Doodle Eating Habits

[Jacquie Yorke (DRC)]

I'm curious...Does anyone else have doodles that are a bad eaters?.....Blake will leave his food in his bowl the entire day, sticking his nose up at it no matter what it is....Even chicken!...Then I will either hear his collar hitting the bowl at about 2 or 3 in the morning or I will wake up and the food will be gone.....

[Jersey, Jasmine, Jypsy and Diane]

Jersey is fed twice a day, I leave her food down for about an hour, then it is picked up if not eaten (otherwise my lab will eat it). There are days when she doesn't eat at all, some days one meal, others both meals. I feel if she is hungry, she'll eat. As long as she is drinking, eliminating and acting normal, I don't worry.

[Jacquie Yorke (DRC)]

Agreed...if hungry they will eat..but the not eating in Blake's case results in no poop and it's impossible to get on any kind of a real schedule......

[Lynne Fowler-Oodles of Doodles]

We have left dry food out for free feeding or grazing for about 2 years now, with 1 homecooked meal of chicken, liver or beef in a stew at human dinnertime. They eat when we eat. We have 3 dogs, 2 LD's (1&2) and 1 Bijon (10). We have never had a "gluttony" (except for the first day or two) or IBS problem or any other problem, medically. However, sometimes one or all of them will take their time with their dinner; come back later or not eat at all. They will regulate themselves to some extent, even a day of fasting is not a bad thing. (That's how dogs eat in the wild).

What I do know is that when I fed my dog just one meal a day, the same kind of "complete & balanced" food as promoted by the dog food companies day after day, year after year, she was posioned by the crap or gluten or whatever garbage was added to it, by the dog food recall of 2+ years ago. She is now dead as I await the legal system to decide how much money my precious dog was worth. As if priceless could be defined.

Now, I change dry, canned and my homemade food every other bag or week and I am sure it is complete and balanced because I make it so. I don't take a for-profit companies word for it.

What I have learned is if your dog is eating grass or some other strange thing, something is missing from it's diet. If he/she stops eating, something is missing or is undesirable to him. If people ate the same thing day after day, year after year, they would have deficiencies and get sick. In the wild, dogs eat a variety of things at different times of the day, sometimes fasting until the next meal comes along. That's how we should try to mimic their natural instincts. That is what a "holistic" approach to feeding means.

Sorry to get long winded. Dog Food is a BIG pet peeve of mine and many vets are in on the kickbacks and perks from the dog food companies, so be warned. Good luck with the IBS. By the way, my girl Ginger can't have rice or wheat, (or corn) which are commonly added to bowel problem foods.

[Jacquie Yorke (DRC)]

You were not long winded AT ALL!..I agree with you and I am so sorry to hear about your precious girl.......A dear friend of mine lost her 2 year old Bernese Mountain Dog to the recalled food......

I know that most commercial foods are full of corn, wheat, gluten and meat by-products that basically consist of sick, diseased and cancer ridden chickens and cows.....I have never given Blake ANY commercial food always opting for wheat/corn/ gluten and by-product free holistic dry food mixed with boiled or baked chicken/beef/lamb that I make myself....The rice that I give him on occasion to bind is always brown rice and mixed with rolled oats oatmeal and barley. This is following Dr. Picairn's method of feeding.....His book is available on Amazon and actually provides nutritious, hollistic doggy recipes...If you don't already know of it, it's worth getting....

Again, I'm so sorry to hear of your loss...Only an animal lover understands that losing a precious pet is like losing a family member and I thank you for your feedback.....

[Lynne Fowler-Oodles of Doodles]

Dr. Picairn's book is where I started. It was one of the first books I bought & read after Magic was killed. The book I have is titled, "Complete Guide to Natural Health for Dogs & Cats." It is invaluable.

Thanks for understanding.

[Joe R.]

Gus used to be a come and go eater. Until we got Lilly though. All it took was one time for him to walk away like he always did and she finished his.

[Jacquie Yorke (DRC)]

Hi Stacy...Thanks for the post!....My vet pooh poohs the eating thing and chalks it up to "the poodle behavior factor".....He has two standard Poodles and a mini-poodle himself and he says that's the way that they eat...pick pick pick....He just thinks it's Blakes "Poodle side" coming out......Since Blake went from being 16 pounds when I first rescued him to 30 lbs in a month and is now a healthy 42lbs. one year later, the vet is not concerned.....As Studley is a mini, and most of the picky eater comments have come from mini owners, I'm going to assume that the mini's probably display more of the Poodle characteristics than the Lab characteristics........

[Kay and Tanner.]

I give Tanner his food in the morning, but he doesn't eat his food until around 9:00 at night...He wasn't always like this, he always ate a couple times a day, but now its once a day..I don't know if its because of the Summertime...

[31oxy7u3tb5dk]

My labradoodle eats fine unless he has gotten hold of something he shouldn't. In which case, he will act mopey and ignore his food Once whatever forbidden item he has ingested passes, he will resume eating his food as soon as it's placed in his bowl. Do other doodle owners have problems with their dogs eating non-food items? Gus will eat paper towels, hair clips, socks, panties...basically anything he can find. Mostly it seems like a game. he will pick something up and start to pace. Once I notice the pacing, I will tell him "drop it" and he will release the offending item. I have to keep all laundry at a height he cannot reach (difficult since he's so tall). And it doesn't matter if it's freshly laundered or dirty.

[Leslie and Halas]

I have to keep my laundry out of Halas' reach, or he will steal (freshly laundered or dirty) socks and underwear. But he doesn't eat them. Like you said, it's more of a game. He wants me to chase him around, and when I don't, he just brings the item back or puts it down. But his teeth are like scissors, and everything he takes seems to get a hole in it, just from him carrying it around. Luckily, he's a mini, so I don't have to put the laundry up as high as you probably do. Now, paper goods, like kleenex or paper towels, are another story. Those he will eat if I don't take them from him. Oh, and he loves to steal dish towels off the counter. For a short guy, it is surprising how far back on the counter he can reach.

[Dianne Carter ~ Trinity Doodles]

Our dogs have a major thing for toilet paper. If there was a cottonelle flavored dog food they would be in heaven. I think they secretly hold stock in kleenex and are just trying to drive the profits up : )

[Jacquie Yorke (DRC)]

That's so funny Dianne!...You made me laugh!....I call the toilet paper fascination "Doing Rippy".....if Blake gets into it and I come home to find my house re-decorated as if it were Mischief Night before Halloween I ask him in my funny doodle-speak voice " did you do rippy scooby-doodle?