Picky eater

[Fi1805]

Isla is such a pain in the proverbial when it comes to mealtimes! She's been like it since day 1 - every meal is a mission to get her to eat it, I've tried dry, soaking, adding extra yummies like cooked chicken or cheese. And she'll have a nibble for a bit and then wanders off. So infuriating!

I've tried feeding her after a walk or a training session, sometimes works, sometimes not. She will sometimes eat more out of a kong than a bowl, I think she likes working or maybe playing for her food.

Generally mealtimes take about half an hour to coax her into eating her entire meal - that's an hour and a half each day, just to get little madam to eat!

The absolute best way to get her to eat every morsel, and this is really the point of my post... if I hand feed her whilst sitting next to our other dog and hand feed him at the same time. I don't know if she is copying him or if it is the survival instinct kicking in that another dog may eat her food which makes her buck up her ideas and eat?

Anyway, I'm not sure that this is the best way of getting her to eat but it's the only way I can at the moment.

I know some people leave food for 15mins and then remove and let the dog go hungry until next mealtime, but I feel that at her young age she really needs to eat all of her meals.

Any ideas, or reassurance would be welcome!

[Fi1805]

Oh and I forgot to say that she is currently on Arden Grange but I am in the process of changing to Wainrights and I mix in a small amount of Wainrights wet pouches to make it a bit more enticing for her.

[Jude]

The first thing I would say is do not start hand feeding her or trying to coax her to eat - you will only succeed in making her even more picky. I am afraid you have to be tough at this stage - food goes down for 15 minutes and if not eaten you take it away and do not offer anything else until next meal time (difficult if you are using treats for training but they should be included in her daily ration). A healthy pup will eat when it is hungry, especially if there is competition from another dog, but it will only eat small amounts at one time as the stomach is pretty small at that age so it stands to reason that if she has had some treats since the last meal time she will not be so hungry. A pup (if fit and well) will not starve itself but will very quickly learn not to eat if it thinks there might be something better on offer!

[Stuart]

I agree with Jude,.. dont be too soft,..either,.. meal down for a short while and removed untill the next meal time,.. or meal down and walk away and leave it down, but ignore the dog,.,..I think at the moment Isla is training you,... I certainly wouldnt hand feed a dog unless it was sick.

...and stop any treats.

There is a warning here though,..are you absolutly sure that she is not sick, or has a medical problem that may hinder eating, bad tooth, gums, throat, swallowing,.... I doubt it, but you never know,.. if she is healthy then she will eat when she is hungry

[LindaM]

I agree with the others. My Lukey used to spread his kibble around the kitchen and always leave a few bits on the floor. The trainer at our puppy classes, when I asked her, said he was a 'messy eater'. I still had my doubts about him being a 'messy eater'.

So one day I picked up his meal after 15 mins and guess what he stopped being a 'messy eater' and leaving kibble around. He picks up every last piece.

I've only had one shep but I reckon he would wrap me round his little finger if he could (hehe that's one of the things I like about him).

He is well turned 4 and I think I have picked his food up after 15 mins on only 3 occasions in all that time.

Obviously you have to check out she is not sick if she continues to refuse food. If she is not digesting it well or has the runs or is sick (more than on the odd occasion).

Good look with the lovely Isla

[Fi1805]

Thanks for all the advice. I am pretty sure that she isnt sick - she is having normal poos etc. and she does eat a bit, it's just that she tends to eat more enthusiastically if there is another dog around - the lady who takes her for daycare said the same thing happens with her.

I was worried because the breeder that I got her from told me that her rule was that pups should be 6months old before implementing the 15minute rule. I guess if she misses one meal or so it wont hurt?

Also, my other reason for hand feeding her from time to time is as a preventative for food guarding. Darwin, our other dog, was a stray and he was a terrible food guarder - I was bitten by him when putting down his food when my OH first got him but we have worked through that with him now and we wanted to prevent it from happening with Isla.

Anyway - I will try tomorrow taking her food away after 15mins and see what happens.

[laney]

Hi there , believe me i do know what u are going thru , its awful and u just want them to goddam eat !! read some of my posts about Mowgli , I went thru the exact same thing with him and esp after losing my old girl , when I got the new puppy he was a bit better , pup is on 4 meals a day and a bit of jealousy kicked in too I think , so I made Mowgli literally like 2 tablespoons of dinner and fed him next to the pup , sometimes he would eat it others not , with pup quite safe in his crate , he is now having 3 very small meals a day next to Copper , he always finishes first and looks for more { which I dont give him } if he looks unintersted and goes to walk away I just have to say ' ok then Copper will have it , good boy Copper' and back he comes and wolfs the lot lol ! Its frustrating and heartbreaking , he has never been a foodie and never will be but after a year of trying all the things u have and some we are doing much better , I got a lot of great advice from people on here , please dont get yourself stressed Mog went 4 days without eating a thing once !! its a worry when they are growing I know , but u do need to stick to ur guns , good luck Lx

[Fi1805]

Thanks Laney - I have read your posts about Mowgli, very sad story and I'm glad for you that he's doing a bit better since the arrival of Copper. I don't know how you coped for 4 days without him eating anything, that must have been really difficult.

I don't think Isla will ever be a foodie - she's just never been that interested in her meals. I think I will have to get tough and let her get a bit hungry if she doesnt finish. It'll be really hard to do but my concern is that if she ever needs boarding for a few days, there will be nobody there to give her special treatment so she needs to just get on with it! x

[LindaM]

I'm not a trainer nor an expert in sheps but I do think dogs have such a different relationships with food that we do. Think about how a dog will eat more in the company of another dog. I think this is where the animal instinct kicks in and most of us project at least some of our human feelings on to our pets.

I can understand that after having a dog that was aggressive over food that you are concerned Fiona but Isla has been your puppy from a very young age unlike your stray who probably went very hungry at times to say the least.

With Lukey from being young I often added a tasty little morsel to his bowl whilst he was eating and he is quite happy for me to pick his bowl up if I wanted (but I rarely do as there is no need).

Incidentally when I feed him I contain him to the kitchen and for 15 mins I leave him to it, don't look at him, talk to him. I occasionally say something like 'there you are lad' as I put down the bowl but usually say I nothing. I might make a cup of tea or wash up or wander in and out. I honestly think the more you just get on with life the happier these dogs are.

Sending you a hug as it is not easy as these dogs are different and I needed a bit of support when I got my Lukey.

Linda and (the occasional naughty but lovely) Lukey x