow, carefully formulated to provide them the complete and balanced diet they need. With a little will power on your part, you will have them eating a healthy diet.

Parents are a problem. My friend left her highly valuable breeding stock with me for a week. I fed her exactly what I was told, and she lost some of her excess weight. Her father had been sneaking tid bits from the table.

This may seem cruel, but it is not near as cruel as over feeding a dog with a rich but unbalanced diet. That leads to a sickly dog that dies sooner than it needs to.

Hi,
It's going to be hard to "break" your parents!!
Consistency is a key part of any training, or behavior. If your parents aren't going to follow your wishes, it will be very difficult for you and the dogs.
They are the first issue, and unless you can convince them to do as you wish, it is almost hopeless; but maybe not completely. Just hang in there.
There are many, many good dog foods on the market. It doesn't have to be Purina, as suggested by another answer.
It just depends on what your dogs really like, and following a feeding schedule. I do wish you the very best of luck, with your parents!

Our 17 yr. old Lhasa was given a clean bill of health by our vet. However, she has since stopped eating anything solid. She will lap gravy and still will eat some peanut butter but rejects all other foods. Is there some medicine available to encourage appetite? She seems hungry making numerous passes at her bowl but only smells and keeps on going. She is beginning to loose weight and we are concerned. Thanks.

It is so unusual for a healthy dog not to eat what it needs that I don't remember any common remedy for not eating from my experience and training. Likely the dog does have a physical problem. Perhaps the vet looked at its age and didn't do as good of a job checking as possible. Some expensive tests might turn up something little could be done about. Even for a small dog, 17 years is old. You could go back to the vet, or even another vet, but it might not gain any more time. The best thing might be appetite stimulating medicine from the vet.

You could also try more tempting food, canned dog food, soft cheese, or even the stinky cat food dogs seem to love. It is not the diet she needs, but what she needs now is some calories to keep her going. If you find something to get her by this crisis, and she returns to normal. You can work her back to her regular diet.

The Power of a Dog

There is sorrow enough in the natural way
From men and women to fill our day;
And when we are certain of sorrow in store,
Why do we always arrange for more?
Brothers and sisters, I bid you beware
Of giving your heart to a dog to tear.

Buy a pup and your money will buy
Love unflinching that cannot lie-
Perfect passion and worship fed
By a kick in the ribs or a pat on the head.
Nevertheless it is hardly fair
To risk your heart for a dog to tear

When the fourteen years which Nature permits
Are closing in asthma, or tumour, or fits,
And the vet's unspoken prescription runs
To lethal chambers or loaded guns,
Then you will find - it's your own affair-
But... you've given your heart to a dog to tear.

When the body that lived at your single will,
With its whimper of welcome, is stilled (how still!)
When the spirit that answered your every mood
Is gone - wherever it goes - for good,
You will discover how much you care,
And will give your heart to a dog to tear.

We've sorrow enough in the natural way,
When it comes to burying Christian Clay.
Our loves are not given, but only lent,
At compound interest of cent per cent.
Though it is not always the case, I believe,
That the longer we've kept 'em, the more do we grieve:

For, when debts are payable, right or wrong,
A short time loan is as bad as a long-
So why in - Heaven (before we are there)
Should we give our hearts to a dog to tear?

Rudyard Kipling.

Labman thanks, I think I might try the 15 minute thing, as for the food and how much I don't think that that is the issue. They like the food, but when they were presented w/ people food by my parents they lost interest of course. They used to eat 2 meals a day with half of a 3/4 of a cup. Now they eat 1 meal with 1 scoop of a 3/4 of a cup scooper. The problem is Bichons are supposed to be like 16-18 lbs (female) and one dog is exactly 16 whereas the other one is 23! So a diet would be hard. They are from the same litter but they are completely different. They are healthy none the less though.

I have seen many littermates that were unlike. I think it is a big joke that many people expect all of a breed to be alike. I trust what Purina used to put on their bags because it is just what the large guide dog school tells us to do in caring for their dogs. If fact, a few years ago they published a link to the Purina site in their news letter. Unfortunately Purina dropped the feeding guide. There are frequent questions on feeding dogs, and I reliable information to share.

OK the next problem is that I can't get them to do down. I take the treat and they go down but they lean over and their behinds don't go down. I move the treat away and my hand is on the floor but they just don't know what to do. Is there a right way to make them go down when you physically touch them or is there another way??

Did you interpret where I said to put down the food to mean down stay the dog? Actually I have enough trouble getting my Labs to sit while I put the food down. I hate to think about trying for a down stay. If you are insistent about it, and quick enough when they jump up, it is fairly easy to enforce a sit stay. After a few days of the dance, they sit, you start to lower the food, they jump up, you take the food back up, they sit.. they get the idea.