Pup wont eat dry food!!

cmf86

Ok, my 4 month old Westie will not eat his dry food unless he is really hungary! I have recently only started to stop soaking it in water for him. How can I get him to eat it without soaking it first.

MoonDancer256

You can try mixing in a little bit of canned puppy food as well, to entice him. I went that route with my own puppy, and she soon got the idea and I transitioned out the wet food.

star-pants

You could also try soaking it just for 10mins and slowly reduce the amount of soaking time so he gets used to it being a bit harder.

andreac

Why not just soak a little of it and mix in some dry too, gradually wean it off then to totally dry after a week or so.

Are you giving the pup anything else then if it wont eat? The only things about adding stuff to the food is that they can get fussy and then expect nice things to be mised in everytime.

aboutimeilogin!

cmf86 wrote: »

Ok, my 4 month old Westie will not eat his dry food unless he is really hungary! I have recently only started to stop soaking it in water for him. How can I get him to eat it without soaking it first.

unless he is really hungary!!! there is your answer! you are the top dog!
you tell him what and when to eat!
very simple.
you eat, then the dog eats! after a few days, the dog will learn his place
and will be very greatful that you feed him!

try it and your life will become so much easier!
unless you want the dog to continue to dictate to you!
be firm!

ziggy23

I used to put a small bit of cod liver oil over my dog's dried food and he used to mill it. It made his coat lovely and shiny too:) But do check with your vet first especially if he's only a pup. a bit of bisto over it could do the trick also

Treora

Dogs are best trained in a copy environment. If you can find a dog owner (especially if his dog is of the same breed as yours) to feed his dog some dry food and be rewarded (patted) for doing so, then you can let your pup copy the other dog and reward him likewise.

00112984

At that age, things to consider include teething but that shouldn't stop a dog eating completely.

If your pup gets any single morsel in the day bar his food, stop that now. A 4 month old Westie has a teeny belly and the smallest treat can go a good way to keeping him near full and, if he's not hungry, he's going to hold out for another tasty treat rather than settle for his normal, dry dinner. Think of a child having an ice-cream before dinner, not eating his carrots because he's too full and then being able for a biscuit.

A dog will never let himself starve.

Like a previous poster said, get him used to eating on your terms. Put the food down for 20 minutes and then, if he doesn't eat it, take it back up and put it away. At the next mealtime, do the exact same thing. He'll soon learn that he needs to eat when his food is there or else he'll not get any. After two days, you'll see he gets the idea. Obviously, always make sure he has access to loads of clean water.

Try not to get him into the habit of having something extra in his food to tempt him as this will work in the short-term but not for the next 12 or 14 years of his life.

lorebringer

^^^^ This!^^^^

Feeding him on your terms will get the message across that he gets fed at certain times and a routine will develop quite quickly. Don't free feed (have the food down 24/7) or give him anything extra until he eats reasonably regularly, this can be hard when you are training but if you stick to it he'll come around.

If you suddenly stopped soaking his food this could be why he won't eat, try reducing soaking time of the food so that it gradually gets cruchier for him as opposed to two very opposite textures within a short period of time.

Also, what food is he on? For some reason many pups (and adult dogs!) won't eat Hills. They do a very good puppy food but that's no use if your dog won't eat it! Perhaps find another brand to try - Royal Canin, Arden Grange, Origen, Burns, to name a few, are all good foods. Just steer clear of the Supermarket isles and the cheap stuff. If you are changing food, introducing it gradually is the way to go - reducing old food and increasing new food a little at a time with each meal - to avoid a puppy with an upset belly.

Good luck!

fonda

I use this


Puppy eats it every day, she was a bit fussy at first but we stuck at it and now she eats it all the time, tescos sell it too so its handy enough to get wherever you are.

andreac

Tbh Bakers is not a good quality food, quite the opposite really, its full of artificial colours and flavourings with very little meat or quality ingredients. Its like feeding Mcdonalds to your dogs.

wexford202

andreac wrote: »

Tbh Bakers is not a good quality food, quite the opposite really, its full of artificial colours and flavourings with very little meat or quality ingredients. Its like feeding Mcdonalds to your dogs.

My dog never complained about Bakers especially the gravy ones! I always mix dry food though with canned as I imagine it to be like if we had to eat dry cornflakes every day of our lives.

Then again I am the same person that has a doggie cook book!

andreac

Dogs dont complain as its full of artificial flavours and loaded with salt to make it tastier and more appealing to the dog, that wouldnt mean its good for them.

Tinned food is ok for a taster but there is absolutely no nutritional value in tinned food whatesover, its made up of mostly water.