Picky DOGS

scamperfarms

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I love my dogs..dont get me wrong. But i wanna smack em.
they are getting Natures Variety chicken and rice formula right now, and have been doing well on it. Well they have decided they are bored with it. This isnt the first time they have done this. I swear..we go through more kinds of dog food..


So i made my little tromp out to the speciality shop today and got some samples..they turned their nose up at several.

But found three they like.

Canine Caviar
Canadie
And a new food.

Oven Baked tradtion. Which I am leaning towards, because their kibbles are very unique softer than most kibbles, easier for the hound to chew.

its the most spendy of the three, but ah well..whadda ya do? lol

http://ovenbakedtradition.com/prod_p...ng.php?lang=en

whatcha think?
 

KitEKats4Eva!

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I think that you need to stop catering to their whims!! They are conditioning you, not the other way around.

Essentially, whether they like what they are given is neither here nor there. They get what they are given, and they eat it, or they don't get anything else. This sounds harsh and of course if you are feeding your dog a terrible diet you do need to change it, but you're not.

So, here's what you do. You feed them a small amount - perhaps half what they normally are used to. If they haven't eaten it after 20 minutes then it gets picked up and they get nothing until their next meal time.

Dogs WILL NOT starve themselves. If they get hungry enough, they will eat whatever you put in front of them. If they eat all of their small meal, then they can have another small amount. If they don't eat it it gets taken away after 20 minutes and they get another small amount for their next meal.

If they eat every small amount you put in front of them straight away, until it equals roughly a normal-sized meal, then you are making progress. You can start building up their meals until they are normal-sized again and if they eat them all, excellent. If they start turning their noses up again you can start repeating the process.

Dogs are omnivorous and will eat almost anything. It's important they have a nutritional, well-balanced diet. If you are providing this then that's all they need and if they are fussy you cannot pander to it because you will open a Pandora's box that will mean a world of frustration.

Again, they won't starve themselves, it's not in their genetics or their psyche. They'll eat when they're hungry and you just need to be more persistent than they are. The only time you should change their diet is if they have a food allergy. If they don't, they need to eat what's in front of them and no arguing!
 
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scamperfarms

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I have tried the method you have suggested. And My husky, doesnt fall for it. My basset hound will. but the husky WILL go hungry. And she is dropping weight. While i dont wish to "catter" I also dont wish to see my dog get ill. While with the basset I know its simple monkey see monkey do. The husky has a senstive stomach, while i havent seen any signs of severe upset that we have seen *Yet* its possible its upsetting her tummy. I suppose I should have been more clear in my first post in reguard to that. We have been to the vet and done all the run around with that. I keep my dogs Lean, and Show ready..so when they drop weight its noticeable. And doesnt make me comfortable. in the least. Theres no medical reason for Isis to be dropping it, lack of food intake would be the only opition left.
 

KitEKats4Eva!

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Ahhh I see. That does make a difference with your Husky. My two were the same and actually were also refusing to eat (although I couldn't bear to leave it more than a day and a half!), which is why I started doing the small meal thing. It really helped them. Our vet said that large meals can sometimes seem intimidating to dogs (even large dogs) so to try three or four small meals throughout the day can be more accessible for them. It worked for our guys.

Also, it wouldn't be a bad idea to feed them apart from each other (so they actually can't see each other at all) until they get back into a routine.
 

lsulover

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When our beloved Sambo was still here, I would cook him whatever he wanted to eat.

He love fried fish, and when we ate that, he would eat it too. He also love fried squash.

He was very spoiled
 

mulenag

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Personally, the Oven Baked looks a bit grain heavy to me. I like seeing a "meal" listed as #1 or #2 and then a whole meat as the other first or second ingredient. Or even another "meal" would be ideal. Whole meats may sound nice but you have to realize that when determining the ingredient order list the heaviest is listed first, as you know, but whole meat is counted before it's processed and once processed it loses it's moisture and thus it's weight. So, to me, the Oven Baken food is too grainy since the whole meat is followed by FOUR grains! Yikes!

I've never looked into Canine Caviar, but I know many dogs that are doing very well on Canidae and if you look at their ingredients it is much more meaty.


Good luck on getting your picky pooches to eat! They sure can be stubborn sometimes!
 
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scamperfarms

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I seperated them this morning for morning meal
we usually do two meals a day for them but I can split it into three now and see if that helps any. gonna try til friday than its something diffrent. talking with hubby i think we re gonna mix the canidae and oven baked, Isis (husky) reallly liked the oven baked, as it has a diffrnt texture the kibble isnt as hard. and as i type this i have those blue eyes stareing at me, lol
 

katiemae1277

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Have you ever tried Chicken Soup for the Dog Lover's Soul? i feed it to my dog as well as my cats (cats get the cat formula of course
) and Viny-Weeny seems to love it
 

sharky

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It is WAY TO grain heavy ... six grains to two meats... I only allow a one meat to two grain for dogs ... WHat about raw??

Caviar is also a bit grainy but many like it
 

goldenkitty45

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I agree, some dog owners spoil the dogs and cater to them which in turn, makes them "picky". We are blessed with a chow hound lab who will eat anything you put in front of her.

She loves Diamond Chicken and Kirkland Chicken/Rice. We tried the Lamb/Rice and while she ate it cause it was there, she was not very keen on it.....so we switched back AFTER she finished the bag.

Pick out the food YOU want to feed them. Offer it to them at set times - wait about 20-30 mins and if they have leftovers, take it away and don't offer anything else till next time - then give them the same food. They will eat it when they are hungry enough.

I don't put up with spoiled/picky dogs! and cats too. I don't know what I'd do if the cats were that picky like some. None of mine were picky eaters.
 

white cat lover

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I've got a Lab like your Husky! She has a very sensitive digestive tract. The deal we have is she eats the kibble I want her to eat, but she gets the canned she likes as a "topper" on her kibble. I don't know if that would work for you or not.
 
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scamperfarms

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That was working for a hwile with Isis, she ate the kibble i wanted Natures Variety, an she got her junk food topper. well than she started eating around. So I took her topper away. now shes being a ding bat.however she did dump her food in her kennel tonight and shes been nibbling on it. so thats better than nada.
 

cococat

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Originally Posted by wookie130

Out of the foods you sampled, I'd probably most highly recommend the Canidae...it's a great value, and an very good food.
Me too. I agree with the others, but a vet check is in order, and if the dog is healthy - stop catering to their whims. Sometimes being picky can be an early sign of problems. This happened to a dear dog I knew, it was an early warning sign. Instead, they started catering like crazy, when they should have taken him to the vet right away. Really unfortunate. So you want to make sure all is well. Has the dog been under a lot of stress lately?

Also, you might want try some fresh food variety in small amounts, becuz variety is good for the dog, don't do it to cater to them. if they don't eat it in 10 minutes, take it up and put in fridge for the next meal.

For example : one cooked egg mixed in well with the kibble one meal, a TBS whole yogurt another meal, boiled chicken in another, etc. You can put a but of water in the bottom of the bowl to help the add-in's coat the kibble pieces. Pick up a dog book and start making a homemade doggie stew to each meal that is healthy and yummy.
You might consider raw or homecooking as well. Kibble by its nature & texture reminds me of cornflakes, dry and bland and isn't as good as whole meats and veggies. Regardless - don't let them play games with you. Some of my dogs at one time or another have wanted to play that game, but it usually doesn't take long for them to love and eat what I offer.
 

cococat

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Originally Posted by GoldenKitty45

I agree, some dog owners spoil the dogs and cater to them which in turn, makes them "picky". .
It is just a training issue. The problem is dogs learn something all the time from us, regardless of if we are "training" or not, we are and sometimes it isn't what we want them to learn either...

By catering to them it teaches them something "better" might be awaiting them if they don't eat what is given to them. Not the best message.
 
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scamperfarms

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They have both been to the vet, and are healthy.

Raw for the dogs isnt an opition right now. Its not in the budjet. Possibly down the line but not right now.

On the bright side. We have mixed the Natures Variety with Candiade and got our Salmon Oil again for coat and they have been eating like champs.
 

2dogmom

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Originally Posted by wookie130

Out of the foods you sampled, I'd probably most highly recommend the Canidae...it's a great value, and an very good food.


I'm embarrassed to admit that I have been feeding Nutro Max and recently swtiched BACK to Canidae based on a food guide I saw on a dog forum I am on. For the money IMO it is the best stuff out there, especially the Lamb Meal and Rice. Looking at the ingredients for Natures Variety I have to wonder why they are putting "clay" in there as the 6th ingredient. If they wanna eat Canidae maybe it is a good time to make the switch.
 

cococat

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Originally Posted by 2dogmom


Looking at the ingredients for Natures Variety I have to wonder why they are putting "clay" in there as the 6th ingredient. If they wanna eat Canidae maybe it is a good time to make the switch.
I have fed that food in the past. They say the clay has over 50 trace minerals.
http://www.i-amperfectlyhealthy.com/simoncohen.html
They explain it on their site : http://www.naturesvariety.com/.
Mine did well on it, but I didn't feel it was the best choice.
 
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