NOT A MORNING EATER

[Carli & Hank]

Hello, I know that the pickiness of these doodles has been discussed over and over again and I definitely have one of those non-food motivated doodles!!  Hank is 6 1/2 months old and on 1/2 Orijen Puppy and 1/2 Acana Ranchlands at the moment.  I know he likes it because he does eat....on his terms!  Occasionally when he has gone a bit with being disinterested I will top with a Stella and Chewy Beef Patty.  But only on occasion, I do not want him to always need something in his food to eat it!  My biggest issue is that he is not even remotely interested in eating in the morning (when I am home).  Even if you attempt to put a kibble or 2 in his mouth he spits it out...my husband calls him bulemic!!  He prefers to eat late morning/lunch, but then this sort of messes up the rest of the day because he is not hungry for a normal dinner time.  So everything is getting pushed back.  On the occasion that he doesn't eat his second meal then he may wake up and eat breakfast, but this is rare.  So everyday is a bit different!  So my question is......should breakfast, or his first meal, only be in the morning?  If he doesn't eat do I pick it up and only give him another meal at a normal dinner time? Or if he doesn't eat should I leave it down all day until he decides he wants to eat it around lunch or after, thus pushing a next meal to 8/9 pm or after, if he decides to eat again??? At his age I know he still needs two feedings a day, but it is rare that he eats to full feedings a day.  And it is typical for him to leave food in his bowl frequently as well.  He is about 38 pounds, growing at a very steady rate, and always has tons of energy!  I know they sometimes go through phases where they don't eat as much, but this has pretty much been Hank's story since he came home:):)  Thank you for any advice!!

[Amy, Cubbie & Ollie]

Cubbie was a super picky pup (also combined with some stomach issues) but we went through several different phases.  There was the phase where he would only eat his kibble from a pile on the carpet and not out of a bowl (don't ask, I have NO idea what was up with that one but he would literally push his bowl onto the carpet and then dump it over).  Then he would only eat breakfast if i was in the kitchen eating my breakfast at the same time.  Oh and there was the phase where he wouldn't eat breakfast until he got a treat first (that one was totally my fault though).  Now he eats like a normal dog, from a bowl, plain kibble only.  It just took us 3 years to get there.