Puppy Not Keen On Food

[Arlizng]

Hi everyone,

My puppy has not been a big eater. She will sniff her food bowl and walk away. I'm currently feeding her a mix of blackhawk and barf (started barf today).

If it is just blackhawk kibble and if we leave it there all day, she will walk in and out of pen taking eating one mouthful at a time. She does not seem to like puppy milk, nor her kibble soaked with some water so we give it without.

Breakfast, she would happily eat raw chicken neck or one chicken wing in one seating.

She will eat her treats when training too.

Also, she had her second vaccination this week.

Should i be concerned? She's been with us for a week, so maybe she is still adjusting?

Thanks.

[Salukifan]

Was this what her breeder was feeding?

I would not be leaving food down. Feed her meals at the times you prefer, put it down for 10 minutes and then take it away.

[Arlizng]

Was this what her breeder was feeding?

I would not be leaving food down. Feed her meals at the times you prefer, put it down for 10 minutes and then take it away.

Thanks for your reply. It is the same kibble and puppy milk.

I started barf when we ran out of the mince we used. I mix the barf with the kibble.

Should i revert back to mince?

The breeder stated that she left the kibble and milk down for them. Should i remove the bowl still?

[Salukifan]

Was this what her breeder was feeding?

I would not be leaving food down. Feed her meals at the times you prefer, put it down for 10 minutes and then take it away.

Thanks for your reply. It is the same kibble and puppy milk.

I started barf when we ran out of the mince we used. I mix the barf with the kibble.

Should i revert back to mince?

The breeder stated that she left the kibble and milk down for them. Should i remove the bowl still?

I would but what breed are we talking about?

[Salukifan]

Was this what her breeder was feeding?

I would not be leaving food down. Feed her meals at the times you prefer, put it down for 10 minutes and then take it away.

Thanks for your reply. It is the same kibble and puppy milk.

I started barf when we ran out of the mince we used. I mix the barf with the kibble.

Should i revert back to mince?

The breeder stated that she left the kibble and milk down for them. Should i remove the bowl still?

I would but what breed are we talking about?

[Arlizng]

She is a finnish lapphund.

[Starkehre]

This happens a lot with puppies.

From what you describe she is not actually ever getting a chance to get hungry. She will have a good brekky, then graze and get topped up with training treats during the day, so is not fussed about eating her meals. It takes very little to keep a pup topped up and feeling full when they ingest any small amounts of food fairly constantly.

My guess is that you may be expecting her to eat more than she needs. If she is not an overly food orientated pup and she is enjoying taking treats from you, she is probably preferring that experience with her food. Have you ever actually added up everything that she is eating each day, including milk, treats and grazing times ... absolutely everything, and seen exactly how much this is?

My other guess is that if you are like many people, you may be getting concerned and offering her even more treats and yummy delights because you are worried she is not getting enough.

My opinion is that it is less about what you are feeding and more about how you are feeding that is creating the fussiness.

Puppies are very good at training their owners.

Personally what I would do is this - once you have ascertained that she is completely healthy and well, if she is on 4 meals per day, cut it back to 3 and stop training with treats for a couple of days. Training is important but you could use play as a reward instead... just for a little while. Allow her to feel that hunger, then at meals time she will eat what you put down. If she doesn't, take it away til next meal.

And keep the meals small. What can happen is people put more in the bowl hoping that puppy will eat more. If puppy is not food orientated or overly hungry, they are likely to see more food than they want as too much and less likely to even give it a go. You can always add a little bit if she finishes it quickly.

Puppies that aren't big eaters can be stressful for owners... most of us have no doubt been there. If she is the type to go back and graze at her leisure, perhaps she likes her bowl to be put down somewhere away from foot traffic and a little more private. Try to avoid staring at her eating as it may be stressful for her. Take the pressure off by putting down the bowl and walking away. Or feed her in a crate.

If she starts eating meals better, you can always put her back onto 4 meals a day for a short time if you want to.

I have always found that non food orientated puppies eat better on 3 meals, but it is a balancing act of working out what is best for your own puppy.

Always a good idea to have a chat with the breeder, but if she advises keeping bowls of food down, for a pup in a single pup home that is not overly food orientated I think this will only give you more of what you already have.

Best wishes with your puppy :)

Edited November 30, 2013 by dyzney

[espinay2]

Agree with everything Dyzney has said, so I won't repeat it. It is very good advice.

[Arlizng]

Thanks for your reply. I will put into practice what you've advised. Just makes me a bit worried when she isn't wolfing down food (my first not to!) but she is happy and loves doing zoomies in our living room. So she's full of beans.

I do feed her in her puppy pen. So i'll put her into a sit, give the release and walk away for 20 mins? Then come back and pick up her food bowl?

[Starkehre]

Thanks for your reply. I will put into practice what you've advised. Just makes me a bit worried when she isn't wolfing down food (my first not to!) but she is happy and loves doing zoomies in our living room. So she's full of beans.

I do feed her in her puppy pen. So i'll put her into a sit, give the release and walk away for 20 mins? Then come back and pick up her food bowl?

Yep

Good luck and enjoy her. They grow up so quickly.

Her enthusiasm for food will increase as she matures, unless you turn it into a big stigma and swear word. All puppies have different level of food drive, plenty are like yours. Just relax, breathe and try not to worry. :)

Edited November 30, 2013 by dyzney

[BlackJaq]

I also agree with Dyzney. I have managed to raise myself a bad/fussy eater in this manner and I certainly learnt my lesson. Have always struggled with her weight and she will hold off eating her dinner in case something better comes along :p She is three years old and the behavior is pretty well ingrained now, she has me trained very well :laugh:

Since she now works a lot (dog sports + hunting and training for both) I am really struggling to keep her weight up. We are now trying out another kibble to go with her raw food but recently I have felt I had no choice but to let her graze in an attempt to get her to eat enough. She is taking to the new food (Advance Active) really well so I am hoping to be able to get back to proper meals rather than just having food out all the time.

[sandgrubber]

I wish I could loan Patty (Labrador, 14 weeks) to you for a few meals. She's the most avoricious, greeedy feeder I've ever met. She thinks cabbage cores and broccoli stalks are treats. I would bet that putting your pup together with a real greedy guts for a few meals, and letting her discover that if she doesn't eat she'll go hungry, would increase her appetite for meals. Btw,you might try making her treats less attractive than her meals. Eg, carrots. I'll bet it will increase interest in meals.

[Shelby]

I agree with Dyzney - you will probably be amazed at how much she is eating if you place meals, treats etc that you give over the day aside to see the total that she eats. Puppies do not have very large stomachs at that age so smaller meals may make a difference.

[MouseR]

I don't think I would be making her treats any less special. If you want her to work for her treats and work hard they need to be of high value! I agree with the leaving the food down only for short periods. Worked with my girl and she will now eat anything I give her :)

[PuddleDuck]

Bear was very fussy on food from around 3 months to 5 months-she would only eat if she earned every single piece of kibble. Since then, she is the worlds biggest gutz and a total piglet-to the point where I struggle using food for training rewards because it distracts her so much that her brain short circuits. So they definitely can grow out of it :laugh:

[Arlizng]

Thanks everyone for your replies. She is a total piggy now when it comes to food. I've taken someone's advice to feed her on the balcony, out of our sight and she has been pretty happy wolfing everything down.

Only thing is, she has been pretty itchy since we got her, so i'm going to take her off her kibble and feed her just raw and see if the itchiness stops. :)

Thanks again everyone for your helpful feedback. Dol community is the best!

[cavNrott]

Only thing is, she has been pretty itchy since we got her, so i'm going to take her off her kibble and feed her just raw and see if the itchiness stops. :)

Thanks again everyone for your helpful feedback. Dol community is the best!

Good to hear you will stop the kibble and feed raw BARF. I wouldn't feed raw and kibble together. Raw food digests fairly quick whereas kibble digest slowly. I guess it's ok to feed kibble for one meal and raw for another meal, I just wouldn't feed them together.

I hope you have success with relieving the itchies by taking her off the kibble.

[sparkycat]

Ooooooh a Lappie :D my Lappie wasn't very interested in food as a pup -there were too many other things to see and chew !

Please please please go into the Spitz thread and post photos :)