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Location: Montreal -> CT -> MA -> Montreal -> Ottawa
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Artie is very finicky. The only food that he will consistently eat is Taste of the Wild (bison/venison and the fowl formula). I say "consistently" because he gets tired of that, I have to give him something else, but then he gets tired of THAT. But he'll always go back to the Taste of the Wild brand.
I fed him Orijen 70/30 and he loved it, but once they switched to 80/20, his stool got soft for too long a time, and it had blood in it. Too rich for him, I think.
Along with the kibble, I add something to make it more enticing:
A quarter of a hamburger (I make them and freeze them).
A half of a Stella and Chewy's freeze-dried patty (he prefers the lamb).
A scrambled egg (cooled down to room temp and then broken up into tiny pieces).
He needs his vitamins, and then again he does agility and treats is something required for him to do his jumps and runs. Or when I leave, I give him a treat too.
I felt guility he didn't eat much this am (including his vitamins and 1/2 beggin strip).
You answered your own question. He's not eating because he's not hungry. If you're giving him treats, begging strips, chewy vitamins, etc. there is no possible way he could be hungry.
Try this; don't use treats for training. Use food kibble instead. Measure out 1/4 cup of food and put it on the counter and use it as treats thoughout the day for your training sessions, etc. Don't give him a begging strip.
Here are some popular treats and their calorie contents.
Milkbone original dog treats 10 calories per treat Purina Beggin Strips 90 calories per treat Pro Plan biscuits 35 calories per treat
Milkbone Exra large biscuits 225 calories per treat
Chew eez beef hide rolls 211 calories per treat
Alpo Liva snacks 211 calories per treat
Snausages 211 calories per treat
Busy Bone 600 calories per treat
Dentabone 188 calories per treat
Pup-Peroni 24 calories per treat
NOTE: Purina Pro Plan chicken formula has 465 cal per cup. So 1/4 cup per day for an 8 lb dog would only be 116 calories a DAY. Do you see how your TREATS are your dog's meals?
If you truly have a finicky dog (which YOU do not), do not feed ANY treats. None. Feed the measured portion in the morning. Leave it for 15 minutes. Pick it up. Repeat that evening. Repeat cycle for up to 4 days. A dog will NOT starve itself. They like the attention they have grown to expect from you at feeding time. Eliminate the attention, and your dog will eventually eat.
You answered your own question. He's not eating because he's not hungry. If you're giving him treats, begging strips, chewy vitamins, etc. there is no possible way he could be hungry.
Try this; don't use treats for training. Use food kibble instead. Measure out 1/4 cup of food and put it on the counter and use it as treats thoughout the day for your training sessions, etc. Don't give him a begging strip.
Exactly. It doesn't look like a lot to a human but it is a huge amount to an 8lb dog. I know several people who are over-treaters that have had to start using dog food as the reward because all the dogs ever got was treats! Very good suggestion.
What brand vitamins do you use? Why do you use them?
My dog used to be very picky and she still has an inconsistent eating schedule. I got her to start eating by doing the following:
1. More physical activity. I started taking her on longer runs.
2. I found a treat she liked enough to eat, but didn't go crazy over. I would give her just little bit of that treat (dog biscuit) and it would get her stomach juices flowing enough that she got hungry and ate her food.
3. I had to make sure she always had fresh, cold water. When she was thirsty, she wouldn't eat.
Unfortunately I can't speak to any experience with yorkies, but I volunteer at an animal shelter and these are some of the things we tell new adopters since dogs don't usually eat when they're stressed from being in the shelter/going to a new home. Some dogs just aren't food motivated and they'll never pick up a "regular" eating schedule.
He finally decided to eat around 4P
I was over joyed, but shocked when he did eat since he scarfed it down like he was really hungry. He's never done that before. I added a bit more, and shocked he ate more. When I have done that in the past, he sniffed and walked away. I usually give him a treat after we groom, a dental treat. I didn't do that today. He also had a nice walk with 3 other doggies today and they all played in my backyard. I thought that would wear the little guy out, NOT. He had a bit more kibbles within the hour while I played ball with him.
My Lucy, also a yorkie, is a VERY PICKY eater. Her vet says that he looves picky eaters because they rarely get overweight, but it drives me crazy!
She's only 5 lbs so I freak out if she doesn't eat in the morning before I leave for work. I worry about hypoglycemia in the little ones.
She eats Blue Buffalo Whitefish version - but is tiring of that. In the morning, I feed her a small scoop with a few canned carrots and carrot juice on it. That ususaly works. Or dry, with a sprinkle of parmesan cheese - it's really smelly and they seem to like it. She also looves organic canned pumpkin on there - but you can only do that about once a week.
If I boil chicken (plain, no seasoning) and shred a little of that and put a little broth on her food; she'll eat every bite.
I've also tried mixing in cottage cheese and yogurt - not always successful.
Scrambled egg mixed in there seems to do the trick too!
At night, she gets her dry food mixed with the canned 99% meat Wellness. She usually eats that; but not always. I don't free feed because my other dog would scarf up all her food.
The one SURE way to get her to eat is if she thinks our Westie is headed toward her bowl. In that case, she'll run over and scarf every bite.
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