Blue Buffalo

We feed our puppies Blue Buffalo puppy food. When I went to Petsmart to buy food before we brought Janie home, an over-zealous Petsmart employee foisted it on me, and I was too shy to put the bag back and say, "No! I want to pick my own dog food!" So we tried it. Then, when we fostered puppies we tried every other dog food known to man. Janie had all kinds of skin problems when she was on the other foods, but the day we switched her back to Blue Buffalo, her coat got all soft and shiny.

We also use the little liver treats that come in a foil bag. I forget the brand, but they love them so much that Daisy almost killed me trying to get some. Janie is very patient and won't even take a treat unless I put it in her mouth, but Daisy will just maul you trying to get what she wants. When I first started training her, I had to put her in the crate so she didn't attack me for the food. If she wasn't so endearing the rest of the time, she would be a difficult dog to have around.

Janie can be a pain at times, too, but she is just so darn polite and lady-like. I had read that pointers were well-mannered, but I am still stunned when she looks at us after we put her food down to make sure that it is okay to eat. And she never chews up anything in the house without asking first. Except the stair railing! Which we found out was some kind of pressed wood instead of solid wood. But other than that, she hasn't chewed up anything else in the house.

The backyard is a different story. She must feel she has permission to do whatever she wants out there, because she shreds anything we put out there. Including our hose! I now have to wrap up my hose and put it away like a precious jewel if I want to see it again tomorrow. And I must have my hose. It is great therapy for me to clean up the backyard and hose it down. I just wish I could do the same thing inside the house.