Picky Puppy?

[helpinghand101]

@balkan I'll have to try making it a game again! She is a working breed (Tamaskan) so hopefully she'll be more interested if I have more enthusiasm with it and probably isolate us because she gets distracted by my westie lol.

I've been feeding her what the bag recommends for her weight but I might have to start with smaller portions and work her way up to the recommended amount. She does get treats through the day - I have her enrolled in a training/daycare program for when I'm in the office. They work on 3-4 commands a day so the amount of treats definitely varies. I'll have to see how many they're giving on average per command.

The vet didn't have much to say about her weight after I said I've been feeding her what it says to. He's not the vet a prefer from that office so I'll consult with the one my westie sees if things don't improve.

 

[obgf]

@helpinghand101 Personally, I found the more I switched food the pickier my dog became because he learned that if he stopped eating, I would change his food. We did this dance for about a month before I called the vet. Also, make sure you aren't overfeeding. Once my dog stopped growing he would self-regulate himself and I had to feed him less.

The vet behaviorist said "Pick a food you know he does well on digestively, put it down for 30 minutes, if he doesn't eat, pick it back up. He doesn't get fed till the next meal. Do not give him treats - if you are in training give him kibble as treats or high praise/toy reward. If he doesn't eat for 3 days - make an appointment with the vet. A healthy dog won't starve themselves"

It is hard! It is hard to watch your dog not eat for a day or a day and half but it worked. My dog started eating at least one meal a day and eventually got back up to two meals a day. His activity level also factors into how much he will eat. When I was sick and had covid...he didn't eat as much because he wasn't getting as much exercise, he went back to normal when I was healthy again.

If your dog is a working dog - they may also prefer to work for their food instead of just eating it out of a bowl. There are a lot of training games and work they can do. My dog won't eat out of a normal bowl, only a slow feed bowl despite the fact that he doesn't need one. He also gets his meal in easter eggs occasionally and he goes on an easter egg hunt.

 

[drummerboy22]

@helpinghand101 My malti/yorkie/poodle mix is PICKY .

I never had a dog like this and it's been a struggle. Someone here suggested Royal Canin for yokies as supposedly yorkies are like this and he liked it okay but I found that he really likes Fresh Pet. Like he REALLY likes Fresh Pet. I never seen him so interested in food before this.

My boy was underweight I even tried doing what a trainer suggested which was leave food for like 1 minute and if the dog doesn't finish it then pick it up and take it away. The next day offer half of what you offered previously and again if the dog doesn't eat it or finish it then take it away and half that.

We did that for quite some time and even got down to like 1/2 a kibble and it didn't improve his appetite. He just won't eat and was really underweight.

 

[helpinghand101]

@drummerboy22 Neither have I! I got her from a breeder that did say it's a breed that tends to eat lightly but I feel like she's eating toooooo lightly. We have a Facebook group for the litter owners where people share pictures of their puppies and she looks so skinny compared to all of them. I think I'll try smaller portions like you tried and someone else suggested. Hopefully it works. People probably think I starve her lol.

 

[drummerboy22]

@helpinghand101 Here is the full instructions from the trainer if you want to try that

https://sue-eh.ca/2020/07/20/teaching-your-dog-to-eat/#:\~:text=If%2C%20at%20any%20time%20after,dish%2C%20and%20put%20it%20away.

 

[pellchinnn]

@drummerboy22

I used this method on my dog and haven't had a problem since. I switched him to Farmina brand and at 14 years old he still gets excited at meal times.

 

[umbrabates]

@helpinghand101 If she's willing to eat the first half of a new large bag, it might be a freshness issue. My Duncan was like this, as well, but his prescription food is in a resealable bag, so he has done better about it now.

 

[greenmart123]

@helpinghand101 What does the vet say about the weight?

 

[craiga]

@helpinghand101 What breed is she?

 

[psalm9]

@helpinghand101 I’m going through this with my dog. He ate well as a young pup, but now he’s a senior and got very picky. I tried just taking the food away and no food until the next meal. He would go two days without eating before eating a half portion. Then go another two days without food. Thjs went on for over a year. He was getting lethargic and worryingly thin. I had to start switching things up. He’d eat new food happily for a week and then not want it anymore. I have like 10 different opened dog foods he no longer will touch. I went to my vet out of desperation. She did bloodwork and looked him over. She said he was perfectly fine just extremely picky. That little jerk. She gave me an appetite stimulant for him. I’ve been using it for just 2 days but I am so pleased. He is eating every meal. He doesn’t always finish but he eats at least half. I’m happy with that. It’s a huge improvement.

If it gets dire enough maybe ask your vet about options.

 

[malcolmsonjoshua]

@helpinghand101 Don’t buy the huge/big bag. No matter how well I stored it, my 40 lb dog would not eat enough of the kibble before the big bag went “off” to him. It’s a little more expensive per pound to buy the smaller bag but it kept him eating the same food.

(I discovered this when I bought a new bag of his food when we still had half a bag left of it. I opened the new bag and he started devouring it. But it was the exact food, just “fresh”)