7 month dobermann pup who is a poor eater, any advice?

Question

He is on a good quality food but just dosnt seem to have an appetite, vet cant see anything wrong with him. He only gets treats or chews for training and sometimes turns them down. He could just be bored with the same food but dont want to create a fussy eater. He just wont eat any of his dinner other than green tripe.

i only leave his food down for about 15 mins each time and he is down to two meals per day but still might only have a few mouthfulls the whole day, have also tried mixing tinned food in and this seems to work a bit but still not consistently eating whole meals as with he doggy sauce and oil options but i stopped this because i didnt know if that was just making him fussy or if something wrong with appetite? The food he is on is called wainwrights and is the same as James Wellbeloved (made by the same company for pets at home)Turkey and rice. He is wormed regularly. Hope that answers all.

i have never heard of a dog with an eating disorder? He gets 20-40mins max exercise a day as i dont want to overwalk him and damage his young bones

Answer 1

If you have only tried one brand, I would try another brand. Maybe he just doesn't like what you are giving him. Just buy a small bag to test on him.

Answer 2

You could try to switch foods but only do that once. Dogs do not get bored with food. Just put the food down for a short time, pick it up if uneaten and only offer again at the next scheduled feeding. You are right, if you start fussing around with different food offerings you will create a fussy eater. Sounds to me like the dog is just not hungry or has a less than normal appetite drive.

Answer 3

He's just being very fussy, and I shouldn't worry as he will not starve himself. My young dog (now 12 months old), has been like this all through her puppy-hood. I've tried all sorts of different foods and she gets bored with them all. Now I just keep giving the food back every few hours during the day. Sometimes she will go a whole day without eating, but she does eventually eat. My vet says that a puppy can go 3 or 4 days without food. My older dog was the same when she was young, now she eats anything and everything.

Answer 4

If the vet confirms he is healthy and he is exercising OK, don't worry too much. I rescued a German Shepherd at 6 months old who had the same problem, she's now 2yrs and slim built but healthy. She has lots of energy and so burns off most of what she eats. I got her to eat by adding 'Nature Diet' to her dried food. It's like dog meat but if you put it in the microwave for a few seconds it releases natural oils that attract the dog to the food. After a few months she started eating just her biscuits. I would also cut the treats out until he starts eating properly.

Answer 5

If he is fit and active don't worry. Just do as you are doing. Put the food down for 10 minutes and then pick it up and put it away. Do this at the same time each day. Very soon HE will up his exercise and things will sort themselves out. Believe me. I know that it might be a bit worrying but he will eat when he is hungry. (Not like me...I could eat for the UK in the Olympics!) A dog can go twenty days without food..I can't go two minutes!

Good Luck

Answer 6

You are going to have to try and make him eat something other than green tripe.... thats for sure

Perhaps try 'little and often' and include not giving him treats until he's eaten at least something different for you.

They will eat when they are hungry, but Im gusessing as with small children who know how to wrap us round their little fingers he has got YOU well trained there by refusing to eat anything but green tripe. And the more you let him get away with it the worse it'l be trying to adhere your authority again.....

Perhaps you know someone else with a puppy or dog in your neighbourhood, who is willing to take stuff off you that your dog doesnt eat, like I mean; say you go to the store and buy him food with chicken in, and he tries it once, tries again and still refuses, then someone will have the remainder of it for their dog; and visa versa, maybe thier dog eats lamb or something, you could maybe get a couple of spoonfuls from them and try it with yours and see how that goes.
Sometimes I would think that as humans maybe if you only use a little bit, thats better than being faced with a ruddy great tin full!
Its always worth a go.
I hope that makes sense and helps you all somewhat!!

Good Luck!

Answer 7

Now I'm curious. What's green tripe?

Do you leave his food down for him all day? You might try putting the food down for a set amount of time (5-10 minutes), encourage him to eat, and if he doesn't do it in that time, pick it up. Now he has to wait for the next feeding time. When he gets hungry enough, he will eat. And he will figure out that he'd better avail himself of his food when it's there, because it's going to disappear in fairly short order.

I don't like the enticing him with gravy, etc. options because what if you have to leave him with someone else, or at a kennel when you're away? Are they going to be willing to add tidbits and treats to his food?

Don't complicate the feeding process. Pick a high-quality, healthy food, stick with it, and be consistent with his feeding times.

Some dogs will never be the kind of wolf down their food, but they can be trained to eat more consistently and in your time frame, not theirs.

Answer 8

if he has dry food, i suggest you put some hot water on it to create a nice aroma, when warm he may be tempted. or try getting a treat ball and fill with food. as he learns to roll it around the food falls out. he may prefer this. In the meantime perhaps he would benefit from a good vitamin/mineral supplement which may boost his appetite. I wouldn't worry about him being a fussy eater, he will eat instinctively knowing what he needs, he has no other way of telling you.

Answer 9

I have an elderly chow mix who was never a big eater, and now is rather thin. To keep weight oin him I give him a supplement you can buy online called Nutrastat. It is a balanced, total nutrition supplement that is high in calories. Nutrical is just about the same stuff. If you choose to use it, start with a tiny spot at a time and increase to about 1/2 to 1 teason a day to reach ideal weight. Just be careful to not over feed.

Answer 10

Try adding about 1/2 can of canned dog food with his regular food & add just a little water to make gravy.

I don't believe in the treat reward system & have never used it. I have trained several hundred dogs & have never, ever used treats as a reward.

Praise, attention & play to show my approval. But I am not a method trainer so that makes a big difference. I modify specific behaviors to suit my needs or the needs of the owner.

Answer 11

If it was my dog I would get him a second opinion and have him checked for erlicia. Go to one other people have had good results with. Things can be overlooked. Some Vets are not good internal Dr's. Keep trying other foods, pet supermarket has a lot of samples to try.