My 5 1/2 month old German Shepherd doesn't like his puppy food...?

Question

My GSD is currently on Iams puppy food for large breed. Sometimes he doesn't like to eat it all or if any. So we have to add a little bit of canned gravy train and mix in his food 3X a day, for him to eat. If I take him over to another friends house with adult dogs, he is constantly eating their food. What is the recommendation for GSD puppies. When should I switch him to large dog food. or should I try a different brand of puppy food? Right now he is 65 lbs. (yes, hes gonna be big boy) I am concidering buying some doggie gravy stuff to put on his food but I would rather him eat his food dry. (He gets 'hershey squirts' if he eats alot of canned food.)

Answer 1

Ok, first of all he has you trained. You think he won't eat his food so you put gravy on it (woo hoo! is all he is thinking) and yet he knows that when he goes to another home they won't, so he eats the food. Dogs are funny. The thing to remember, a dog won't starve itself. It will eat when it is hungry. Try asking your friends what type of food they feed their dogs. Maybe he doesn't like the brand you are giving him. You could start mixing his puppy food with adult food (half and half) until his puppy food is gone, but I think it may be a bit soon. You do need to mix the food for 5-7 days or he will get "the squirts" from the sudden change in food. I feed my dog Purina Pro Plan, it is a great food with good quality ingredients, and it's affordable. I don't know if you have a PetSmart, but that's where I pick it up. I would stay away from the gravy. He's training you to think he won't eat without it. Obviousely you've seen that he will. Make sure you are feeding him Large Breed food, even as an adult. Good luck with him, I wish you the best!

Answer 2

Puppies should eat puppy food until almost 18 months, I think. Its on the IAMS bag. If your puppy seems to not like his food ensure that he is on the same feeding time, put down the food give him a few minutes and after that pick it up. He'll learn that if he is hungry than that is what he should eat. You can also hold back treats for a while to ensure that he leaves room for the food. Maybe even treat him and praise him after he eats his portion of dog food.

If that doesn't work, or seems a little on the cruel side to you, maybe try some new puppy food, or a mix of dry puppy foods. Don't change food rapidly, but maybe try Eukanuba puppy food mixed in (same company as IAMS). I recommend to stay with the higher quality dog foods, especially for such a large dog. Ask your vet to recommend a food if the IAMS/Eukanuba fails.

Good Luck

Answer 3

Try a different brand of puppy food. Maybe he'll like it better... DO NOT start him on canned food unless you want to continue giving it to him.

I've always found, that if you give it a few days, the puppy will get hungry enough to eat and won't be so picky!!

Also, is he chewing on things that might get in his stomach making him feel like he's full? I know my puppy used to chew up this toys, then hide them. I wouldn't find them for a few days, and always, there would be pieces missing. Oh the joys of puppyhood!!!!

Answer 4

Your puppy will not starve himself to death. But he has learned that if he does not eat right away you will give him something better.
It is hard but if you do the following he will eat.
Put down the food for 20 minutes and let him have as much as he wants. Then pick it up and do not feed him anything else until the next feeding time. Put the food down again for the 20 mintues and pick iut up. Do not put other stuff in the food or switch brands it will make your problem worse.
If you want you could start mixing his puppy food with the adult food you are going to feed. My pups tend to like the adult diet better than the puppy feed also. I think it is becasue the puppy feed is lamb and they like chicken better than lamb.
Good luck.

Answer 5

if your dog weighs 65 pounds at the age of 5 1/2 months he is doing fine. try to use the gravy stuff but you don't feed a dog 3 times a day. a dog gets one good meal a day. once he gets used to getting fed once a day he will eat all his food. eating food of another dog has to do with dominating the other dog. you need to get a book on dog behavior or watch Cesar Milan the dog whisperer on national geographic channel (cable t.v.) he is very informative. 9 times out of ten it's the human that needs training not the dog. remember he is just a dog and he has his own behavior. don't hold him to human standards.

Answer 6

My dog started to be "picky" like this with her food -- she stopped eating unless I hand fed her, then she wanted milk in her food. This was until I put my foot down.

Now I simply put her dry food in the crate and leave it there for 20 minutes. At first, she didn't get it and refused to eat. But I didn't cave in. Eventually when she got hungry enough (the next day), she ate up all her dry food, in her bowl, with no frills. Try this. Once your dog sees you're not playing and that YOU'RE the boss, he'll get it. Some meals he might regress and not eat, but trust me, when he is hungry, he will eat.

Answer 7

dogs should be on puppy food till they are a year old, for now mix it with a little bit of wet food, then when he's a year switch to adult dog food and stop the wet food, and he should be fine.. another thing you could do is some dog food brands have different flavor, maybe you can switch it up a little

Answer 8

I feel that, just like a baby, when it's time to "change" from just the breast milk, or formula, to a little cereal + formula/milk - and in the case of puppy food to "big" dog food - you will know. Sometimes it's not necessarily when the Dr., or in this case the Vet., says it's "time" to do the change. Of course, it is perfectly alright to try different types of dry dog food, otherwise, why would there be so many different brands on the market!!!!! I do know this - if you continue to make his food "wet" he will begin to like that instead of completely "dry" food and you will continue to have to give it to him. Dogs are very stubborn that way!

Answer 9

Did your vet suggest giving your dog large breed puppy food? I've never had a GSD puppy, so I don't know if they are considered "large breed". We did have a St. Bernard that we had to feed large breed puppy food.

If the vet says to feed him large breed puppy food and he won't eat one brand, try another. Eventually, you'll find one that he likes and will eat. Try to avoid switching foods because that can lead to the dreaded "squirts". Also, try to avoid feeding him people food. He will get used to it and not want to eat HIS food.

Dave

Answer 10

Switch His brand of food to Purina. Keep trying different brands, and stop mixing his food. He's going to get used to it and not eat until he gets it mixed. Adult food is also not too bad for him, just make sure you give him for medium dogs.