fussy eating - why now?

[picklesmum]

Well, after me feeling quite smug when I read previous posts on here about fussy eaters (Pickle was always quite good on that front), I now seem to have a fussy-mussy on my hands..... :roll:
He has always liked me to stand beside him while he eats, ever since we brought him home at 9 wks - if I walk away, he tends to stop eating and follow me. But in the last couple of weeks, he just sniffs his food, looks at me like I am trying to poison him, and then backs away. He will then just lie down about 10 feet from his bowl, head between paws, put his big sad-eyed look on and do nothing.
The only way I can get him to eat is... (and please dont flame me for this - desparate times call for desparate measures!!) if I spoon-feed him  :shock: . So the routine now he sniffs his food, lies down and waits to be spoon fed...oh dear, what have I done?
I have stuck to the same JWB food, by the way, and I add a little mince or turkey mince to it - I don't want to chop and change his diet, as I know that could make him even more fussy.
Could this fussiness be the beginning of the teenage phase? (he's 6 and a half months) He's perfectly happy/healthy otherwise.
Emma :oops:  and Pickle xx                    

[Gilly]

Hey welcome to the club Emma    
Well for a start I would STOP spoon feeding him  :wink: Is he underweight?? I recall from a previous post that he is quite a sturdy wee boy so therefore I would only be spoon feeding him if he was ill or underweight  :wink: Otherwise you are making a rod for your own back  :shock: I have slowly come to realise (believe me it's took some time  :wink: ) that a dog will NOT starve itself  :wink:
You could do one of 2 things in this situation    Firstly try putting the food down to him and leave it for a maximum of 20 minutes, if he hasn't eaten it after that I would lift it and do NOT give him anything else until the next mealtime (this includes treats). I would also try and wean yourself away from the bowl trying to distance yourself from him a bit at a time whilst he's eating as this may cause you a problem if you have to leave him with anyone esle  :?
This method may seem cruel and you may feel like your starving him but hopefully after a couple of days he sould get the message that food is only on offer for a short period of time so he better eat it whilst the going is good  :wink:
You could also try adding something different, like the AMP tripe for example, alot of dogs find this very tempting  (Butty a terrible fussy eater being one of them)
Also I would look at how much food you are giving him and wether he is still on puppy food. If he is a good weight for his age it might be a good idea to maybe look at swapping him to adult food as his growth needs might not require puppy food anymore   Butty does not like being overfaced...ie. if I fill her bowl to the top she is unlikely to eat it all..whereas if I only fill half the bowl she is alot more likely to eat it  
Just a few suggestions for you to think about I'm sure others will have some ideas to, let us know how you get on  

Gilly                    

[Jan/Billy]

Billy used to howl, bark continually and jump up and down when it was "dinner" time. I had scratches all down my legs for months on end where he had jumped upat me whilst i was carrying his bowl. :? When we first got him it used to take two of us to feed him as one of us had to hold onto Billy whilst the other put the bowl on the floor. That was because Billy used to knock the bowl out of our hands as he was that desperate to get his dinner. He ate as though he had never been fed and would wolf down the whole bowl in 20 seconds flat. He would then burp and have hicups for the next 20 mins. :?  :?
Since he has turned 6months he has changed. He doesnt bark for his dinner any more and eats it at a much slower pace. WHY?  :?  :?  :?  :? We are baffled as to why he has suddenly changed. He does eat it eventually but it now takes him five to ten minutes instead of 20 seconds. And like you if I walk away he will follow me, and i often have to stand over him.
My fiance thinks he has finally realised that no one else eats his food but him so if he doesnt eat it all at once then it doesnt matter as he can go back to it later and it will still be there. Last night he walked away from his bowl. So i picked it upand put it on the worktop. He barked for his food,i put it back on the floor and he ate it all         So now i am inclined to agree with him                    

[picklesmum]

Hi Gilly, and thanks for all your great advice.
Your right, Pickle is a good weight (15kg), although I don't understand why, as he has never been a very big eater. I think at the root of my worrying is that last time his breeder saw him (2 months ago) she said he looked a bit 'leggy' (ie skinny) and that I should feed him as much as he will eat at this stage. So when he started refusing to eat, I panicked, and tried spoon feeding. He obviously got a liking for being spoon fed (why?  :roll: ) and now expects it. Do you think he's having a laugh (ie manipulating me :wink: )?
I will try removing his food after 20 mins - but I feel so guilty when he looks at me with those big brown eyes!!!
Tripe sounds revolting - is it easy to find? And does it stink? We were away for a few days recently, and Pickle stayed with his grannie, who fed him Chum puppy food - which I refuse to have in the house as it smells so evil!!! (she only did this as he refused to eat anything for her  :roll: )
I will also try smaller portions - it would make my day if he actually licked the bowl clean!
Emma and Pickle xx                    

[picklesmum]

Hi Jan.   at Billy having to be held down while his dinner was being made!!! Pickle also used to get very excited at feeding time, and would woof like mad, whereas now he just lies on the floor, with that big sad face on, as if I am cooking up some poisonous stew for him!
You've just put an idea in my head - maybe a bit of competition from another Cocker would help...... but then, I'll have to wait till he's 18 months to get Cocker number two. Still, another good reason to add to my list to persuade hubby we need a second doggy!!!!
Emma and Pickle xx                    

[Mike]

When my springer was going through her fussiest stage, there was also a time when she would only eat if I actually hand fed her from her bowl - so I can understand completely how you got to the stage of spoon-feeding! Gilly's right though - you have to nip that in the bud. In a roundabout sort of way (as often is the case with dogs!) it is possibly even contributing to his fussiness.

I am fascinated by the psychology of dogs that are fussy eaters. I'm sure there must be something they're trying to tell us - my springer for example used to stand over her bowl licking her lips, but refusing to eat. Puzzling! If I left her alone, she'd walk away - even though I knew she was hungry. We're past that stage now - but sometimes Jazz will only eat her food if it;s placed next to my cocker Daisy, other times she will only eat if Daisy is far away...

I did read on another board that for some dogs that are fussy eaters who only eat when the owner gets involved (as in spoon-feeding or standing over them), the problem is that the eating process has become a ritual. The dog has learnt to associate your presence or involvement as the only time that food can be eaten. I can see how this kind of makes sense - my springer is a clever dog, but has been known to focus a bit obsessively on tennis balls and shiney lights/refelctions/shadows - so from that perspective, this could be just another obsession that was created inadvertently by me try to get her to eat regularly. Anyways, what I'm saying is the association needs to be broken - as Gilly said earlier, put food down for 20 mins, leave Piper to it, pick it up after 20 mins if it's not been eaten, and dont put the food down again until next meal time is due. And whatever you do, dont revert to the spoon as otherwise the problem will continue. I dont think Piper will revert to normal overnight, but he will gradually. I hope all this makes sense - I think it helps to try to understand where the dog is coming from to overcome the problem.

My springer is still a more fussy eater than my gluttenous cocker (no surprise!), but she weighs a very healthy 20 kilos now so I'm happy                      

[Gilly]

AMP products are easy to find...you can either have them home delivered or buy them from Pets at Home...here's the link to their website http://www.prizechoice.co.uk/

Does it stink  :shock:  :shock: YES     Is it vile  :shock: YES but most do seem to love it...so that's good enough for me  :wink:

I think Mike is right about the feeding ritual and how some dogs could associate you standing over them with eating  :wink: so I would try and distance yourself gradually if possible  

Good Luck  

Gilly                    

[picklesmum]

Thanks Mike - ok, so no more spoon-feeding! Pickle will be very disappointed - I think it makes him feel very important :roll: ! Another of my ploys is to lay a little trail of tasty morsels leading from where he's lying to the food bowl, the theory being that he'll get up, follow the trail, eating the goodies, then get to his bowl, sniff, and start munching. But he usually just backs off once he's munched his way to his bowl, so - that doesn't really work either!
I guess I just thought all dogs went loopy-loo when it was feeding time, I've never known a fussy-eater dog before.
Emma and Pickle xx                    

[picklesmum]

Thanks Gilly - will order some tripe - bleuurrrggghhhh!!! (because he's worth it :wink: !!)
Emma and Pickle xx                    

[Pipers Mummy]

Sorry about this, but I have to say it:  Oh to have a fussy eater

As the owner of the  dog who breaks all records for eating her dinner and continues to eat anything else she can get her mouth around - only stopping during sleep :shock: you start to dream about owning a dog who leaves a bit of food in their bowl!!!

Yes, we get burping and hiccups after each meal also :roll:

Joking apart I know this must be a real worry for you and would love to give you advice but I haven't had to read up too much on fussy eating in Cockers :roll:                    

[Mike]

Sorry looks like I confused Pickle with Piper in my previous post - must be that rhyme Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers...    :oops:

I've got 'the best' ( :roll: ) of both worlds  - fussy springer, and cocker who may just give Piper a run for her money in the neverending-eating stakes - she's forever burping, has been known to throw up too cos she eats too fast she doesnt chew properly   And as soon as she's finished her food, she runs to the sofa and wipes her mouth all over it  :evil:                    

[Pipers Mummy]

I've got 'the best' ( :roll: ) of both worlds  - fussy springer, and cocker who may just give Piper a run for her money in the neverending-eating stakes - she's forever burping, has been known to throw up too cos she eats too fast she doesnt chew properly   And as soon as she's finished her food, she runs to the sofa and wipes her mouth all over it  :evil:

Sorry Mike but  Looks like you win in the neverending-eating dog sweepstakes!

Love the bit about the sofa......                    

[*Jay*]

Since he has turned 6months he has changed. He doesnt bark for his dinner any more and eats it at a much slower pace. WHY?    

This happened with Vegas too. Whwen he was a pup, he couldn't eat his dinner quick enough. But now, he just eats at a very sedate pace. Even when the three of them are getting treats, Brook and Dallas will be on the 4th biscuit and Vegas is still finishing off the first one  He does like to take his time and savour the taste it would seem :wink:                    

[picklesmum]

Actually, Gill, Pickle does this too - when he's offered a treat, even a nice smelly piece of cheese or sausage, he likes to have a sniff, then takes it very gently, sometimes spits it out to have a wee look at it, then delicately savours it for about 3 minutes!!!!
As a child I had a KC spaniel, Lucy, who was so greedy, and would gobble anything - even brussell sprouts passed sneakily down to her at the dinner table - what a great friend she was!!! Got me out of eating many nasty veggies, and never gave me away :wink: ! Pickle would be useless on that front, bless him - he's far too suspicious (or genteel, he claims!!)
Emma and Pickle xx                    

[Luvlylady]

this is a big problem ive always had with bella even from a pup she wouldent eat scrambled egg or her puppy food . now she turns her nose up at everything , chicken , bbq food , susages , burgers ,fish , frolics are now out the window even our christmas dinner sometimes im left wondering what i can do to make her eat shes not thin but is it normal to go days without food when you have fresh chicken down . ive tired the put on the floor and take away if not eaten but still it  dosent work :|