She thinks she is going to be a free- feeder

[Dooney's Mom]

So the past few days Dooney hasn't been eating her breakfast in the morning (DH feeds her about 30 minutes after he gets up) she waits to eat it until RIGHT before I walk out the door to go to work.

I don't want her thinking she can just eat whenever she wants or that her food will be out for her all day, she used to be really good about eating within 15 minutes. She did this last night as well. So I picked the food up after about 15 minutes and told DH to give it to her in another hour or so-wait 15 then see if she eats (which she did).

Just want to make sure I am handling this right or if any other suggestions.

Thanks!

[Dooney's Mom]

she is 8 1/2 months old btw

[msvette2u]

I'd pick it up after 15min., and then she won't see it again until next feeding.

Do that...or get another dog

[ChancetheGSD]

I'd feed her twice a day, once in the morning and once at night. No hour later if she doesn't eat. If it's not consumed when you put it down the first time, it's not put back down until the next meal. She'll learn to eat when it's given to her. But this also means NO treats between meals too.

Eevee isn't big on breakfast either though, a lot of dogs aren't. :/ Some days she eats, others she doesn't. I notice she eats it fairly quickly during growth spurts and barely eats if at all in the mornings when she's not. She ALWAYS inhales her dinner though, regardless if she ate in the morning or not.

[Scarlettsmom]

Originally Posted by ChancetheGSD

I'd feed her twice a day, once in the morning and once at night. No hour later if she doesn't eat. If it's not consumed when you put it down the first time, it's not put back down until the next meal. She'll learn to eat when it's given to her. But this also means NO treats between meals too.

Eevee isn't big on breakfast either though, a lot of dogs aren't. :/ Some days she eats, others she doesn't. I notice she eats it fairly quickly during growth spurts and barely eats if at all in the mornings when she's not. She ALWAYS inhales her dinner though, regardless if she ate in the morning or not.

That's what Scarlett does. She looks at the food in the dish like I spit on it or something. If she hasn't eaten it in a few minutes after I put it down, I KNOW she isn't planning on breakfast. I pick it up and throw it out. By dog dinner time, her stomach is ggrrrooowwwllllinnnnggg SO loudly! She seems to like if I add the fishoil to both dinner and breakfast.

[doggiedad]

what time do you feed her in the am
and what time do you feed her in the pm??
how much are you feeding her at each meal?
is she getting a snack during the day?
maybe she's not hungry. hopefully she still
likes what you're feeding.

[Dooney's Mom]

Feed her around 6:30 am- a kong with some yogurt or PB during the day and then dinner around 6- 2 cups of TOTW at each feeding.

DH and I were talking and it seems like she did this last time we got to the bottom of the dog food bag. Our cat is obsessed with a "fresh" bag of food and I am wondering if she is doing the same thing. I am getting a new bag tomorrow- I will watch again towards the end of THIS bag and see if the same thing happens again.

If we do skip Breakfast- do I still just give her 2 cups at dinner, or give her 4?

[BlackGSD]

If she skips a meal, I would NOT fed her double the next meal. I would just give her the normal amount. Maybe she is just getting to much total food a day. Siren weighs 70+ lbs and only eats 2 2/3 cups of TOTW per DAY total. I should say she only NEEDS that amount, she would gladly ready more, but she would get fat.

[KZoppa]

If she doesnt eat the meal when its placed out for her, it gets removed and THATS what she gets next meal. Plain and simple. by doing what she's doing, you're allowing her to control the food situation and that can lead to other problems. If she doesnt eat her meal in the alloted 15 minutes, thats it until next meal time. No hour later stuff.

If she's doing this because you're at the bottom of the bag, if you're not already, you should be keeping it in a sealed, air tight container to keep it fresh. Even dog food goes stale. I dont know about you, but i dont appreciate eating stale cookies, chips or crackers... would you?

Dont let her control the situation.

[Dooney's Mom]

Originally Posted by KZoppa

If she doesnt eat the meal when its placed out for her, it gets removed and THATS what she gets next meal. Plain and simple. by doing what she's doing, you're allowing her to control the food situation and that can lead to other problems. If she doesnt eat her meal in the alloted 15 minutes, thats it until next meal time. No hour later stuff.

If she's doing this because you're at the bottom of the bag, if you're not already, you should be keeping it in a sealed, air tight container to keep it fresh. Even dog food goes stale. I dont know about you, but i dont appreciate eating stale cookies, chips or crackers... would you?

Dont let her control the situation.

we do keep it sealed This has only happened for the past 2 mornings, so I definately wanted to nip it in the bud.

I will try cutting back on her food a little bit as well- I was feeding the amount indicated on the bag. Her weight has been good.

thanks everyone!