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I am not new to dogs. I have had 7 (never had one as a kid). All my dogs have been super healthy. I have fostered more then 30, even severely ill ones (never lost one). But I am just curious (not worried) about my new dogs eating.
2 year old male (neutered and up to date on shots), adopted after a very, very long time in a shelter (over a year). Smart boy, already trained on so many things. 55lbs, but should be 60.
I put his food out and he ignores it. Then he goes and takes a bite or two. Fools around for a while, might take another bite. Old submissive dog comes along and he watches her eat most of it. Then he will finish what is left.
Out of all my adopted dogs, and my fosters, I have never once had a dog who didn't love meal time. I have tried 3 foods and added extra yummies to them. He does get excited when I tell him its time to eat, but then loses interest right away.
Is it a dog trait some dogs have? Or any thoughts?
PS if I crate him or put hi alone in a room with his food, he wont eat any of it. He just gets upset.
We have had two shelters dogs with this issue. I don't know if it's a shelter dog thing or something else, though.
Still haven't figured out what to do.
Of our first two dogs (both now passed), one was a neighborhood accident and ate like a horse.
The other was a shelter dog and was picky from Day One. She was with us for 12 years, and for most of those years I ended up cooking meat (usually chicken or beef) and rice for her (plus a daily vitamin).
We currently have two shelter dogs. Again, one will eat just about anything I put in front of him.
The other one tells us she's hungry, but won't eat what we give her. I cook meat for her, and put some kibble on the side, and it's still a hit-or-miss situation.
I've tried literally more than a dozen different dog foods, wet and dry, grain-free, made for sensitive stomachs, expensive and inexpensive, and still haven't found one she likes. I've tried feeding her on a schedule, and I've tried waiting until she tells me she's hungry.
The whole issue wouldn't be such a big deal if she wasn't so annoying and whiny when she's obviously hungry.
What kind of dog won't eat plain meat when they're hungry??
Frustrating.
Any dog behavior that is atypical-including not eating- requires a vet visit to make sure there aren't any health issues.
Dogs should each be able to eat in peace without another dog coming in to eat their food.
Assuming a good quality food and a healthy dog:
Put the food down; if the dog doesn't eat it, pick it up after 15-20 minutes. Offer it again in 2-3 hours; again, take it up if it isn't eaten in 15-20 minutes. Rinse and repeat as needed. When the dog is hungry, it will eat the food that is offered, and it will learn to eat when food is offered at meal time. An owner who fusses over a dog at meal time or who changes foods or who offers different food at meal time isn't doing their dog any favors. Put the food down, leave the dog alone to eat it, pick up any uneaten food very matter-of-factly. After a few times of this the dog will learn to eat when food is put down.
Dogs learn and repeat behaviors because in some way that behavior is reinforcing for the dog; in other words, a behavior only gets repeated if there is a payoff. At some point, whether in the shelter or with the previous owner- the dog learned that there is a payoff for not eating when food is first put down; it doesn't make sense to us, but it makes sense to the dog. E.g. the dog may have formed a negative association with food, so avoids food as a way of avoiding the negative consequences of food. For instance, meal times in shelters tend to be noisy and chaotic, with lots of yelling, noise, and movement; this can cause a soft or noise-phobic dog to shut down and go into avoidance/escape mode- there isn't any way to escape in a shelter though so the dog avoids the connection = the food.
Or it could be that the dog has an owner who continually offers him something different with a lot of fussing at meal time, so dog learns that if it refuses what is first offered the owner will offer something better= a different kind of stress for the dog.
Do dogs get ulcers? Sounds like that could be a problem. I realize their stomachs fully collapse when they are empty, unlike ours, and I'm wondering if there could be some issues with the stomach lining being too 'sticky'. In that case, could you feed a warm broth just before feeding a cooked chicken diet? Yeah, I know, a lot of 'ifs', but something to consider.
One of my rescues has really strange eating habits, too. Some days, he won't eat his food unless I sit on the toilet and stare at him (He eats downstairs in a room just off the bathroom). Like I said...
Seriously, I hope there's nothing physically wrong with your pup. Mine's just a weirdo but I love him.
My friend has a dog who regularly skips meals. He's taken her to vet repeatedly, because this is the first dog he's had that does not inhale anything and everything offered. The vet finds nothing wrong. She may or may not eat a treat when offered; she may or may not eat her meals. She's always friendly, loves her people, plays, etc. But is just not food motivated. On the other hand, my dog will eat anything and everything offered, and even things not offered.
So...if the vet says your dog is healthy, then it might just not be hungry...
My current dog (poodle) and last dog (part poodle) only eat if I am standing there. But some days, my current dog will eat about half the bowl and other times finish it all. Doesn't seem to matter what I give him. If I mix in treats of chicken, carrots, pieces of egg, he will eat those and only some of the kibble if it's a day he doesn't feel like eating. His weight is good and he has more than enough energy so I know he's not suffering.
Another thing to check is the dog's teeth. Could possibly be tooth or gum pain. In this case, soft food might be more appealing.
My current dog (poodle) and last dog (part poodle) only eat if I am standing there.
My dog is like this as well. His food bowl is in the kitchen, so he gets fed while I'm making dinner. He goes back and forth between me and his food, hoping I dropped something, but eventually eats all his food while I am in their cooking. Now last night, I didn't make anything for dinner, so I think it was around 10pm that I finally heard him in the kitchen eating.
Maybe have the vet check inside his mouth, just to rule that out.
When I have fosters, I do as twelvepaw says above. However, after 7 pm I don't offer again, and I only feed once a day in the afternoon (to healthy, grown dogs - pups, or sick or elderly are fed at least twice a day).
In the one stubborn foster case I offered every morning, once. Then again in the afternoon.
She was one out of I don't know how many fosters that refused food for over 48 hours that way. Day 3 she ate. Mind you this dog was OBESE, and was used to junk food, I was starting her on raw.
When I placed her, she took more than 48 hours to eat kibble again.
What makes you think your new boy should weigh 5 pounds more? I have the feeling he will start eating once he is settled 100%. In the meantime I would not fuss, nor would I add anything else to his bowl.
Once he is settled in feed him what you want for sure. Just don't make mealtime an issue now. Everyone I know who has fussed over the "amount" a dog eats has ended up with picky, fat dogs. YMMV
My Yorkie does this. It's annoying because our Aussie eats her own food right away, and if I don't watch she will eat the yorkie's. If I can't watch her, I will put the food up and try again later. Sometimes she will in fact eat it all at once, but usually it sits for a long time while she picks at it here & there. I don't know why she does it but she's always been that way. I recommend keeping an eye on the other dog to make sure she doesn't eat their food, and if you can't watch them, put the food up until you can.
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