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!!

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

I would feed him at the same times every day, morning and evening, and pick up the bowl after 20-30 minutes regardless if he has eaten or not. Missing a meal here and there is not going to harm him, and he will soon learn that if he doesn't eat at mealtime, he will have to wait until the next meal.

Also, check to be sure that you are giving him the correct amount of food for his age and weight. Orijen is very calorie dense and it's easy to overfeed. I was doing it myself, simply by not measuring the food properly. It's easy to overfill a measuring cup above the 1 cup" mark if you use a standard liquid measuring cup.

[Carli & Hank]

Thank you....was thinking this was probably the thing to do, as to not confuse him about meal times, but also to not turn him into an even pickier eater!!  

[BG and Gavin]

I know that Gavin shows no interest in his food in the morning - he will not even accept a treat.  Until he has some exercise under his belt he will usually not eat.  If I am not up and going with him on his walk early, his meals sometimes don't come til noon.  His evening meal at 7 or 8 pm.  I have to entice with toppers if I need him to eat and have not time to walk him.  I think taking the bowl up is a good idea, you don't want to start chasing your tail over this matter, particularly when he is so young still.

[Carli & Hank]

The morning walk is sometimes key as well for Hank.  Some mornings it just doesn't happen....I am going to keep better track of the correlation between the two!  I use the toppers as well, only when I have to, if no walk or if I feel like it's been too long since he has eaten well!  Thank you for your input:)

[Amy, Cubbie & Ollie]

We can't walk Ollie before he eats because it causes him to throw-up all his kibble.  We used to walk Cubbie every morning before breakfast and he didn't have any problems.

[F, Calla & Luca]

He sounds just like Luca who will be 4 soon. I just go with the flow and try to keep his food from Calla.

[Diane Margetts]

I "inherited" one dog that wasn't fed well as a pup and he became a gulper. Everytime there was food in his dish, he would pactically inhale it for fear that someone/thing else would get it if he didn't. He died of bloat.

Dakota is 6. His appetite has increased just a bit over the years but food has never been a motivator to him. I mix chicken breast, brown rice and veggies in with his TOTW. I feed him morning and evening. He will pick at his food at both feedings which usually amounts to eating the chicken out first. He will usually graze the rest during the day or sometimes into the evening. If he does finish, I will put a handful of kibble in his dish so his dish is seldom empty because I don't want him to decide he needs to "protect" his food by gulping it . . . 

[Maria, Ton & Zoe]

We had this problem too.  We learned that the only thing that will make Zoe attempt to eat her breakfast was to do a 15-20 min walk, then offer her her meal.  Also we need to keep her in the kitchen (puppy gates closed), otherwise she wonders in the house and she won't come back to eat.  She does not eat the breakfast all the time, but at least she shows some interest after the walk... sometimes.  Other times she just goes to sleep in the kitchen.  Once she finishes eating (or 30 minutes passed) she is allowed in the house.  We do pick her food, cover/seal it, and offer it to her at the next meal.

[Carli & Hank]

Yes, the walk is key!!!!!  Just doesn't always happen first thing as I am trying to get an 8 and 10 year old boy up and out of the house:)  And when he does eat, it is definitely not all at one time.  Lots of trips back and forth to the bowl with distractions in between.  Hopefully that part will get better with maturity.  He's still such a baby:)  Thank you for your input!

[Suzann, Rosey & Bandit]

R&b sometimes won't eat in the morning, I just leave their food out and let them eat when they are hungry.

[Nancy, Ned, Clancy, and Charlie]

Ned prefers to eat once a day .... at night ...... in the dark ...... alone!  We offer food twice a day and the other dogs eat but Ned rarely eats in the morning.  As a pup though he ate his meals; his once a day in the dark preferences  evolved.  Since he isn't a gobbler, I don't worry that he eats only once a day.  If I really need him to eat, I will put something on it, but I only do this if I need him to eat.

[Carli & Hank]

Funny.....just like people, they all have their little "quirks"!  I am not going to stress about it.....he always at least eats once a day!