Food Issues

[Fly1170]

Hi

We have just bought our 9 week old mini schnauzer puppy home. He is a gem (knows his bed and uses it, is toileting outside, using dog door to go outside, no night crying after night 2) and so cute. But I do have a few questions about food.

1. We are feeding him exactly what the breeder was (type, amount and frequency) but he is not finishing his meal (maybe eats half). Is this as he is still settling in (has been with us 4 days). The breeder told us he is 'a great eater' and is even a little chubby so it seems strange. This leds to my second question.....

2. Should we leave the uneaten food out (we are feeding three small meals a day)? Or take it away after a certain time (if so how long)? I'm finding he'll eat a 1/4 then come back an hour later and eat a bit more etc etc.

3. How important is it with the 'leader of the pack' issue to feed them last? We all eat a different times and so while he might eat after one member of the family he'll often eat before another (which family member this is varies). Does this make sense? I can't wait until 11pm to give him his dinner which is when the last member of the family might be arriving home and eating. What should I do?

Thanks for your time

[lucknow]

New dogs in our household often take a little while to gain full appetite for I suspect many reasons. If the pup is otherwise well I would just keep an eye on it (and speak to the breeder if concerned).

I pick up all food not eaten immediately and referigerate or whatever is appropriate. I like my dogs to learn food time is when I say so (without being mean to little babies).

I don't believe that dogs truly recognise feed time as being before or after yours - feed when pup is due and it suits you otherwise hungry puppy will find something else to eat!

[poodlefan]

flly:

1. We are feeding him exactly what the breeder was (type, amount and frequency) but he is not finishing his meal (maybe eats half). Is this as he is still settling in (has been with us 4 days). The breeder told us he is 'a great eater' and is even a little chubby so it seems strange. This leds to my second question.....

It's not uncommon for a pup to be a bit unsettled after coming home. What are you feeding him?

2. Should we leave the uneaten food out (we are feeding three small meals a day)? Or take it away after a certain time (if so how long)? I'm finding he'll eat a 1/4 then come back an hour later and eat a bit more etc etc.

I'd be putting it down and removing it after 10 minutes.

3. How important is it with the 'leader of the pack' issue to feed them last? We all eat a different times and so while he might eat after one member of the family he'll often eat before another (which family member this is varies). Does this make sense? I can't wait until 11pm to give him his dinner which is when the last member of the family might be arriving home and eating. What should I do?

I have never bothered with this. I feed my dogs when it's convenient to feed them -when I get home from work. There's so much more to a relationship based on trust and respect than this and I don't think its essential. The best way to establish and reinforce such a relationship is regular training IMO.

Edited March 12, 2008 by poodlefan

[sausy.dog]

I am not sure whether the puppy had litter mates up until you brought him home, but I think that when they no longer have that 'competition' they don't seem to be compelled to eat as quickly, and therefore seem to eat less. Our puppy took a while to settle in also.

[Fly1170]

Hi

Yes he had litter mates and here there is no competetion.

We are feeding him Ekunuba dry puppy food (wetted down), advance tinned puppy food and fatty mince meat (all mixed up). We were told to do this and gradually wean him off the wet stuff until at 3-4 mths it's only the dry food.

Thanks for the help so far

Louise

[hails83]

Hi Louise

I also have a 9 week old Mini Schnauzer at home, and I must say that she has gone off her food also. It was only yesterday that she really showed any interest in eating up her meal, so hopefully this is a sign that her appetite is slowly improving. I have heard that it is very common for a new puppy to go off of its food when it goes to its new home, as has already been said, I would put this down to the new overwhelming environment and the fact that he/she does not need to compete for food now against its litter mates.

For this reason, I leave her bowl of food down for 5 to 15 minutes. If she leaves food behind, I make sure I take it away, and she doesn't get any food until her next meal time (aside from small healthy treats here and there). I was advised that this would enforce the fact that she will need to eat food when it is given to her otherwise she will loose her chance - curbing fussy eating. If they get used to the idea that food will be readily available throughout the day, they will become fussy and selective, not to mention that the food will soil and attract ants and other nasty critters.

I have also been advised that a dog should eat after its human companions to reinforce the hierarchy. As you said though, it is a little hard with varying schedules so if we all cannot eat a meal first, I sit down near her and eat a small snack like a dry biscuit before I give her a meal (I am the only one who feeds her). Not sure if this is effective, I guess this is down to personal opinion.

Good luck with it all.

[Dogsfevr]

Minis are hoovers & will eat anything & everything.

Never leave the food done to encourage grazing.By picking the bowl up after a set time you become the leader off the food & its competition .

Certainly many pups do find the lose of littermates & eating a tad overwhelming but its important that you stick to your guns when it comes to eating habits.

Also the portions your breeder suggested may need adjusting.often what they eat in a group compared to on there own can change due tolesser activity,so maybe just take a bit out of each meal.

" fatty mince meat"

Did the breeder suggest fatty mince or is this what your using because with minis you avoid to much fat due to them being prone to pancreatitis

[TeamSnag]

I always gave my dogs 15 mins to eat there meals if they dont it goes up.. no games no mucking around

[Fly1170]

Hi

Thank you so much everyone for your replies.

I am feeding him fatty mince meat as that is what the breeder told us to do ('good for puppies'). It's only for the next month until he is three months old and then then on it'll just be dry food. Surley just three months of fatty meat won't lead to health problems?

He is doing much better now that it's been a week since he arrived and I'm taking the food after 10 mins. He still isn't eating as much as the breeder suggested he would but I'm thinking that may be as someone suggested beacuse we have no other dogs. As I've already said he's a little plump so can afford to slim down a little without loss of form anyway.

Thanks again everyone. Sorry it has taken me so long to reply , it's been a crazy week

Louise

[sas]

1. We are feeding him exactly what the breeder was (type, amount and frequency) but he is not finishing his meal (maybe eats half). Is this as he is still settling in (has been with us 4 days). The breeder told us he is 'a great eater' and is even a little chubby so it seems strange. This leds to my second question.....

2. Should we leave the uneaten food out (we are feeding three small meals a day)? Or take it away after a certain time (if so how long)? I'm finding he'll eat a 1/4 then come back an hour later and eat a bit more etc etc.

It's not unusual for a puppy to do this, sometimes it can take a couple of months for them to ease into a new environment. Most importantly don't give in and give the puppy something different so it will eat, don't hand feed it etc. If it hasn't eaten everything in the bowl in 15 minutes, take the bowl away, the dog won't starve.

3. How important is it with the 'leader of the pack' issue to feed them last? We all eat a different times and so while he might eat after one member of the family he'll often eat before another (which family member this is varies). Does this make sense? I can't wait until 11pm to give him his dinner which is when the last member of the family might be arriving home and eating. What should I do?

Some people are really into the whole dog eats last thing, it's up to you. You can always eat a biscuit infront of the dog before giving the dog its' meal if you want to.

[NoodleNut]

I am feeding him fatty mince meat as that is what the breeder told us to do ('good for puppies'). It's only for the next month until he is three months old and then then on it'll just be dry food. Surley just three months of fatty meat won't lead to health problems?

He is doing much better now that it's been a week since he arrived and I'm taking the food after 10 mins. He still isn't eating as much as the breeder suggested he would but I'm thinking that may be as someone suggested beacuse we have no other dogs. As I've already said he's a little plump so can afford to slim down a little without loss of form anyway.

Hi! Our pup is now 15 weeks and she was similar in her eating patterns (did not eat as well as the breeder suggested) to what you have described. She was also a bit 'loose' but it soon resolved itself with boiled chicken fillet and rice, Noodle is fed Advance rehydratable ... need to make sure I rehydrate it enough or we end up with a constipated dog!! Noodle enjoys chicken necks. The breeder had been giving her one as a substitute for one of her meals every second day. She eats all of it. Even now I give her a chicken neck if we are going out/working ... at the moment I am buying them in bulk and putting them in snaplock bags and freezing them .. I give one to her frozen .. great for the teething and something worth waiting to defrost.

Noodle is not fed with us ever ... fed outside most times ... although there seems to be wasps and ants around at the moment and her food seems to attract them so occassionally I bring the bowl inside. I leave it there 15 minutes and then take it away. Noodle is not fed food we have althought she often will watch us eat but none is offered to her (tonight we had chicken and I did get some scraps of meat and give them to her, outside away from us - licked the bowl clean!!). She has never eaten when we eat. If she is inside she is on a lead in the kitchen and can watch but can't get to us at all. So far so good.

Noodle has 'upped' her food intake ... she has increased in size too .. gowing through another growth spurt! :D