Skipping Breakfast

[Tara]

Lately my 1 year old pup has been refusing his breakfast (Orijen kibble) on school/work days.  He definitely senses the difference in our moods and activity level as compared to weekend days.  I don't worry about him missing a meal here or there, but it become a pattern.  On the 2-3 days a week he goes to daycare he is not eating until dinnertime.  My question is: is it unhealthy for him to eat only 1 meal a day 2-3 days per week?  Should I feed him more for dinner those days?

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

Does anyone keep him company at breakfast time, maybe having breakfast themselves? If not, can you allow 10 minutes on school/work days to have breakfast with him? It really helps. It also helps to keep distractions to a minimum. 

It really is better for them to eat more than once a day, and better to eat smaller amounts more frequently than one large meal. The latter is a contributing factor for bloat. 

[Joanne ~ Spud*]

I agree with Karen. This might sound silly to some, but we always quiet the house down when our pets are eating.  We stop walking between the living room and kitchen and just sit down and wait a few minutes.  One of my cats cant have any noise or activity.   

It's rare but if our house has company or becomes chaotic on a holiday, I will take the food bowl to my bedroom, close the door and just relax, to get Spud to eat

[Melissa & Harley]

We have the same issue. Harley is seriously unmotivated by food. To make sure that he eats breakfast on work/school days, we actually put his food & water in the bathroom with me while I'm getting ready. He makes a beeline from outside to our bathroom and spends the rest of his morning in there with me, eating breakfast and chewing on toys before time for the crate. Otherwise, it's just too distracting with the kids and he misses breakfast. He's 1 yr and 3 months, and I think we've been doing breakfast this way for at least 6-8 months. Some days he still doesn't eat breakfast, but most days he does. Hope this helps!

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

Yep. This is a good solution.

JD is one who really loves his food, and even he will stop eating in mid-mouthful if I leave the kitchen. He loves me even more than he loves food, lol, and needs to be sure that I'm not going to sneak out of the house while he's otherwise engaged. And I'm retired and rarely leave the house before 11 a.m. :)

People coming in or going out of the house is going to distract any dog from everything else in the world. So as Joanne said, minimizing noise and activity at mealtimes is best. Especially at breakfast, when the dog knows that his people are going to be leaving him. Dinnertime is usually not a problem, because all family members have arrived home and the dog is feeling very secure. 

[Carol and Banjo]

I have to laugh....I'm glad Banjo isn't the only dog who needs to know that we won't try anything sneak, like trying to escape, while he's eating.     I sometimes forget and will go upstairs to dress and all bets are off.   He's gotta follow me.....you never know, I just might jump out the bedroom window and be gone!

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

I even have to stay in the kitchen for his 10 p.m. snack! I mean, the dog has seen me put on PJs and wash my face, you'd think he would know I'm in for the night! 

[M Kol]

It does not seem that our puppy is very food motivated either and I am wondering if this is common for all dogs, or if it is a characteristic of doodles.  I agree, we do sit with our puppy to encourage her to eat and it works well.  She's an owner-people-pleaser and more of an emotional or social eater.  Overall she is a pretty good eater.  But, she does better if encouraged or if she's happy and social.  If you crate her maybe you could try leaving just a little in the crate in case she gets  hungry but not so much as to overwhelm her (and make sure she is not too thirsty before leaving if it's dry kibble)?  If she's totally uninterested, she might make it known to you if you can study/read her body language.  Our puppy will tell us if she's totally uninterested and doesn't want anything left with her in the crate.

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

Not being food motivated is definitely not common for all dogs, nor is it a characteristic of doodles. There are many doodles here who are so food motivated, their owners use special bowls to slow down their eating, there are doodles here who would eat as much food as you could put in their bowls, and there are doodles here who are not really all that interested in food. All dogs are different. :) 

[Lori, Winnie, Bob and Indie]

I have to chuckle because Winnie is soooo much the opposite! At 1.5 years I still feed her 3 times a day. I tried transitioning her to twice a day when she was quite a bit younger, and she had some looser stools. It was probably just a coincidence. Nonetheless, we've kept her on a 3 times a day schedule and it seems to suit her well. I think she has a super high metabolism- if she doesn't get about 30% more than what the Orijen bag suggests for an "Active" dog, she gets too skinny.

The one time I forgot to bring her lunch to daycare, she came home acting like a teenage kid after a track meet! :-) Food.Now.Please. A cup of kibble is gone in literally 24 sec., so she gets fed from a Slo Bowl. And she doesn't give a rip if we are anywhere near her while she's eating. I could be outside and she will chow down every last bite before she asks to come out, too. 

Have your pup hang out with Winnie! Lol

 

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

See? Like I said, they are all different! :)

[Lori, Winnie, Bob and Indie]

Amen to that!

I'd be curious to know if there is any correlation between dog's eating habits and their owners. Do they take their cues from us? I, for one, have never been the type of person that "forgets" to eat. I like my food! :-)  Three squares a day and some grazing in the evening keeps me happy and healthy. Winnie never sees me eat breakfast, though- I do it at the office. And, supper is often a couple of hours after she eats supper. I know I could never free feed Winnie- she'd blow up in no time....

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

I don't think so. I've had picky eaters and chow hounds, and my own eating habits really haven't changed much over the years.