Dry Food Woes .......

[hazel]

We have a new little pup that we have now had for 5 weeks ( she is now 13 weeks old ) and I would like to feed her primarily on a dry food diet but she does not like it .....

I have tried both Nutro choice and Eagle Pack with no luck . I have been getting her to eat her food by cooking up some mince and vegetables and mixing in a spoon full into her dry food . She happily munches through chicken necks so I know she does not mind chewing hard things but I have no luck when I present her with a bowl of dry food .

Do I have to be hard and just keep offering the dry each meal time until she is hungry enough to eat or is she still too young for such tactics ?

[Rascalmyshadow]

I the dog enjoys other foods and not the dry why feed her the dry? I know a couple of people doing the same thing and their dogs are so skinny becaus they barely eat.

[TeamSnag]

Hey... Why are u cooking her mince? id be giving it to her raw... Try Lamb, chicken, or beef..

My dogs are on Royal Canin kibble they love it...

My dogs get raw mince or steak and kibble for there meals sometimes fish it all depends.. Yogurt is other ( i make my own yogurt)

A puppy at 13 weeks should be having 2 to 3 meal aday ..

Brisket bones are other bone u can give to her raw Also good for there teeth...

Someone will correct me if im wrong but thats just what i give my boys

Cheers

can we see some pics of ya puppy!! ;)

[Poodle wrangler]

Don't worry too much. My standard poodle pup only eats dry food as a last resort. He tried following me sadly to the fridge every time I opened it (I also feed raw meat and bones). It took only a few days for him to realise no more was forthcoming, so he gave it up and would eat the dry food.

An otherwise healthy pup WILL eat.

I found this out when I tried feeding by the packet, accidently underfeeding my dog. Fortunately, I saw the breeder and she set me straight. That's the only time I ever saw him eat dry food with enthusiasm ;).

I like to feed about 40-50% raw food, but dry food is very convenient. If you want your dog to have it, keep offering it with no other alternative e.g.raw in morning, dry in afternoon. Dogs are smart and won't eat dry if you reward them by giving something tastier instead.

[Dogsfevr]

What diet did the breeder recommend??

What breed of dog is the pup?

[luckymum]

Our puppy isnt much of a fan either but Im going to keep offering it. She is a huge eater and gobbles down everything I offer except the dry food (advance). The pet store lady said that the dry food has all the nutrients they could possibly want in it but if they are offered too much other food they wont go for the dry food as its harder to chew. Thats exactly whats happened in our house!!

[Hazz]

Definately ditch the cooked mince and veg - it's not nutritious. If your interested in feeding whole foods it might be worth researching the BARF diet or getting your hands on either Billinghurst or Lonsdale's books on the subject.

On the dry food front I can honestly say to give Royal Canin a try, my own very fussy eater (whom I had to lace Nutro with goodies so he'd eat it) will happily eat this brand.

[Doghouse]

Um where did you get your dog from??

Both my girls have always had wet mixed with dry either packet puppy stuff or raw mince.. to no adverse effects.. The will only eat dry kibble at the last resort.. but eat a 40% raw diet anyway..

I would try mixing mince with it and slowly reducing the amount of mince if this is the way you want to go..

[hazel]

my dog is a poodle x caviler . I will have to work out how to post some photos as she is absolutely gorgeous ! Everyone who meets her just falls in love with her and she has the most beautiful temperement .... ......

But anyway ... back to the dry food issue !

I actually have Ian Billinghurst book as I tried to feed my last dog ( a boxer ) on a BARF diet , but he did not really seem to like it and I did find it quite time consuming to prepare and as I now work and have 3 young children and would like my dog to have a good quality well balanced diet I thought that a premium dry food diet would be best . ( I also tried my 3 cats on a BARF diet and they HATED it ! They are on a premium dry food and they love it and look great ! )

I am feeding my pup 3 times a day . Should I mix raw mince into the dry or maybe just offer mince in the morning and dry the rest of the time ?

[Poodle wrangler]

If I add mince to dry, my dog will make a mess trying to get rid of the dry food so he can just eat the mince .

I'd feed dry whenever she's most likely to be hungry. Some like to only leave food for 20minutes, then take it away. Offer again later. This is best to do if you have young kids. Otherwise, it's only a matter of time b4 kids try the dog food. Pup will soon get the right idea.

You have your dog now, so enjoy her, but please don't encourage those friends who love her to buy one of the same cross.

Sadly, most cavXpoodles come from puppy farmers who keep their dogs in poor conditions and do no health testing . One DOLer had one of her dogs onsold and ended up as a breeding machine: http://www.dolforums.com.au/index.php?showtopic=90139.

I'm not criticising you- you might not have known- but now you do, so please inform others. Many puppy farmer websites are slick and misleading.

Puppy farmers will only stop if people don't buy their dogs.

There are hundreds of lovable pups and dogs being PTS in shelters and pounds, including many poodleXs because they have high grooming needs which owners are uninformed about and unprepared for .

Edited August 6, 2007 by Poodle wrangler

[Dog_Horse_Girl]

If you were a dog, would you be happy (no delighted?) to eat dry food all the time? ;)

Probably not.

But if you must persist with feeding dry food, and you have made good choices at least, then think about how to make this food more appealing to a young pup. Most pups 'know' wet foods instinctively. Most pups don't know dry foods instinctively b/c they're not biologically tuned into dry foods and likely never will be. So, wet the food with warm to hot water, allow it to stand for 10 minutes, then offer it. Whatever is left over after 10 to 15 minutes, chuck out (you can't offer it again). Your little pup will soon learn that eating the meal immediately means a full stomach. Not eating means an empty stomach.

And I second the comments by Poodle Wrangler about buying this type of cross. Your pup has come from a puppy mill. This results in terrible animal cruelty. These places must be shut down, but this will only happen when people STOP buying these crossbreds from pet shops or the internet. Try reading Leo's story for more information about the terrible lives these breeding machines are subject to, and please discourage the continued trade in such misery by adopting a dog from a pound/shelter/rescue or purchasing from a reputable registered breeder that is actively involved in improving their breed for the sake of the breed.

Edited August 6, 2007 by lillysmum

[Dogsfevr]

Cavies can be picky eaters so its important you stick to your feeding regime.

I would also try adding warm watre to the dry to soften it whilst pup is teething.Some dont eat the dry as its hard on there teething gums but once soaked will happily eat it.

Some brands just arent appealling to all dogs but dont get into the habit of buying many brands.

Add mince,ideally not beef ass it can sause the runs,skin issues.Mutton is better,chicken knecks.

Try tuna in oil once a week but just be consistant & no treats.If you have left overs from tea & you wish the dog to eat it then mix with dry into its bowl so it learns whats in the bowl is dinner.

Some cavies can go days without eating,many poodles can also be fussy eaters & try there owners patience

[ellz]

If you were a dog, would you be happy (no delighted?) to eat dry food all the time? ;)

If we were talking about a human baby this would apply, but we're not. Unlike humans, dogs don't live to eat, they eat to live. A dog will only become picky if you allow it to do so. It is you who dictates what the dog will eat in your pack and you must harden your heart and make sure he does.

Definitely show some tough love. Put the food down, leave it for 15 - 20 minutes and then remove it. Don't offer ANY food until the next meal time. Keep this up and whilst the puppy might get hungry, it WILL eventually learn that it must eat. AND that it must eat what you tell it to.

Also be sure that no other family members have access to give it food when you don't know about it. That has ruined many good eating habits.

[perrin]

If you really want to feed dry i think you have to get tough with her.

My pup was a fussy eater and i changed biscuits several times before finding one he would eat. Although sometimes he gets bored so i alternate.

I feed raw meat/bones in the morning and dry in the evening. He either eats it or goes without.

I also have to keep him separated from the kids and cats otherwise he wants to eat what they are having and would just scoff down the lot and totally ignore his biscuits. He was turning into quite the fatty before i realised that the kids were giving him snacks on the side:eek:

So make sure you aren't slipping her treats either ;)

[Sagittarian]

So, wet the food with warm to hot water, allow it to stand for 10 minutes, then offer it.

This isn't a good idea with all brands. There is one train of though that wetting food that contains Vit C can increase the risk of gastric torsion. Please check the bag - if it doesn't clearly state the food is suitable for wetting (such as Advance Rehydratable is), then get advice from the petfood company before doing so.

Just my suggestion, of course. ;)

[Dog_Horse_Girl]

So, wet the food with warm to hot water, allow it to stand for 10 minutes, then offer it.

This isn't a good idea with all brands. There is one train of though that wetting food that contains Vit C can increase the risk of gastric torsion. Please check the bag - if it doesn't clearly state the food is suitable for wetting (such as Advance Rehydratable is), then get advice from the petfood company before doing so.

Just my suggestion, of course. ;)

From memory, both Nutro and EP are safe enough to do this with. This is also a mixed breed toy puppy so not much risk of bloat.

You don't want the dry bits 'swimming' but damp enough to release the aroma to entice the pup to eat.

[Flaves]

Hey Sags, doe sthat include Nutro too? The wetting of it

[laffi]

Hey Sags, doe sthat include Nutro too? The wetting of it

I returned Nutro without any problems.

[Flaves]

I don;t want to return it, i was wondering if you could wet it for my gsd pup

[juice]

i wet all mine, will go and check now ( supercoat special care, and bonnie).