I have mentioned this before and thought we had got through this stage but Maisy is turning her nose up at almost everything in her bowl now. I had been adding a puppy jelly pouch in her kibble, I also tried adding stock/gravy, also taking her food away then putting down at the next meal until she was hungry enough etc. I know what to do to get her eating kibble again, leave out the treats and persist in putting the kibble down in smaller meals throughout the day, it's the treats that are the problem but we will get there. I would just like some advice on what is ok to feed her with the kibble as she obviously does not like it. She recently had a bout of runny poo so I did a day of chicken and rice which she wolfed down, I haven't seen her eat like that for months, she enjoyed it and I feel guilty about giving her that rotten dry stuff. I was thinking of adding a raw egg which has been mentioned on this forum, does anyone have any other tips on making kibble interesting? Also, is it important to feed them at regular times as whilst Maisy is so picky she has been eating later in the morning and evening, and only then because I have been scooping her food up with my hands and feeding her like that. Do training rewards count as treats in this situation? Thanks
How old is Maisy? I would be a little careful of stock/gravy due to the salt content. You could also use her daily meal allowance for training so that she doesn't have her food in a bowl and anything left you could put in a kong. Any additional treats need to be deducted from her daily meal allowance.
Maisy is 8 months and has got wise to kibble as treats. She will not eat the kibble at all in any form, if I hide it in other food she picks out the good stuff and leaves the kibble. She was on Arden Grange and when she refused that I got some Wainwrights in lamb flavour which she loves in other treats but not this. I tried rewarding her with these 2 and she either just drops it, turns her head away from it or walks off. Just not interested. I know she is expecting the good stuff, I use cheese for recall training and do not want to stop this as she is improving and I don't want to lose ground on that. She just wants a bowl of lovely food instead of kibble which she cannot have and I will get round that. I just wanted to know if it is ok to add to the bowl of kibble, like a raw egg or something? And if I should stop with training rewards for a while.
I mix about a heaping tablespoon of wet food in with the dry kibble, goes down a treat! I am using Millie's Wolfheart so I just buy their canned food to mix in. The dogs used to be ho-hum about mealtime but since adding in a little wet food, they go crazy for it, and it's dead simple for me to prepare.
3 times a week I add a tin of sardines in olive oil to Hattie & Charlie's kibble, they LOVE it, keeps their coats healthy, eyes, bones and is good for their brains too. Cheap at 40p a tin!
I have a fussy eater too, and this was our solution for a long time : Except now that doesn't work either! We spoke to the vet who said, a young dog might just not be that bothered about food with so many other exciting things in the world - but they won't starve themselves either. Apparently we shouldn't expect dogs to eat like humans, i.e. similar sized meals twice a day - they'll eat when they are hungry. Our vet said there's no point continuing to offer ever-more enticing foods as this will just create a rod for your own back. Provide a balanced good quality food at appropriate times and the dog will eat when it's hungry, which might not be every meal, every day. Unless the dog is underweight or showing other health problems, there is nothing to worry about a missed meal or two. Though, having said all this, my OH continues to offer enticing treats to get Jess to eat. Currently a freshly poached egg cracked over her kibble is working for her highness.
Hattie & Charlie eat their meals twice a day at roughly the same time, except for weekends. They will eat kibble on it's own no problem but will happily eat sardines, raw chicken, turkey necks, meaty bones etc. vegetables, they get raw eggs too. They never turn their noses up at anything Just depends on the dog. xx
I bought some sardines yesterday just to try, that's a good idea, I am currently mixing each meal with something different. Egg, puppy pedigree chum, now some sardines, but I would like to get her back to just kibble so she will eat it without the extras. This way she is not eating enough of what she should, although the extra bits have benefits too of course.
That is all really helpful actually, I know I should not give her extra bits in her food (although a couple of times a week I would like to do as a treat, like the sardines or egg) and I am trying not to give her other treats. At the moment it is really difficult as I take her on the train twice a day and she will not settle without a chew, sometimes 2, each journey - frenzy time if she has no food so don't even suggest anything to replace that! Also I too have an OH who insists on giving her a treat from his dinner plate every day. She now sits and watches him waiting for it, and the reason he says he has to give it her is - because she is watching me!! He created the situation and will not stop this - we have argued so much as he is not helping me to help her. In this he is a royal PITA! But what you have said about the vet is encouraging, maybe I should not worry so much. Thanks.
Ah yes.... I was very firm with Jess for a whole year - no food while humans are eating, and no food from human plates. Then OH started it and now I've conceded too. We might as well give her a seat at the table! She sits right next to us waiting hopefully, and sure enough one of us gives in every time (if it's safe for her to eat). This is definitely one of our epic dog training fails. She does at least sit quietly and politely, so I tell myself it's not too bad.....
My sister's dog sits at the table and eats food off her plate, presented to him with his own special dog fork.
Yes, Maisy does sit quietly and waits, whereas she used to jump up and beg so that is better I suppose. She has also taken to lying under the table when we first sit down to eat, then when nearly finished she comes out and sits next to OH for the prize, she must hear the cutlery scraping up the last bits or something, she just knows. Incidentally she never sits next to me because I will not give her anything and she knows it, that's why OH gets the looks, he started it!
Just add one sardine to start with as you don't want to give her an upset stomach. Some dogs/pups tolerate them better than others
Oh, THIS! Rubie has gone through phases where she just did.not.eat. Clever pup would eat only stuff touching the yogurt, pumpkin, raw egg (her favorite), canned food, etc. and leave the rest. I think... she's actually really just good at self regulating. If she's exercised, she will eat like she hasn't eaten in days. If it's been a slow, lazy day for us, she just nibbles here and there. I've been told that a dog will not starve themselves to the point of danger but who really wants to play that game?! As a young pup, we tried only offering her food for 15 minutes in the AM and then 15 minutes at lunch and then 15 minutes in the evening. If she ate, she got more the next meal, if she didn't, it was put up for the next time. She actually didn't seem to care much and it didn't seem to benefit her but I have heard of it working! Just exercise is her thing. If we go for a hike first thing in the AM, she'll pound her food when we get home. If it's not until lunch time on a work day that we get outside and running around, she won't eat until 1p. I've learn to not worry about it, much, but it took a looong time and lot of fretting!
