Question about GSD behavior

[DAKDSO]

Originally Posted by doggiedad

how much does your dog weigh?? maybe
he doesn't like what you're feeding him.
you might have to switch foods several times
before you find one that he likes. why is he
being fed puppy food at 1&1/2 yrs. old???

He weighs about 55-60lbs. I am feeding him Blue Buffalo for puppies. I am feeding him puppy food because if anyone knows anything about large breeds, they are considered puppies until at least 2 years of age. Also for the fat content. I have switched his food only once and went back to what Dexter's previous owner said he liked. But his previous owner said he has always been thin.

I am going to take him to a vet to have his teeth checked. That is the last thing I can think of that would effect his eating habits.

[Gloria]

He'll probably start to fill out soon (he's in his teen years and should fill out at two years old). My girl's dad is thin as well and the breeder said she can't get him to put on weight but he's healthy and competes in Schutzhund.
As others have commented on the food, I, too, am baffled why your pup is still on puppy food. Try Orijen, Acana or EVO. My dog before Nikita had a similar issue to your's and when I asked our vet about it, he suggested putting rice in with Dakota's meals. That's what we did and also added 1/2 chicken hot dog at suppertime...and it got Dakota to eat. One time the hot dog was forgotten and the look on his face was priceless! He looked at his food, look at us, looked back at his food and back at us with "where's the hot dog?!". It was hilarious.
Nikita also gets rice in her food. When it's made for her, no salt is added and sometimes carrots are put in with the rice.

[APCURLS]

Have you tried Taste of the Wild? We have been giving this to Draco (also 1 1/2 years old) and he loves it. We give him the fowl formula because it is the highest in protein in that brand, does not contain corn flower (so good to prevent wheat allergies, I am told), and is highly recommended by our vet and others on this forum. I understand your point about him still being considered a puppy, but if he is thin, it may be best to try an adult formula high in protein so he can gain weight and put on muscle. Draco was very thin and had little muscle when we got him about 3 weeks ago. With 4 cups a day (2 in the am / 2 in the pm) he has gained almost 13 pounds!
I think what the others have posted works great - putting something extra on the dry food if only at first can help to peak the dog's interest.
Is there any treat he likes more than others? Maybe find a formula that has that protein in it (i.e. chicken vs beef)...
Have you done any searches on the forum to see if others have had similar issues? GSDs can be picky eaters. Ours is not, thankfully, but I have heard many are. It's just finding the right combo and it may be due to his adjustment.
I hope this helps!
Good luck with your pup!

[rblanshan]

I am trying to put some weight on my 1.5 yr. old female before she starts heartworm treatment. She is on the thin side, and I know her eating will probably decrease for a bit when treatment starts, so I want to get a little weight on her! I have started to feed her raw hamburger meat. I also hide her pills in a small ball of hamburger meat. For the most part, she eats all the hamburger first..but I noticed she will eat a little more of her kibble once the hamburger is gone. I also mix some canned dog food with the kibble. I like Blue Buffalo stew ones...they are easier to get the gravy all over the kibble. She definitely eats more when I add that to it. In a little over a week, she has put on a few pounds. Not a whole lot, but I would describe it as she hasn't tied her corset so tight! I will try Taste of the Wild once this huge bag of 4life is gone. I don't want to have to continue bribing her to eat her kibble, so I hope to find one she likes more. Others have suggested filling her Kong with canned dog food as a treat, I will definitely do that one once she starts treatment to keep her calm.

[doggiedad]

i know somethings about dogs but i've never fed puppy food
to a dog.

Originally Posted by DAKDSO

He weighs about 55-60lbs. I am feeding him Blue Buffalo for puppies. I am feeding him puppy food because if anyone knows anything about large breeds, they are considered puppies until at least 2 years of age.

[MaggieRoseLee]

IF you have ruled out EPI (http://www.canineepi.co.uk/howdoiknow.html) for your GSD or other vet problems.........

Many of our GSD's are very picky eaters. Just switch out to an adult Blue Buffalo and Click this -----> http://www.germanshepherds.com/forum...-want-eat.html

It's also normal for a higher drive, intelligent and now confused-in-new-home dog to pace. If I were you I'd pack the pup in the car and start doing alot of bonding/socializing/EXERCISING to help calm the dog and have it start looking to YOU as it's leader (instead of pacing around looking for it's leader).

DOG CLASSES.

There are tons of classes you can take. If I were you I'd just sign up for any good ones that start NOW. Obedience, flyball, herding, tracking, agility, whatever.