Why won't he eat?

[jprechel]

Okay, so I'm wondering if I ruined Ace's feeding habits and hoping someone will have a great solution to my issue! When we first got Ace back in April he would eat fairly well. We put him in puppy classes and started with the treat training and still he would eat decently. Slowly but surely, Ace started to eat less and less of his food. We would pick it up and wait until the next feeding instead of leaving it out. When it came time to eat again he would hardly nibble. So we switched him to a better puppy food that had lamb and rice. And we started to give him better training treats like cheese and peanut butter and vitamins for more protien. (got those ideas from other threads and great responses)

Ace finished puppy classes in June and he does not get the amount of treats he used to. But now he hardly eats at all. We have tried using his food as his training treats. That works but we hate to have to do that every day. He just wont eat his food. It has gotten to the point that I will hand feed him (my hubby tells me I'm crazy and should stop) just so I know he is eating. Ace will literally not touch the food in his bowl but if I put my hand in the bowl and pick out some food he will eat it from my palm. (I know that is probably a very bad thing but I am a worried momma and want to know he is getting nourishing food.)

We know Ace is healthy because he is growing and he has meat on his bones. Plus I still make it a point to give him cheese and peanut butter. Ace will do ANYTHING for cheese and peanut butter and he eats it like he is starving! So why is it he won't eat his kibble? And did I ruin him by starting to feed him by hand? I just want to understand his weird eating habits (or lack there of) and know how to fix them. We would like to see him eating normally from his bowl and enjoying his puppy food. I hope this makes sense and I won't be looked upon as an over concerned mommy!

[Corgis'R4me]

Originally Posted by jprechel

Okay, so I'm wondering if I ruined Ace's feeding habits and hoping someone will have a great solution to my issue! When we first got Ace back in April he would eat fairly well. We put him in puppy classes and started with the treat training and still he would eat decently. Slowly but surely, Ace started to eat less and less of his food. We would pick it up and wait until the next feeding instead of leaving it out. When it came time to eat again he would hardly nibble. So we switched him to a better puppy food that had lamb and rice. And we started to give him better training treats like cheese and peanut butter and vitamins for more protien. (got those ideas from other threads and great responses)

Ace finished puppy classes in June and he does not get the amount of treats he used to. But now he hardly eats at all. We have tried using his food as his training treats. That works but we hate to have to do that every day. He just wont eat his food. It has gotten to the point that I will hand feed him (my hubby tells me I'm crazy and should stop) just so I know he is eating. Ace will literally not touch the food in his bowl but if I put my hand in the bowl and pick out some food he will eat it from my palm. (I know that is probably a very bad thing but I am a worried momma and want to know he is getting nourishing food.)

We know Ace is healthy because he is growing and he has meat on his bones. Plus I still make it a point to give him cheese and peanut butter. Ace will do ANYTHING for cheese and peanut butter and he eats it like he is starving! So why is it he won't eat his kibble? And did I ruin him by starting to feed him by hand? I just want to understand his weird eating habits (or lack there of) and know how to fix them. We would like to see him eating normally from his bowl and enjoying his puppy food. I hope this makes sense and I won't be looked upon as an over concerned mommy!

************************************************** ************
*~* Sunshine is a pretty slow going eater...where as Midnight wolfs it down everytime.

I have had to actually say to Sunshine, "Eat...Sunshine, EAT". Then, I go over to Midnight and say, "Good girl, Midnight....eat". I wait for Sunshine to either eat or walk away...then, I bring Sunshine back over to her bowl and say, "Sunshine...come on..EAT".

Sometimes...Sunshine will not even want to eat in the afternoon.
Sometimes she will eat only half of her portion in the afternoon.

She has alot of energy and I DO NOT give her any table scraps. She only gets yougart and baby carrots every morning....then the only, "cookies" she gets are twice/a/day.

My girls are NOT in any classes...yet...yet. I have been training them at home to, "sit", "stay", "come", "lay down", "roll over"...etc. I use praise...that's it !! No treats or cookies.

Sunshine just doesn't eat very much....and doesn't seem too hungry at meal times.


*~* Nikki

[Corgis'R4me]

*~* I just realized...that you mentioned that he WAS eating better on the previous food ??

When you switch over FROM a food that may have a few fillers and by~products in it...TO a premium food...some dogs have upset tummies over the change.

While they may eat better....seem MORE excited about their previous food...in REALITY...there is just better nutrition in a Premium Pet Food.

You are supposed to MIX the 2 food together.

Did you mix the previous food WITH the new lamb & rice brand that he is eating now ?

*~* Nikki

[Scotchyroo]

Sorry to jump in all over the place being new, but my little Pete just can't eat unless he feels totally safe. I had to feed him his kibble by hand for two years. His nerves were just really really bad from being a puppy mill puppy, taken away from his mother too young, or just being his corgi self.
That might be conjecture, but Pete is just not motivated by food, he's a lover (this is strange for corgis, i think, who love to eat in general). I found that if I put Pete in the bathroom away from children, other dogs and whatever, he'll eat quite nicely for me. Otherwise, he'd just starve. I'd try feeding him in a quiet, seperate place and see if that works.

[Corgis'R4me]

Originally Posted by Scotchyroo

Sorry to jump in all over the place being new, but my little Pete just can't eat unless he feels totally safe. I had to feed him his kibble by hand for two years. His nerves were just really really bad from being a puppy mill puppy, taken away from his mother too young, or just being his corgi self.
That might be conjecture, but Pete is just not motivated by food, he's a lover (this is strange for corgis, i think, who love to eat in general). I found that if I put Pete in the bathroom away from children, other dogs and whatever, he'll eat quite nicely for me. Otherwise, he'd just starve. I'd try feeding him in a quiet, seperate place and see if that works.

************************************************** ***********
*~* Pete cannot TELL you what he has endured at the puppymill (how sad..) all he can do is express himself through his body language. He is lucky that you found eachother...and that you are so very patient & compassionate with him ! IF...he needs you to help him be calm to eat...then, that's all that you can do for him. That is NORMAL...for Pete.
It is what he, personally, needs.

Maybe, he will ALWAYS need the security of the bathroom to feel calm enough to eat. That's okay...that is what he NEEDS.

Like I said...he is fortunate & lucky to have you !!
His little Corgi kisses tell you haw much you are LOVED by him.

** I have to feed my 2 girl in separate rooms....because Sunshine just doesn't eat as fast or as much as Midnight. NOW...Midnight will respond to just my words, "Midnight...LEAVE IT"..."Sunshine's food"..."NOT YOURS".
IF...Midnight starts walking over towards Sunshine's bowl...anyone in my family can simply say, "Midnight" ! Just by saying her NAME...she will walk in the other direction ! She KNOWS...what we mean ! She KNOWS what we want. She is soooooooooooo smart !

I called my VET and asked her if I should take Sunshine in...to see if there was something wrong with her.....why she doesn't eat much. My VET is also my neighbor ! My VET sees Midnight & Sunshine almost everyday when I walk them past her house. My VET told me that Sunshine's appitite is just NORMAL for her. She actually told me to put LESS food in Sunshine's bowl because she is not consistantlly eating her set portions. I give BOTH Midnight & Sunshine only 1/2 cup of Nutro Ultra Adult Food twice/a/day.
Sunshine hardly ever eats the whole bowl. My VET told me that...her appetite is just different than Midnight. She is just not as hungry.

Every DOG is different ? I guess...


*~* Nikki

[Michael Romanos]

Jim - my simple solution is get out of dry dog food - kibble - and into fresh or fresh from frozen meat (cooked and uncooked as appropriate) and fresh veggies(that are recommended), small portions of boiled brown unsalted rice, a few recommended pieces of fruit, real quality wet meat such as dog roll and canned meat - and your Ace might regain an appetite for food.

One Corgi I had many years ago took to liking cooked meat so much that he refused to eat raw meat for a couple of years or so until his son arrived on the scene. He was also a fussy eater in other ways but as soon as competition arrived, he was into almost everything in his plate just like a normal hungry dog.

[glencorgi]

Originally Posted by jprechel

We know Ace is healthy because he is growing and he has meat on his bones. Plus I still make it a point to give him cheese and peanut butter. Ace will do ANYTHING for cheese and peanut butter and he eats it like he is starving! So why is it he won't eat his kibble? And did I ruin him by starting to feed him by hand? I just want to understand his weird eating habits (or lack there of) and know how to fix them. We would like to see him eating normally from his bowl and enjoying his puppy food. I hope this makes sense and I won't be looked upon as an over concerned mommy!

Yep Bethany, you've ruined your dog - I'm on my way to "save" him now. Key here is that he's growing and is at a healthy weight. The answer to why he isn't eating his kibble is that he knows he's going to get peanut butter and cheese and he's holding out for that. You're going to have to get the strength of steel and be tough. No more peanut butter and cheese for a while - only use them for special training rewards. Put his food down at meal time, leave it 10 - 15 minutes and if he doesn't eat, then pick it up and don't give him anything else until the next feeding. When he figures out the cheese and peanut butter isn't going to be coming, the food will look start to look a lot better. I know this is going to be hard on you (one of those t-shirts in my closet ), but as my friend Millie of Kallista Corgis says; a pile of corgi bones has yet to be found lying next to a full dish of food.

Be strong! You can do it!

Debbie

[darci]

LOL...... @ the pile of cogi bones.....

Great advice Debbie.

I have 2 absolute chow hounds here, never met a food or meal they didnt like.

[corgimom]

Deb,

I loved your advice; it is sort of like toddlers who are "testing the waters" to see what they can get away with. Sitting at the table not wanting their food and then mom and dad give them something they do like because they are worried that they won't eat- I think I might have done that years ago

I remember when we first got Cody, the breeder had him on the somewhat "barf" diet and I did not plan on continuing that; at times, I had to hand feed him because he would just sit and stare at the bowl. Sometimes I had to sit on the floor with him and lay the morsels in front of him to get him to eat. It all worked out though and I was relieved that it did.

He still gets his dry morsels, but I do give him plain yogurt, cottage cheese, fruit and some veggies also on various days.

Jim and Bethany,

I agree with Deb. I don't think Ace will starve himself and I think he will realize after a couple days of withholding those yummy cheese treats, whats put in his bowl looks very good afterall.

[Robby1974]

Rhys is the same way with his eating. We have a good quality dry food that we use and Rhys likes it but much prefers to eat out of Jeff or I's hand. This is a VERY good practice for a Corgi puppy as it ensures the Corgi that you are "allowed" to have your hand anywhere near his mouth while he/she is eating. Rhys also has exibited behavior where he will take food in his mouth and walk away and hide in the dining room under our bar to eat. We have discouraged this by petting him while he eats. Jeff and I also use a food called Bil-Jac for treats. It is sold frozen at most pet stores in America and must be kept refrigerated. Rhys absolutely LOVES this food and it has done wonders for his digestion and health. (already up to 10 lbs in 4 weeks) We use the Bil-Jac for treats and also for administering meds if needed (bil-jac has a soft putty texture). It's basically beef with grains and protien added and I have heard wonderful things from vets and breeders alike about that food. Might want to try that. A lot of people use just bil-jac for food but we like to use both.

[darci]

Our Petco sells bil-jac kibble but not frozen.
I have yet to find any stores near me that sell frozen, will keep looking.

I would like to Natures Variety frozen if I ever find it.