very fussy dog?

[felicia]

Anassa has always been fussy, i know she isn't sick because she has regular checkups and has always been this way, besides, she will happily eat a steak if one is given to her.

my problem is she won't eat tin dog food (can't blame her there) so i started making her food myself, mince, rice and veggies, at first she ate it but now i have problems getting her to eat it, the only way i can get her to eat dog biscuits is to put them in my hand, she will eat the wet food like this too but it;s so gross and i really don't like doing it, besides, she needs to eat out of her bowl.

does anyone know why she does this and how it can be fixed?


thanks



frelicia

[imported_Kat]

I used to petsit for 2 Irish wolfhounds and their owner got into the habit of hand feeding them if they didn't eat. Now when I was petsitting them I told her I refused to feed them porridge and kibble from a spoon every morning.. :roll: She told me to do what I had to and she would love to stop the messing about. The amount of food was dramatically reduced to about a quarter of what they usually had. The dogs first of all looked at me when I set the bowl down and were like wtf? :o I set the bowl down, told them to eat and if they didn't and walked away i took them back to the bowl and i removed it and the food got thrown out. Same procedure at dinner time. If they didn't eat or left some it was thrown out. They soon got pretty hungry and it only took a day of eating very little food before they clicked and the next morning they were ravenous and wolfed the food down before i could even set the bowl down to them on their feeding stand!

If your pup isn't eating don't start changing and giving her options. If you feed a well balanced kibble add a few veggies for texture but feed only a little bit. If she doesn't eat it , then make a show of removing the bowl and you can either set it on the work top for 5 mins and present it again or you can bin it totally. If she doesn't eat then she fasts . its simple as that. Dogs are not fussy eaters. Its humans who change their foods and their eating habits around that make them fussy eaters. Dogs are creatures of habit and they do not need or appreciate a change of food every few weeks/months.

Do not feed her on a bed or on a sofa. Feed her in the kitchen or in a utility room or similar and keep her bowl in the same place every time when feeding her.

Sometimes you have to be harsh on yourself to do good for your dog :wink:

[drjeffrock]

Excellent reply Kat.
Follow Kat's advice and the problem will be cured. Kira is a finicky eater too. She knows if she doesnt eat her food when I give it to her, it will be taken away and she will have to wait till that night (or the next morning.)

[behle]

I wholeheartedly agree with the advice given. If I let them, both my fellas would hold out for "better stuff". Better doesn't mean better for them, but something they would prefer. Just like a little kid who doesn't want to eat their veggies but wants a cookie. :roll:

[felicia]

Thanks kat!

i'll try that because i don't like hand feeding her and as you said, giving her options won't help her to change, i guess iv'e just been a sucker for those big puppy dog eyes :lol:

she already always eats in the kitchen but i will start doing what you said and i'll let you all know what happens.

Just like a little kid who doesn't want to eat their veggies but wants a cookie.

That is so true! well, things are going to start changing round here lol.






thanks again





felicia

[Bubblezzz]

Cosmic used to be picky like that. :? It all worked out for us when I decided to cook yummier food. :oops:

Just giving you another option felicia. :lol:

[felicia]

Thankyou :)

i have tried homemade dog food, i used to use mince, vegetables, rice and gravy but she seems to have gone off it a bit.....i don't know why though because it smells great :roll:

it could have something to do with me adding some dog biscuits to the mix and hiding them amongst the other stuff thinking she wouldn't notice :lol:




felicia

[Canis erectus]

Kat hit the nail on the head. And if she still skips meals every so often don't worry about it, it can be perfectly normal for some individual dogs to be light eaters.