Food options

[Brian P]

My goldendoodle is about 1.5 years old and has never been motivated by food. Sometimes he eats and other times he leaves it. I have tried to do various things to get him to eat it like putting water in it which works sometimes. Heating it up. Etc. I have tried 3 different brands and several flavors and he hasn't really liked any. Anyone have this problem? What brands and flavors have you found to work if your dog was finicky about eating? The vet says he's perfectly healthy but I just wish it wasn't such a challenge to get him to eat anything. Thanks for your replies!

[Amy and Annabelle]

Are you free feeding him, where you leave the bowl out for hours until its gone? Do you leave him alone while he eats? If you do, maybe he is lonely. Sit down with him while he eats, work the crossword or something. Annabelle to this day at 2 years old, prefers to not eat alone. Otherwise leave him the food for 10 minutes and if he hasn't started eating it or has stopped eating, pick up the food until the next meal time. He is going to learn to eat when offered because it is a long time until the next meal. Just give him the dry food and don't do anything special to it, that just helps create a picky eater. As they say, a healthy dog won't let himself starve. Most dogs are fed breakfast and dinner, so twice a day.

[Maryann,Roo and Tigger]

DItto

[Frank & TeddyToyDoodle]

I have tried Blue Buffalo with Lifebits for puppies and now am giving Teddy Wellness Small Breed Puppy.  He seems to like it.

Yes, Teddy rarely eats much at breakfast or at lunch.  Sometimes he really eats just 1 meal a day.  

2 things motivate him to eat:

(1)  Alot of excercise, either outside playing fetch or better yet 30-60 minutes at the Dog Park.  Or playing with another dog in our neighborhood.

(2)  Sprinkling in small amounts of a treat into the foot.  Mix it in well, and he'll eat the puppy food to get to the treats.  I find the Purebites lamb/chicken/bison bits and the Blue Buffalo Bacon strips great.  You don't need more than 1 or 2 pieces broken up into 10-12 small pieces to entice him to eat most of a small bowl.  I'd say the ratio of puppy food to treats is higher than 20:1....just mix it well.  He'll smell your treats and eat the rest of the food to get to them.

Try the Purebites though they are high in protein.

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

Hi Brian, we have a very large, very active group here on Doodle Kisses called The Food Group, where we have lists of recommended food and treat brands as well as hundreds of discussions about every aspect of feeding our doodles. Please join us there. 

"Picky eaters" who don't seem to like their food is a common topic in our group. Some dogs are just not food motivated. Here's my favorite discussion on the exact topic you raised here. Please read it, you'll get some great tips and advice: http://www.doodlekisses.com/group/thefoodgroup/forum/topics/an-ode-...

With dogs like yours, your best bet is to follow Amy's advice. Put the food in the bowl, sit down nearby and keep him company, perhaps having something to eat yourself, keep all distractions to a minimum (nobody coming in and out of the room, no loud voices from other parts of the house, etc) and then after 10 minutes, put the food away and don;t offer any food again until the next scheduled mealtime. He will soon learn that food is not always available any time he feels like having some, and that if he wants to eat, he needs to eat what is served when it is served, or wait til next time. 

A normal healthy dog will not starve himself. Relax and stop worrying about whether or not he "likes" his food. If he's healthy, has good energy, and is at a good body weight, he's eating enough.

It often helps keep a dog interested in his meals to rotate formulas (or "flavors") within the same line of food. We have several lines on our recommended brands list that are designed to be rotated with each new bag, and no transition is necessary. I'd suggest Fromm's Four Star line or Acana's Regionals.

Hope this helps. 

[Nancy, Ned, Clancy, and Charlie]

Why are you going to such lengths to force him to eat?  "the vet says he's perfectly healthy"   Obviously your dog is smart and know when he is hungry and when he is not. Relax!  Truly, a healthy dog will not starve itself.  Put the food down; give him an opportunity to eat (about 10 minutes), then pick it up and wait until the next meal.  If he consistently leaves some, then feed him smaller portions.  If you offer a high quality kibble, that should be all he needs.  Many dogs like you to hang around while they eat, some don't care at all, and some want to be alone.  I have three dogs - one of each preference.

Sometimes you might NEED him to eat and get done - traveling or appointment or ?   Then you might try a bit of a topper to entice him to eat, but this should be a rare occurrence.

[Brian P]

When he goes 1.5-2 days without eating one does feel the need to try other things. The whole reason I asked was to see if people had suggestions on dog food bc I thought maybe doodles have a particular flavor choice.

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

Nope, there are no particular food tastes that run in particular breeds. They are all different in their individual tastes and eating habits.  What my dog likes, yours may hate, and vice versa.

Try the tips that have been offered here, and read the discussion I posted. That may help. When you do various different things to coax them to eat, you teach them that if they hold out long enough, they might get something better. 

[Nancy, Ned, Clancy, and Charlie]

When your dog goes that long without eating, it is scary and I understand your concerns, but if your vet says your dog is healthy and a healthy weight, then he is actually eating enough.  Are you giving so many treats that it might be dulling his appetite?  All dogs have different tastes. My picky eater happens to LOVE Orijen and is a much better eater when we feed that, however that is his personal preference. I do feel that those dogs with less appetite benefit from a high quality grain-free kibble as it is more calorie dense so portions are smaller.

[Frank & TeddyToyDoodle]

Brian....avoid feeding him breakfast or even lunch...no snacks....then excercise him alot, play fetch outside for 20 minutes, or take him to a dog park for 1/2 hour.  Then give him a bowl of food mid-to-late afternoon or early evening and see if he knocks it off. 

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

I would strongly advise against not feeding a dog from dinner until late afternoon the next day. That's too long for them to go with an empty stomach. Feeding one large meal a day is also a risk factor for bloat. The dog may choose not to eat breakfast, but the option should be there. 

[Frank & TeddyToyDoodle]

You can give him a small portion but if he wants to see if he has an appetite problem (I doubt it) you want him to go without food for a few hours or just have a small portion/snack, then have him get a good workout.  THEN see if he eats after burning off some calories.

I'm not saying starve him ! LOL 

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

Well, I'm not sure what an "appetite problem" is, but if it means that the dog is a picky eater who isn't interested in food, we already know that, lol. If a dog isn't interested in any breakfast after going 12+ hours without food, I'd say that's enough of a test. And if you didn't offer any breakfast, how would you know he didn't want any? 

Also, it's really important to know that you must not ever feed a dog within 30-60 minutes of vigorous exercise.