Muriel’s Makeover Making a Meal out of Mealtimes!

When a British Bulldog named Muriel, was adopted from the Edward Foundation by Chris McTernan and Stephen Bate, she had big boots to fill.

 

After, Fanny their first Bulldog had passed both were so overwhelmed by grief that they never imagined being able to open their hearts to another. But after two years both Chris and Steve missed having a Bulldog and in Fanny’s honour adopted Muriel who needed a forever home.

 

The Edward Foundation is dedicated to rescuing and rehoming British Bulldogs. Muriel caught Chris and Steve’s eye on their website. Following the appropriate compatibility and suitability processes, Muriel arrived!

 

Muriel is a petite Bulldog who was desperately underweight and approximately four years old. Her provenance is unknown, but she was likely discarded as an ex-breeding bitch, being no more use to an unscrupulous ‘set up’.

 

I had the pleasure of meeting Fanny several times, so Chris and Steve reached out to help guide them through Muriel’s introduction to her new life, it was an honour!

 

With all re-homing there’s the 333 rule: three days, three weeks and three months. Just as with a new puppy, it’s important to set some basic ground rules from the get go.  Understanding that desensitising to a new home can take some getting used to.

 

Also, Chris and Steve wanted the best for Muriel so she could enjoy adventures, travel on trains and buses, enjoy car travel, visit dog friendly cafes and integrate seamlessly to the lives. 

 

As any prior training was unknown, Muriel was a super blank canvas to shape up. We took things slowly, but sharing tips and advice so Chris and Steve could work to a daily routine of activities to teach Muriel some key life skills.

 

That included ‘making a meal out of her mealtimes’. No stranger to feeding raw, I recommended opting for Naturaw. Not least down to the assured quality of the meat as British and sourced only from high animal welfare farmers. Plus, with a wide variety of meats and recipes to choose, Muriel is benefitting from a spectrum of proteins and fat sources to help build her wellness from the inside out.

 

Mostly I advise on weight loss as the national statistic is that 50 per cent of dogs are on the ‘porky side’ in the UK. But in many ways the process is similar. Its aiming for the desired weight and either feeding less or more gradually to achieve the desired weight. Bearing in mind the age of the dog, the lifestyle and any underlying conditions. In Muriel’s case she was healthy and young but undernourished.

 

This does mean being aware of training treats as part of the food allowance, so Naturaw’s treats have been perfect for Muriel. Simply air-dried to seal in the nutrients in mouth-watering combinations like Beef, Rosehip and Nettle, or Scottish venison and seaweed. Making for nutrient dense ‘high value’ reinforcement.  These treats hold their texture and can be divided into small pieces as they don’t crumble.

 

As very ‘hungry’ Muriel was beyond extremely food motivated! So, we worked on creating strict rules around the mealtimes. The food bowl is a high resource and training etiquette around the bowl helps with:  respect, trust and teamwork. There’s a strict four step rule involving four useful cues that can be transferred to other contexts: SIT: WAIT: HEAD UP and the release cue ALL DONE.

 

At first Muriel ate four small portion aa day, so that’s four fabulous training opportunities to punctuate her day and reinforce these valuable training cues. It also helped work through her frustration: “give me the food now’ to understanding how to get the food through calmer appropriate behaviours, and not on Muriel’s terms!

 

Muriel’s progress is very positive. With an incremental weight gain she’s looking very bright eyed, her coat is shiny, and she’s enjoying life taking experiences confidently in her stride.