[My_Harleigh]

I have had Harleigh for 3 weeks now. When I first got her (at 14 weeks of age), she ate her food in like 2.6 nanoseconds. After a week or so I noticed she was a little slower but not much. I was happy because she would get hiccups after every meal so slower eating meant less hiccups. Well it has slowed down so much that she isn't eating at the moment I put the food out, but eventually she is eating it after about 15-30 minutes. This morning was the first morning where she wanted nothing to do with her food. As if to say she wasn't hungary. This upsets me since I work and she is at home most of the day. I don't want her to feel hungary. I have a schedule in the morning to make sure she works "one" out before we leave and I want her to eat as early in the morning as possible so I am not rushing out the door because I had to wait for her to "lay some rope".

Has anyone ever had this problem and how did you fix it? Basically I want her to eat when I feed her. Not 30 minutes later. I have heard that you shouldn't leave food out and let them graze through out the day. I don't do that....but I also want her to eat. I have also heard that you should pick the food up after 20 minutes if they don't eat it and this trains them to eat when the food is put out. Do you agree? Any other suggestions? Am I just a worry wart?

Thank you so much!
Ginger

 

[Michelle]

Maybe she just doesn't like the food.  You can try switching it up or adding extras to it.

 

[My_Harleigh]

I actually just switched it within the first week of me getting her (gradually of course) per her vet. So she is eating Royal Canin. She loved it at first. Couldn't get enough of it. Is it possible that she is just at a growth plateau and just isn't hungary and will pick up later? Just seems unheard of for such an active breed.

 

[DM_Boxers]

I was told just feed them like normal but only leave food out for like 30minutes then put the dish up.  We do this for Attila and Daphne.  What happens is if they dont eat when there is food they will realize after a few times that hmmm maybe I should eat all of my food before he takes it away.

 

[Guest]

Binga stopped eating her food for a while.  we added an egg and she gobbled it up.  then she stopped getting excited about that...    if i add some warm water to it she really likes that.  makes a little gravy.

i think they get tired of eating the same thing all the time.  i know i would get sick of the same food everyday.  haha.  the next food we are going to try is canidae.  i found a store close to here that sells it.

 

[AshleysMom]

I am going through the same issue with Ashley..and it dawned on me the other day why food consumtion has fallen...she is TEETHING!! LOL.. I bet eating anything hard either hurts those wiggley loose teeth, or due to the fact she is missing some, she may not be able to chew on her sore little gums. Your pup should be at about the same stage as Ashley...could it be that he is teething, and you need to go back to making the food a bit mushy for a few weeks till he can scarf down the food with his "big dog" teeth??

 

[JessiesMom]

Every puppy goes through the not eating stage... believe me when they are hungry they will eat...

 

[My_Harleigh]

I appreciate the responses. I will try to liven up her food a bit.  And yes,  she must be teething again as she is chewing everything in sight. The first week was like that, but then it stopped and now she is doing it again.

 

[samsonsmom]

Try drizzling a bit of water over the food, not a lot as you don't want it to expand or anything....Does sound like a teething issue as well...I think Zhanna suggested frozen carrots to help with that   The cold feels good on their gums

 

[donna]

i had that problem with benson i was feeding him my own diet at the start then was advised to feed him science diet by the vet (funnily enough it is what she sells but try telling my boyfriend that!) so we fed him that for months he liked it at the start but then wouldnt eat it at all. i perservered with it until last week because i didnt want to give in and was told he would eventually eat it. he was super skinny so i decided to try this stuff called barf, its great it comes in frozen patties which you just defrost and its ready to go, its basically raw meat with vegies & good stuff. He LOVES it he used to eat nothing in the morning now he is going crazy waiting on breakfast and cleans the bowl in a nanosecond. I also mix in some kibble too though so.

I think changing the food could be a good idea it worked for me, you could just put some kibble in a kong and seal it with peanut butter so he gets something while you are gone??