Eating

[Roy Wilkins]

Maggie is 6 months and weighs 40 lbs. She always ate her food without hesitation but now she picks at it. She was eating 1.5 twice Dailey canidae grain free puppy food. Should I continue with puppy food or change to something else. I also have a shih tzu and feed them at the same time. She'll wait til Ares finishes and eat her left overs ignoring her food.

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

Hi Roy,

If you're not already a member of The Food Group here on Doodle Kisses, please join us. We have tons and tons of discussions and advice about this topic, along with every other aspect of feeding your dogs.

Please take a minute to read the following discussion, which is my favorite one on this subject. It's fun and funny, but you will also have some "lightbulb moments". 
http://www.doodlekisses.com/group/thefoodgroup/forum/topics/an-ode-...

Keep in mind that a normal healthy dog will not starve herself. So don't worry too much about this, unless there are other changes in her behavior that may indicate a medical reason for her waning appetite. If she is acting normally and has good energy, she's getting enough food.

What is Maggie's expected adult weight/size? Medium & mini doodles can reach full skeletal growth by 6 months of age, and certainly, their growth has slowed down by then.  That can be one reason that older puppies start to show less interest in food. "Puppy" formulas typically are higher in fat and calories than ALS (all life stages) or adult formulas, and Maggie may no longer need a calorie-dense, higher fat food, or she may need less food. What does Ares eat?

What else does Maggie get in the way of treats, chews, etc?

Sometimes, a dog just gets bored with their food, especially if they have discovered that whatever they are being fed is not the only game in town, lol. Many of us here use a "rotation diet", in which we alternate formulas within the same brand & line from one bag to the next in order to provide some variety and keep the dog interested. Some dog food lines are designed for this: All of the formulas have similar nutritional profiles and only the protein sources are different from one to the next, so you don't have to worry about digestive upsets and can freely switch from one to another without transitioning.

I do always think it's a mistake to start trying out different foods in the hopes of finding something the dog "likes" better, though, or adding various "toppers" to the meals. That usually results in the dog learning that if they hold out long enough, they might get something "better". 

Hope this helps.