Pup getting food finicky

sbcvulcan1

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#1
I have my 7 month old puppy on Nutro. She is now in a phase where she is getting picky about her food. She si more interested in eating my other dogs adult Iams and of course people food which i don't give her. I tried getting her a small bag of Purina Beneful to mix in and she picked thru that too. She will eat the dog chow if i use it as treats in training. I even tried a dash of beef broth on top to spur her interest. I am thinking maybe i should get Iams pup chow, maybe she likes that but maybe she is trying to brake my bank buying dog food brands to try. Any suggestions? Will she just eat if hungry? She does eat better after exercise. Maybe she will just self feed on it a bit at a time all day??? she is nibbling a few at a time now, bringing a few into living room to snack on.

She is a 44 lb wheaton mix. Thanks all.
 

Fran27

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#2
Purina and Iams are not good food... I would browse the forum a bit to get other suggestions.
 

sbcvulcan1

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#4
although I am concerned with the brand I am really asking how do I work with this issue? I need her to eat.
 

Mordy

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#5
Put food down for 15-20 minutes twice a day. Whatever doesn't get eaten in this time frame is taken away and no extra food offered until the next meal time. Also do not feed any treats or extras while this is going on.

None of the food brands you mentioned are of particular good quality. Click on the blue part of my signature to learn more about differences in quality. :)
 

juliefurry

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#6
I had that problem with a few of my dogs, especially the sheltie I have now. Just do as Mordy said and put the food down for about 15 minutes and whatever isn't eaten pick up and then try setting down agian later in the day for 15 minutes. Also do not give people food and really seriously limit treats until your puppy starts eating when it is suppose to. You can also put the dogs in seperate rooms while they are eating, to prevent your puppy from eating your adult dog's food. I would look into switching into an all lifestages formula as well because that way if your puppy does get into your adult dog's food he is still getting a food that is exceptable for him to eat.
 

SummerRiot

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#7
Most dogs like the taste of Innova.. if you are able to spend an extra few bucks, I'd invest in Innova.

All of our dogs are now on Innova.
Riot went on Innova after his wheat allergy came about and now our two Shelties are switching over from Purina Pro Plan to Innova. :)

They all love it!
 

moondog

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#8
I have the same issue and afraid I may be making it worse. I have an 8 month old puppy who gets Innova kibble with a variety of flavors of Wellness canned foods mixed in (which i thought would make him happy/hungry) but my puppy seems to be getting more and more finicky. He never eats his breakfast and sometimes barely touches his dinner. He only has an appetite after playing for an hour or two at the park/run. It has gotten to the point where he has vomitted yellow stuff (from an empty stomach) a couple of times after not eating a whole day. To make up for this, when I see he has not eaten I will hand feed him healthy treats/chicken/ground beef. Am i making it worse? I've tried limiting his feeding time and free-feeding but neither seem to work. Now I try to give him activity at the park or run for 1-2 hours everyday but it doesn't always work out. Should i just get used to this equilibrium i've found or try something else? He eats his Innova and Wellness just fine after activity.
 

mojozen

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#9
I have the same issue and afraid I may be making it worse. I have an 8 month old puppy who gets Innova kibble with a variety of flavors of Wellness canned foods mixed in (which i thought would make him happy/hungry) but my puppy seems to be getting more and more finicky.
Has he seen a vet? If yes, and there's nothing medically wrong with him...

Stick to one kind of food -- and dont' let the dog control you. He won't starve himself. Dogs are opportunists. He's learned he can try to get you to feed whatever it is HE wants by doing these sorts of actions.

My dog tried this with me. He now gets some "people" food at night (canned pumpkin, green beans, and sardines on a rotating basis), but his morning kibble is just kibble with a little bit of water added in. I did as Mordy suggested - 15 min down if he doesn't eat? Too bad so sad. Up comes the food. At the next feeding time down goes the food for another 15min... and so on and so forth.

If he has an upset tummy feed him very bland foods boiled chicken and rice for a day or so then back to the kibble.

To make up for this, when I see he has not eaten I will hand feed him healthy treats/chicken/ground beef. Am i making it worse?
Givign into him is going to make ti worse. I'd cut out all treats, and human food (unless he is throwing up repeatedly then i'd take him to the vet) until he learns that what is in his bowl is what he eats... and that's all he gets.
 

Mordy

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#10
To make up for this, when I see he has not eaten I will hand feed him healthy treats/chicken/ground beef. Am i making it worse?
Yes you are. Put food down twice daily for 15 minutes and if it's not eaten, take it away and don't feed anything until it's time for the next meal. No extras, no treats.

Right now is the time where you make a difference between a dog who will remain finnicky for the rest of its life and one who's going to eat normally. Don't mess with too much variety, you can always introduce that later.
 

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