Feeding advice for unmotivated dog

J

janem_g

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Hello, Just to introduce you we have Barney a 7 month old cross breed. Poodle schnauzer 10kg. We got Barney at 3 months and he was on some Purina puppy food. We tried a couple of different kibbles and wet toppers including James Wellbeloved and Wainwrights and he is ok for a while but then disinterested. He much prefers the cats chicken!

I'm currently trying him on Applaws with a wet pate type topper from them also. I am interested in potentially feeding a raw diet but had a quick look in a pet shop today at complete frozen nuggets and it seems a very expensive way to do things. I have no problem with keeping frozen bits and bobs but am keen to ensure he gets all he needs and it all looks a bit complicated. Several friends feed raw but all do it differently, some buying complete type frozen food and supplementing and others giving chicken wings and bones. I'm just after a bit of advice and any suggestions would be welcome. For information he is walked twice a day approx. 45 mins, once in the woods off lead and once up at the horses, some on lead some off lead and the odd whizz round the block, up the shops, to the park. Happy little dog otherwise but our first dog so I want to do the right thing.

Thanks in advance

Jane
 
I'd stop chopping and changing...dogs generally won't starve themselves and will eat when they're hungry, as long as you've eliminated an underlying health issue. Withdraw and feed again later.
Also check amounts and make sure you're not overfacing him. Guidelines are simply that, if he's skinny, offer more, podgy, feed less.

All brands mentioned are decent but I'm a big fan of raw feeding. There are some more qualified than me to guide you on here but I used to feed by eye/my own initiative without sticking to rigidly to percentages. I mixed branded raw food, bargain bin supermarket stuff and meat I got from a supplier to greyhound tracks.

Don't go mental on physical exercise under 12 months while he is still growing, training and tricks and keeping his brain active will tire him more. He sounds like a smart cookie!
 
As advised don't swap and change. He is probably a self regulator and he is probably perfect weight wise. Dogs are not meant to have the abundance of food at their disposal us humans shove down them. They are designed to live on very little and go long periods between feeds.
 
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Oh and another thing, ignore if it's not applicable but try not to stand over or near him watching him/checking on him while he eats...some dogs find this stressful/offputting. As do I ;)
 
At that age, I'd be putting down a bowl with as much food as he can eat before becoming disinterested. Then removing it completely after, say, 10 minutes.

Small puppies need food ad lib 24/7, but older fussy eaters sometimes need convincing that they'd better eat it now before it disappears -- or, in my kennel, mum comes along and clears it up!
 
I have used a 30 second rule with success - divide his daily ration into as many protions as you have time to offer him throughout the day - 8 or more if you can. Then offer him one, leave for 30 seconds and remove totally what remains. With so many portions he has that many opportunities to eat, and after a couple of days he will have learned that. Once he has learned you can gradually reduce the time by increments down to a few seconds until he starts diving in the minute you offer it. Then reduce to once or twice a day, increasing the portions accordingly.
Works every time, it sort of replicates competition from other dogs. The safest place for your food is in your stomach!
 
my bedlington was a nightmare eater until about 18 months. Then I discovered raw chicken necks and he became interested in food. Now he has raw chicken necks and raw pet mince from the butchers. It costs me about £12 to feed a bedlington and a whippet for 2 weeks. They get left over veg, and oily fish once a week, but apart from that chicken necks and mince once a day, every day and they both love it. Neither of my dogs is a foodie, both will self regulate and sometimes leave it till breakfast. I cant stand over my bedlington, he wont eat when being observed. So I just let the whippet finish, then remove her from the room and shut my beddy in there with his food. People said that having another dog will encourage the non foody to eat, I can say categoricaly that that did not work for mine. My whippet will only eat from her bowl, will never ever eat from the bedlington. and they neither have food aggression. Lovely really as I can put my hands in their bowls and they dont care. Dont chop and change as they can become even more fussy. And dont get worried about the dog not eating, they wont starve themselves. They just get you trained.
 
What Jill A said small portions small time scales in which to eat.
I can't agree with offering huge bowlfulls it creates huge issues Imo makes an even fussier eater.
 
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