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Puppy off her food

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  • 03-02-2009 9:46am
    #1
    Branoic
    Registered Users Posts: 1,742 ✭✭✭


    Hi,
    Our three and a half month old gsd pup seems recently to have gone off her food. Up until Saturday she used to wolf it down each feeding time and lick the bowl clean. Now over the last few days she'll still sit at our feet and wag her tail as we're getting the food ready and follow the bowl as we put it down, but once it's down she'll just sniff it and walk away and leave it there. She'll eat a bit if we mess around with it, like pick it out of the bowl and put it on the floor, but otherwise she won't go near it. It's the same food she's been eating since we got her at 8 weeks too, and she doesn't seem ill or poorly in any other ways. Not really sure what to try.


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    #2
    Overheal
    Registered Users Posts: 83,530 ✭✭✭✭Overheal


    They covered this on the Dog Whisperer a couple days ago: basically, the pup needs to learn to earn the food - at the moment, youre giving it to her and she doesnt have to do anything. Once she's playing around a bit and has worked up an appetite, then you can present her with food in such a way as she knows its there but she has to work for it - like by holding it up, and having her stand up and get at it. These same principles are why dogs can become such avid beggars - they work very hard to earn table scraps :)

    If she doesnt want the food dont give it to her; just try again later.


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    #3
    Tony H
    Registered Users Posts: 1,506 ✭✭✭Tony H


    Im having the same problem with my 13 week old Golden Retriever and its doing my head in , I think the problem with my fellow is that he got a taste of human food (my fault) and now the dog food does not taste as good , anyway I got a sample of Husse dog food(at the moment he is on Burns) and he wolfed up the sample so I ordered some and hopfully he will eat that as it has a more meaty smell and taste ,


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    #4
    kazza90210
    Registered Users Posts: 228 ✭✭kazza90210


    I presume you feed the dog at the same time everyday?its good to have a routine for feeding, before you feed your pup do "gesture eating" this is when you eat a craker(or whatever u choose) over the bowl before you feed your dog as the leader in a pack wud eat first, and then put the bowl down and walk away(give the dog space to eat) if the puppy doesnt eat it take it away and dont feed again until the next time you normally would.

    its not cruel it just teaches the dog that they dont have the power over the food and that they arent the dominant dog.


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    #5
    Overheal
    Registered Users Posts: 83,530 ✭✭✭✭Overheal


    fitzdragon wrote: »
    Im having the same problem with my 13 week old Golden Retriever and its doing my head in , I think the problem with my fellow is that he got a taste of human food (my fault) and now the dog food does not taste as good , anyway I got a sample of Husse dog food(at the moment he is on Burns) and he wolfed up the sample so I ordered some and hopfully he will eat that as it has a more meaty smell and taste ,
    Thats not as much a problem as you think. If a dog gets enough of an appetite it will eat almost anything. Its a matter of them getting enough exercise and working up enough of an appetite. If a dog is sitting around all day and then suddenly you come home and cook a pot roast, of course its gonna want some, for the taste. My mom's dogs are especially bad about holding out for food but if you tell them No long enough that dog dish will get emptied.


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