Finley Feeing Saga Yet Again

[wendy]

Hi everyone - as many of you know Finley is a very poor eater.  Have tried various foods without much success.  I posted a post recently as it seemed to me that Finley always went off his food after we had done a dog show - however I can now discount this finding, we have not done a dog show for three weeks and guess what ?  this weekend went off his food yet again - wont touch a thing (e.g. nutro, fresh chicken, saussage, raw mince).  Although over the last two weeks he has not eaten quantities I would expect from a puppy he has been eating and putting a small amount of weight on, so why are we on this two week cycle - does anyone else have this with their puppy?  does anyone have a explanation for this - is this a classic case for building in a fast day every two weeks?  I am confused.

Wendy and Finley

[Mary]

I'm not sure Wendy but I do know that Loraine's Candy does a similar thing.  I don't know if she falls into a pattern but I'm sure she fasts for a couple of days

[Elisa]

Bailey has always done this, from when we first got him home.  He has never been enthusiastic about his food, but every now and then, approx once every 10 days-2 weeks, he just wont eat his dinner, he will even go a couple of days.  He still eats his treats, but not his dinner.  Then after 1-2 nights, he starts eating normally again.  I have never been too worried about it.  He is healthy.  In fact we are due a "fasting" day!  

If he is healthy and a good weight I wouldnt worry too much, stick to the same food that you are happy with, and always offer it to him.  Im sure he wont starve himself.  Is it just his food he wont eat or is it any food?

[scooby's mum]

Hiya Wendy

Scooby is also faddy like Finley - he'll eat well for a day or two and then hardly anything for days on end.  I've just switched him from James Wellbeloved to Burns and he seems to like this but it's probably just a novelty and he'll go off it in a few days.

I have also always added to the food - ham, chicken, rice etc. but am now adamant I am not going to do this anymore and get him eating the complete food only.

I have taken Scooby to the vet this morning for his x-rays and had a chat with the vetinary nurse (who is also a dog behaviour expert).  She says under no circumstances should anything be added to complete food and if the dog is faddy you should starve it for 36 hours and then put the food down, give the dog 10 minutes only to eat it and then take it up.

She says that faddy eating is not so much that they don't like the food but it's a dominance thing and you've got to switch back to you being the leader.  She reakons that no dog will starve itself but you have to be strong.

I had Scooby's weight checked (cause I thought he wasn't eating enough) and he's 10.3kg (he's 7 months old) and she had a feel of him and says he's perfect, not too fat or thin.

How old is Finley and what does he weigh?

Edited to say that she also made a good point in that we all make too much of a deal about what our dogs eat and explained that in the wild they will only eat every couple of days of so and that their bodies are designed to do this - so maybe Finley is doing this - what do you think?

[wendy]

Hi Scooby's Mum.  I would totally agree to what you are saying I think its a dominance thing as something I only put down cooked chicken, rice and some saussage and he refuses to eat that.  I've just put Finley's food down and he walked away and  sat down and looked at me so I have walked away, just popped my head around the corner and he is eating.  Finley is now nearly 9 months old and weighs about 11kgs.  I am getting much better as dealing with him not eating.  We are hopefully having another pup this year - so lets hope things improve - you never know in the future I will be posing like mad asking people's advice of how to get the weight off!!!!!!......here's hoping

Wendy

[scooby's mum]

Hi Scooby's Mum.  I would totally agree to what you are saying I think its a dominance thing as something I only put down cooked chicken, rice and some saussage and he refuses to eat that.  I've just put Finley's food down and he walked away and  sat down and looked at me so I have walked away, just popped my head around the corner and he is eating.  Finley is now nearly 9 months old and weighs about 11kgs. 

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Hiya Wendy

Just to let you know, Scooby has come home from the vets tonight (after another x-ray - update in Health section) and has eaten a full bowl of kibble, without anything added, for the first time ever.  He was obviously starving cause he's hasn't eaten since yesterday lunch time so has eaten the lot.  I'm really chuffed.  So it just proves that if they are really really hungry they'll eat.  Like Finley though, he did turn his nose up at it at first so I left the room - when I returned it had gone!!!

If he trys dominating me again he's mincemeat  

That's it now, he gets the kibble alone or nothing and tomoz am gonna only leave it down for 5 minutes.

Good luck with Finley and let me know how you get on.

[Jane S]

She says that faddy eating is not so much that they don't like the food but it's a dominance thing and you've got to switch back to you being the leader.  She reakons that no dog will starve itself but you have to be strong.

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Mmm, a rather old-fashioned view maybe I really don't think all poor eaters are dominant dogs - owners can make their dogs faddy by continually changing their food & worrying when they don't eat but that doesn't mean their dog is being dominant in any way! We had one poor eater years ago who could not have had a more submissive temperament - she was quiet & gentle & definitely not dominant but just didn't have a big appetite when she was young. She grew out of it in time as I'm sure Finlay will eventually.

Jane

[Gilly]

I have to agree. Buttons isn't a dominant dog and she's a fussy eater. I had to come round to thinking that she wasn't going to starve herself and stop worrying, I know that seems hard when everyone else talks about how greedy their cockers are. I could easily feed another dog with the food I throw away   Adding different things didn't make any difference so I don't do it, she gets burns and tripe mix and that it!
If you think about the pack theory and apply it to humans, one of my daughters is fussier than the other, I'm the boss, but it doesn't mean she's challenging me, she's just fussy end of story  

[scooby's mum]

She says that faddy eating is not so much that they don't like the food but it's a dominance thing and you've got to switch back to you being the leader.  She reakons that no dog will starve itself but you have to be strong.

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Mmm, a rather old-fashioned view maybe I really don't think all poor eaters are dominant dogs - owners can make their dogs faddy by continually changing their food & worrying when they don't eat but that doesn't mean their dog is being dominant in any way! We had one poor eater years ago who could not have had a more submissive temperament - she was quiet & gentle & definitely not dominant but just didn't have a big appetite when she was young. She grew out of it in time as I'm sure Finlay will eventually.

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You're right, dogs I suppose are like people and may just be fussy eaters.  Think she said it to me though because she knows Scoobs is a very dominant dog and probably thinks that's the reason he doesn't eat.  Right from the first puppy class she said he was very dominant and I would have to be really firm with him from the outset.

She has also suggested I get him "done" when he's 12 months old cause she says it usually makes the dog a little more placid - not sure about that one though