Bored with food...

[Kerry Daly]

Has anyone had their doodle go from eating food so fast we had to feed him a half cup, then another or he would inhale it...  to slowing down to normal and we could give it all to him (about 18 months old) to now at 2 he lets it sit there and will eat when he wants?  He almost seems bored with his food.  He eats Fromm Chicken and Veg.  I tried another flavor and he loved it - ate it all quickly..  now he is turning his nose up at that too.  He is not sick and "everything" else is normal - so could he just be picky or bored?

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

This is probably the most common topic discussed here in TFG. It's natural for dogs to be less interested in food once they stop growing. (Even though most standard doodles reach full bone growth by 12 months, they continue to put on muscle mass well into their second year.) I wouldn't worry about it, and I wouldn't do anything to try to tempt him to eat more, like adding toppers, etc. Make sure you are not feeding too much, and limit treats.  If his energy level is good and his digestion seems fine, he's eating enough. A normal healthy dog will not starve himself.

Put the dish down at his regular meal times (twice a day) and pick it up again after 20 minutes, regardless of how much he has eaten. Do not offer food again until the next regular mealtime. He will learn that food is not always available and if he wants to eat, he must do it when he has the chance. 

The Fromm Four Star line is designed to be rotated from one formula to another, so you might try purchasing a different formula with each new bag. That also helps keep them interested. 

[Renee Hacker]

Yep, Lily used to inhale her food the instant we put it down.  Now at almost 1 year she ignores it until she feels like eating (I don't leave it down all day though, I pick it up after about 30 minutes if she hasn't eaten it)

I also find that she's not hungry first thing in the morning like she used to be.  So breakfast is more like 10:00 rather than 7:00.

[Kerry Daly]

Thank you so much for the responses. I will say I am feeling better about his eating now. There was a point - at about a year- that we had to put him on Zantac because he was throwing up in the morning if he went too long between feedings. Apparently he was getting so hungry that he was causing acids in his stomach to stir and then swallowing a lot. He stopped doing it after a few months (and Zantac). He hasn't had a Zantac in 7 months yet he is sometimes not eating until 10am- so I think that phase has also passed. Thank you for the tip on picking up the food. I have been leaving it down. We are getting another puppy in a month so he won't be able to graze so I will start this today!

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

Good idea; let us know how it goes. :)

[Kerry Daly]

Of course today he ate all his food immediately. Lol.

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

Like!