Dry/wet/raw conundrum

Zapperzy

My balance of all three was going fine until himself the master of fussiness decided he no longer likes dry or wet dog food. I was feeding a base diet of dry food with a little bit of wet naturediet mashed in and then supplementing with things like chicken legs/wings, both raw and tinned fish, liver and butcher scraps maybe 3/4 days a week sometimes less. He then decided to eat no dog food whatsoever, even turned his nose up at tinned salmon mixed in. I'v stopped the extra bits and pieces for the last week and he's reluctantly picking at dog food just mostly eating the wet food. So looks like I'm going to have to cut out even the wet food and just leave him on dry until he eats that.

I'v got a drawer in the freezer full of chicken legs, fish and liver too. :rolleyes: Why doesn't he just know what's best for him and eat what's put in front of him. Apart from just cutting out all the extras and the strict 15 bowl up thing, anyone got any tips or magic wands they can wave?

Also has anyone else got a dog that eats nowhere near the recommended amount yet is a normal weight?

Chris_Heilong

its not up to the dog, its up to you. Many kids will opt for the junk food over a healthy option but you as a parent must decide what your child eats and thats that. Dogs have a limited sense of taste and like strong flavors, they will even hold out not eating for hours if they think something better might come along, but dont worry, dogs are survivors and will not allow themselves to go hungry. Try putting down what you want to feed him, if he refuses it then pick it back up and try again after 2 hours, repeat as many times as necessary until he gives in, which he will as I dont know a dog that didnt take the food on the 3rd attempt. Good luck.

Zapperzy

Chris_Heilong wrote: »

its not up to the dog, its up to you. Many kids will opt for the junk food over a healthy option but you as a parent must decide what your child eats and thats that. Dogs have a limited sense of taste and like strong flavors, they will even hold out not eating for hours if they think something better might come along, but dont worry, dogs are survivors and will not allow themselves to go hungry. Try putting down what you want to feed him, if he refuses it then pick it back up and try again after 2 hours, repeat as many times as necessary until he gives in, which he will as I dont know a dog that didnt take the food on the 3rd attempt. Good luck.

That's the thing, he will hold out for at least a day and I don't give in, not worried about him getting hungry as if he is it'l be his own doing. Offering it to him every 2 hours doesn't work, I'v tried and he'l look at it and walk away. He's a stubborn terrier after all!

An example of feeding him would be
Mon-Thurs: regular dry mashed in with some wet (which is what he's been eating no bother for the past few years).
Fri: I'm home from college and take something out of the freezer like a chicken leg thursday night to feed friday, will eat no bother.
Sat: If I'm at work saturday night he's given dog food as per mon-thurs and here's the problem, he won't eat it as he's expecting something nicer, so it's picked back up and he goes hungry. If I'm not working he could get something like chicken wing or butcher scraps.
Sun: Now here's my problem, do I keep trying with the regular food if he hasn't eaten it the night before even though I know he probably won't eat it and if he does it'l be a few reluctant picks. Or do I go with the original plan of raw food, but in my mind that's giving in and enforcing the fussiness.

So in effect just one day of raw feeding could throw him off for the whole week and the cycle starts again. I'm thinking just cutting out everything bar dry food and starting from scratch as I had to do a few years ago and slowly bringing new stuff in when he's over the fussiness. It's a pity as he was doing well on my original dry/wet/raw plan, teeth were coming up lovely. Changing him to fully raw isin't an option at the moment either.

Cherry Blossom

Try giving him his naturediet and extra bits frozen in a kong outside of mealtimes, ie. dry food food for breakfast and supper and a nice frozen kong at some stage during the day. I had to shut mine in the kitchen and not let her out until she'd eaten her food, she figured it out pretty quickly especially as I started taking her for a short (5 min) walk straight after. Now if she's a bit picky occasionally, I pick up the dog lead, put on my coat and sit down, food disappears pretty quickly then.

Zapperzy

adrenalinjunkie wrote: »

Try giving him his naturediet and extra bits frozen in a kong outside of mealtimes, ie. dry food food for breakfast and supper and a nice frozen kong at some stage during the day. I had to shut mine in the kitchen and not let her out until she'd eaten her food, she figured it out pretty quickly especially as I started taking her for a short (5 min) walk straight after. Now if she's a bit picky occasionally, I pick up the dog lead, put on my coat and sit down, food disappears pretty quickly then.

That's a good idea about the short walk after dinner, despite what I think sometimes he is a smart dog and might cop on to that quickly enough. I'l try the kong during the day but he's never been a great lover of it, there has to be something really tasty in it that doesn't require much effort to get out, and if it's frozen he leaves it outside to defrost and then has a go at it! :rolleyes: Only a terrier would have the brains to do that!

gud4u

I use the nature diet mixed in every other day just for variety and taste. But, sometimes the oldest dog just wont eat anything. I leave her with plenty of water and leave a little in her bowl that she picks at, then like magic she's back eating again. I think it's an old dog thing with mine, the younger two wolf down just about anything.