keeps pushing food bowl away - Page 2

wolfy dog · 01-13-2013, 10:38 PM

Use a different bowl, different material in a different area. Before you put it down put something edible for you to eat in it and let him see that you eat something from the bowl. Then make him sit and wait before you allow him to eat to make him eager. Give it and leave him alone and do something to distract yourself, no attention for him whatsoever. Give him about 15 minutes to eat and remove everything after that.
I had a brief issue with WD after using an interactive feeding cube (to keep him busy) so he had learned that by pushing the cube around it would release kibble. Then he started it with his full regular bowl as well. I took it away a few times and he hasn't done it since, nor has he had the cube again. That whole thing kept me busier than him.

ankittanna87 · 01-13-2013, 11:09 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by hvtopiwala

hmm ok, ill see what happens! tough love it is...hopefully he comes around lol, not in the mood to start changing foods

Yes.. tough love is the way to go.. Dogs won't starve themselves but since he's acting pricey, I think that's the best option.. I did it with my boy yesterday.. no other treats/food except his meal.. only if he finishes his meal give him a treat (if u do infact give him a treat).. All the best, it'll take some time but he'll know that if he doesn't eat, he ain't getting squat!

hvtopiwala · 01-14-2013, 09:19 AM

yeah this morning i gave him a chance, he ate liek 1/8 of a cup and then started pushing his bowl around...i told him no, picked it up and left it on the table for a bit then put it back down, and he pushed it away again...now hes gonna have to wait till dinner. i am just hoping hes not sick or something lol

Raintheshepherd · 01-14-2013, 05:19 PM

Just give it a bit of time, if there are no obvious signs of him being sick (vomiting, excessive drooling etc) I wouldnt worry too much. I was the same when my dog started refusing food, I must admitt, she did find it difficult to pick up wet food out of her deep bowl, so I don't feed it anymore, just biscuits and raw.
Give him a little bit of time, and after a few days if he still isn't eating, I suggest vet, and trying a different food.
Just make sure he has plenty of fresh water available, and keep an eye on how much he is drinking also

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FirstTimeGSD · 01-14-2013, 05:43 PM

I am going through pretty much the same thing as you...like even to the same age dog. My dog turned 8 months two days ago. This has been happening with us since right around Xmas time. I've posted a couple different threads and really got about the same feedback as this one...tough love, take bowl away, etc. The only medical thing suggested was that it might be digestion issues but he will eat his treats in a heartbeat. My dog was on the same kibble his whole life until just last weekend when I switched to Orijen (I was feeding Natural Balance), so I think it's just a battle of wills really.

onyx'girl · 01-14-2013, 06:02 PM

One thing about the age...the dog is no longer having growth spurts as previously and the teething stage has ended. So the dog doesn't necessarily have the appetite as when growing on a daily basis.
I personally think a dog should have a rotation of good kibble, and not eat the same ol' same ol' day in and day out. That includes different proteins.
And it should start early, so the digestive system gets use to changing up.
I feed raw, though, so my opinion is probably not worth reading.

Raintheshepherd · 01-14-2013, 06:08 PM

Totally agree about the growth and teeth, definetly a battle of wills..
I mix my biscuits up, she gets a working dog mix, as well as puppy large breed mix with the biscuits. And with my raw, she gets kangaroo, beef, chicken.
It keeps her interested. She refuses too eat twice a day now, so has one big meal a day. I have tried giving her raw morning and biscuits afternoon, she will even turn her nose up at meat of a morning. So now I just give it to her in one go of an afternoon and she eats the lot. I guess all dogs are individuals.

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FirstTimeGSD · 01-14-2013, 06:29 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by onyx'girl

One thing about the age...the dog is no longer having growth spurts as previously and the teething stage has ended. So the dog doesn't necessarily have the appetite as when growing on a daily basis.
I personally think a dog should have a rotation of good kibble, and not eat the same ol' same ol' day in and day out. That includes different proteins.
And it should start early, so the digestive system gets use to changing up.
I feed raw, though, so my opinion is probably not worth reading.

That's interesting Onyx, thanks for pointing that out! That had never occurred to me. I am currently giving him 1 cup orijen and 1 cup NB twice a day, but all in all he probably eats only 1/2 to 3/4 of that amount. He is definitely not underweight but was always going to be on the smaller side of the GSD scale. I am seriously considering switching to raw, looking at options there too. Needs to make sense financially, as well as logistically though. If that decision is made I'll be blowing up that particular forum

hvtopiwala · 01-15-2013, 11:09 AM

as of right now hes only eating at dinner time and not breakfast time..he is on the underweight side too which is why i want him to gobble it all down! lol, i rotate his foods monthly between different Acana proteins (Grasslands, Ranchlands, Pacifica)....for now i will keep picking up his food if he doesnt eat it, but hopefully after a week he eats it all up, or hes really going to be under weight more!

hvtopiwala · 01-16-2013, 11:13 AM

he eats dinner but not breakfast...so shoudl i give him his entire days worth at dinner? is it safe to only feed him once per day?

01-13-2013, 10:38 PM	#11 (permalink)
wolfy dog Elite Member Join Date: Aug 2012 Location: Pacific NW Posts: 1,315	Use a different bowl, different material in a different area. Before you put it down put something edible for you to eat in it and let him see that you eat something from the bowl. Then make him sit and wait before you allow him to eat to make him eager. Give it and leave him alone and do something to distract yourself, no attention for him whatsoever. Give him about 15 minutes to eat and remove everything after that. I had a brief issue with WD after using an interactive feeding cube (to keep him busy) so he had learned that by pushing the cube around it would release kibble. Then he started it with his full regular bowl as well. I took it away a few times and he hasn't done it since, nor has he had the cube again. That whole thing kept me busier than him. __________________ To know if you are doing things right, you should be willing to trade places with your dog.

01-14-2013, 06:02 PM	#16 (permalink)
onyx'girl Crowned Member Join Date: May 2007 Location: SW, MI Posts: 21,194	One thing about the age...the dog is no longer having growth spurts as previously and the teething stage has ended. So the dog doesn't necessarily have the appetite as when growing on a daily basis. I personally think a dog should have a rotation of good kibble, and not eat the same ol' same ol' day in and day out. That includes different proteins. And it should start early, so the digestive system gets use to changing up. I feed raw, though, so my opinion is probably not worth reading. __________________ Jane~ Kept by Onyx, Kacie and Gideon v Wildhaus aka Karlo

01-14-2013, 09:19 AM	#13 (permalink)
hvtopiwala Member Join Date: Jul 2012 Posts: 114	yeah this morning i gave him a chance, he ate liek 1/8 of a cup and then started pushing his bowl around...i told him no, picked it up and left it on the table for a bit then put it back down, and he pushed it away again...now hes gonna have to wait till dinner. i am just hoping hes not sick or something lol

01-14-2013, 05:19 PM	#14 (permalink)
Raintheshepherd Member Join Date: Jan 2013 Location: Australia Posts: 85	Just give it a bit of time, if there are no obvious signs of him being sick (vomiting, excessive drooling etc) I wouldnt worry too much. I was the same when my dog started refusing food, I must admitt, she did find it difficult to pick up wet food out of her deep bowl, so I don't feed it anymore, just biscuits and raw. Give him a little bit of time, and after a few days if he still isn't eating, I suggest vet, and trying a different food. Just make sure he has plenty of fresh water available, and keep an eye on how much he is drinking also Sent from my iPhone using Petguide.com Free App

01-14-2013, 05:43 PM	#15 (permalink)
FirstTimeGSD Member Join Date: Jul 2012 Location: Austin, Tx Posts: 135	I am going through pretty much the same thing as you...like even to the same age dog. My dog turned 8 months two days ago. This has been happening with us since right around Xmas time. I've posted a couple different threads and really got about the same feedback as this one...tough love, take bowl away, etc. The only medical thing suggested was that it might be digestion issues but he will eat his treats in a heartbeat. My dog was on the same kibble his whole life until just last weekend when I switched to Orijen (I was feeding Natural Balance), so I think it's just a battle of wills really.

01-14-2013, 06:08 PM	#17 (permalink)
Raintheshepherd Member Join Date: Jan 2013 Location: Australia Posts: 85	Totally agree about the growth and teeth, definetly a battle of wills.. I mix my biscuits up, she gets a working dog mix, as well as puppy large breed mix with the biscuits. And with my raw, she gets kangaroo, beef, chicken. It keeps her interested. She refuses too eat twice a day now, so has one big meal a day. I have tried giving her raw morning and biscuits afternoon, she will even turn her nose up at meat of a morning. So now I just give it to her in one go of an afternoon and she eats the lot. I guess all dogs are individuals. Sent from my iPhone using Petguide.com Free App

01-15-2013, 11:09 AM	#19 (permalink)
hvtopiwala Member Join Date: Jul 2012 Posts: 114	as of right now hes only eating at dinner time and not breakfast time..he is on the underweight side too which is why i want him to gobble it all down! lol, i rotate his foods monthly between different Acana proteins (Grasslands, Ranchlands, Pacifica)....for now i will keep picking up his food if he doesnt eat it, but hopefully after a week he eats it all up, or hes really going to be under weight more!

01-16-2013, 11:13 AM	#20 (permalink)
hvtopiwala Member Join Date: Jul 2012 Posts: 114	he eats dinner but not breakfast...so shoudl i give him his entire days worth at dinner? is it safe to only feed him once per day?

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