# another "picky" eater



## mayastig (Jun 4, 2010)

my 8 month old gsd has become a very picky eater. he doesnt seem interested in his food as much anymore. we switched from eukanuba to orijen large breed puppy and he has been eating it well, almost finished 1 bags worth.

now it seems in the morning and evenings he isnt eating as much. sometimes i have to stand in front of him just to get him to eat, but i dont think thats a good idea in the long run. i add water to the kibble to bring out the aroma and to soften the food (this is how the breeder fed him), but the problem is if he doesnt eat it, its now all soggy.

can i still make use of the soggy food the following morning?

today hes probably eaten only half-1 cup 

i also read adding other things to spice the food up helps, like raw egg, cat food, etc. any advice from those who have had very very picky eaters?

im trying to hold my ground, if he doesn't eat it, i pick it up and let him out of his cage. but if he's going to be eating only half- 1 cup a day with this attitude...crap me :help:


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## Rio&Vytas (Mar 1, 2010)

I am also a fairly new member. My young GSD, Vytas, Went through the same thing and for Vytas it seems to be related to growing spurts. I have always tried to feed twice a day but during the off growing times, he eats only once a day and a small amount. Vytas is 1 year now and I still mix canned food in with the dry. I also feed Orijen and mix in 1/2 to 3/4 of a can each feeding with a small amount of warm water and NILIF so he does something to earn his meal. having said that, don't refeed day old soggy food, always fresh. Try feeding small amounts, twice a day and give him a few minutes to start eating, if he doesn't eat then pick it up, ignore him and walk away. If he gets a lot of treats with training, that can also affect his appetite. Vytas is my first GSD pup and watching him has taught me a lot. I would also kep a close eye on his demeaner and poop habit, if he doesn't start eating then a Vet check may be needed. My breeder fed the pups canned food with the kibble and water to make a gravey until they are about 14 months old, I'm sure there is more than one right way depending on the dog. Good luck, fussy eating can be very frustrating.


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## dak11 (Mar 12, 2010)

We mix a spoon full of canned food into the dish with some water to make a gravy for our picky eater. While she's not on the level you're talking about she does decide to skip meals every so often but it seems she eats best when salmon flavor is added to her puppy food and when she eats she eats everything in her bowl and acts like she'd like more.


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## Rio&Vytas (Mar 1, 2010)

I forgot to mention one thing, try feeding him somewhere other than his crate, maybe he doesn't like eating in there anymore.


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## mayastig (Jun 4, 2010)

thanks for all your replies. my worry is i add water to his kibble, but if i cant re-use it for the next morning or for the evening (if he hasn't finished his breakfast)...then it becomes a bit expensive on my end :headbang:

good idea about the feeding area, never thought of that but i will try that tomorrow.


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## kayek9 (Aug 27, 2002)

mayastig said:


> thanks for all your replies. my worry is i add water to his kibble, but if i cant re-use it for the next morning or for the evening (if he hasn't finished his breakfast)...then it becomes a bit expensive on my end :headbang:
> 
> good idea about the feeding area, never thought of that but i will try that tomorrow.


You can look at that 2 ways, yes, you're throwing food out, that's wasteful, but if your pup had eaten the food, you would have used the same amount anyway. I would toss the old soggy food, always start with fresh. Maybe cut back on the amount you're feeding, you can always offer more if your pup eats the lesser amount quickly. Maybe that will help with the waste.


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## VChurch (Jun 14, 2010)

We had the same issue with our male mix as a puppy, he just wasn't interested in eating his food as puppy. As a result we ended up free-feeding him until this summer when he's been living in houses with other dogs; and now has a puppy GSD living in his house.

But he's on TOTW and has been for about two years now and really likes the food, and eats all of it now.


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## mayastig (Jun 4, 2010)

gave him breakfast today...still not eating any.


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## mayastig (Jun 4, 2010)

ok after around 10-15 minutes of waiting, i decided to try and mix it up. i only gave him 1 cup (from the usual 1.5 cups) of kibble this morning. took a can of tuna chunks in water, mixed the water from the canned tuna with his kibble and sprinkled about 1/3 the tuna content on top....and he ate everything! :wild:

I'm not entirely sure if its because its something "new" and "interesting" or if he really likes the combo :thinking:

I will try again later tonight for dinner and see how things progress.

Is canned tuna (tuna in water, not brine or oil) OK to feed to dogs? I use the small 184grams can, and i might just use one entire can to mix with his kibble.


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## 96Firebird (May 29, 2010)

I had the same problem with my puppy at around 11 weeks old. I had finished switching him over from Purina to Solid Gold, but he wouldn't eat the Solid Gold when it was just that. However, he would eat my girlfriend's parent's dog's food whenever he could get ahold of it, so I knew it was the food. I've switched him over to Wellness and he always devours it. It could be that he just doesn't like the taste. Do you have any other dog food to try?


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## mayastig (Jun 4, 2010)

its a possibility i dont dismiss, but i just switched from eukanuba large breed puppy to orijen large breed puppy and he has been eating it for a while now (we add water to his kibble). we have almost finished 1 entire bag, except now (maybe a good 10 cups before finishing the entire bag) he has become very picky.


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