food strike- what to do?

[Britni Rampton]

Hey friends,

my dood, Crosby is going on a rebellious adolescent food strike. I feed him twice a day- leave food for 15 min and then take it away. He supposed to eat 3 cups a days, and is now eating 2 cups...maybe 2.5 on a good day. He'll eat all 3 cups if we mix it with sweet potato or pumpkin.

I know this is completely behavioral because I'll feed him (he's crate trained to eat in his closed crate) and he'll eat as long as I'm standing or sitting right next to him. I've started rewarding him for eating all his food two days ago (his reward being opening his crate and letting him roam the house for awhile- we usually keep him to specific areas). 

How do we get him to eat his kibble? do I just keep mixing sweet pot or pumpkin indefinitely? will he outgrow this behavior? should I just keep doing what i'm doing and eventually hell get hungry and realize that he only gets to eat two times (and limited to 15 min)? should i keep rewarding him with "out of crate time"? will he even get that... i would think so. he's very smart. 

thanks my doggy dood gurus!

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

How old is Crosby?
I'm going through a similar situation with my 9.5 month old puppy, but in his case it's been going on since he was about 5 months old. 

What has helped some is using a food line that you can rotate from bag to bag to keep them interested (I use Fromm's Four Star line). I have also recently been using Rawbbles or Stella & Chewy's  Meal Mixers crushed over the kibble; this really attracts him, and works a whole lot better than pumpkin or sweet potatoes. While it is more expensive, you don't use much so the cost is manageable. I'm not sure how much Crosby weighs, but 3 cups a day sounds like a lot of food, unless he is a large standard. Maybe if you do switch foods, look for one that is more calorie dense so he doesn;t have to eat as much to get the same amount of calories.

I have never had a dog (and I've had dogs since 1977) who did NOT want you to stay nearby when they are eating, and that hasn't been something they've outgrown. Your pup ate in a group from the day he was born until he came to live with you, and most of them continue to like company when they eat. 

[Britni Rampton]

Hey Karen, 

first, thanks for your help in the past. Crosby had chronic diarrhea and has IBS- so we took your advice and got him on Proviable and switched to Wellness limited ingredient salmon kibble. 

He is 11 months old now. He is a standard- weighs about 50 lbs now (and loosing weight). He has never had a problem eating- in fact, he eats EVERYTHING. haha. 

I'm afraid to switch his food because of the 'diarrhea issues in the past. We've made such HUGE progress with him. should I do a wellness "topper"? I can start mixing sweet pot or pumpkin but that seems a little ridiculous for every meal. What would you recommend as far as switching his food to something more calorie dense? Is our portion sizing ok? (the 2.5- 3 cups/daily). 

He eats when our family eats- in a crate 4 feed from the table. He wants us sitting at the entry of his crate.... seems behavioral to me. 

[Britni Rampton]

Also- might I add we NEVER give him treats of any sort- so I'm hesitant to give him a "topper" because it just agitates his intestines. It also seems that canned pumpkin gives a minor irritation too- nothing significant, but his stool does get softer when we add it to his food. 

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

You could feed a little less; according to the guidelines, 3 cups per day is for a 65 lb dog. :) 
You could try rotating the salmon formula with the turkey formula; that shouldn;t upset his tummy and maybe he'd like the variety. 

For a very simple, easy to digest "topper", you could try using crushed up Pure Bites; it's plain freeze dried protein (chicken, turkey, beef, whitefish) and shouldn't cause any tummy upsets. 

[Britni Rampton]

great. thanks again Karen. We'll try the topper first and if that doesn't work we'll venture out to the turkey formula (he did so bad on chicken I'm fearful to give him anything poultry. should i be?) 

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

No. Allergies and intolerances are very specific. Under chemical analysis, a protein molecule from chicken is very different from one of turkey, or duck, or goose, etc., and the body can tell the difference. 
You could try the Simple Solutions duck or lamb formulas; those do contain grains in the form of oatmeal, though.

[c zoomer]

I’m going to suggest he gets plenty of exercise to build up his feel good hormones.  If he’s in a crate a lot, he’ll love the idea.  It is possible that he could be “depressed”.

in regards to company when eating, I agree, but what happens if they have to be boarded or hospitalized and kept crated?  Shouldn’t there be a balance?

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

Most dogs who are boarded or hospitalized won't usually eat anyway, so that's not really an issue. :)
I don't believe that normal dogs (those without severe temperament/trauma issues) get depressed. :) 
But more exercise never hurts. I will say that my guy gets a ton of exercise, including hard running off-leash several hours a week, and it doesn;t seem to affect his appetite or his pickiness, lol. 

[c zoomer]

Thanks! This was the part of the equation that was missing for me.  Very important to know.

my scrawny 17 lb 2 year old goes through more food when she gets a lot of exercise so I had not experienced this.

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

It does make you wonder. Jasper eats so little I'm surprised he has the energy to run around like he does, lol. 

[J and Riley (and Luna)]

I mean he must be getting enough for his needs if he's not lethargic. :)

It's like picky toddlers/preschoolers... some of them seem to subsist on nothing but a few crackers and air for days at a time :p

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

Exactly! like I always say, a normal healthy dog will not starve himself.