[StellaSquash]

Nothing, do nothing, add nothing, change nothing, ignore her.

She will eat. Take the food away if she doesn't eat and wait till next feeding.

Don't give in, don't rotate.

Dogs don't get tired of foods, owners do. Why? I really don't know. I guess guilt.

How do you know that? I'm seriously asking... is there a link that says they really don't?? I've noticed the same thing in Riley, she'll ignore her food that she's been eating since we got her, but she'll keep swiping mouthfuls of Tuckers food, which is totally different (brand and flavor).

I'm going to try the switching business anyway just because I know *I* like variety, I see no reason not to offer my Riley girl some variety, provided it's not turning her stomach into a disco.

I've seen more than a few threads on here that many folks do this.. sounded like a good idea to me.

ETA: I'm also going to grab some cans of moist food and really give her a party in her bowl. Tucker always turned his nose up at it... so far Riley hasn't shared his eating habits.

 

[StellaSquash]

Because it makes no sense from a survival standpoint for an animal to get tired of a particular food. Eating problems unless there is a real medical issue causing it are created by switching foods all the time, mixing foods and using toppings.

When you change the routine, they expect you, as the pack leader to change it again and again.

It is simply ridiculous it use toppings and combinations of foods. The dog won't starve and by sticking with the routine you ensure the dog only eats enough for its caloric needs and you reinforce dominance.

It also better to stick to one food because the dog will always digest it more efficiently and you will save money and pick up less.

Same food, same time, same amount, same response....

but there's no evidence that it's harmful to change their food? If it's not hurting her, I see no reason not to offer her variety.

why is it "ridiculous" to offer different flavors of food? Is picking up poop really that difficult? I'm not trying to be snotty I'm just really trying to understand why it's ridiculous to offer my pet variety. I give her everything else under the sun.

and does 'survival standpoint' even come into play here...?? she's not living out in the wild. She's lounging like a lazy fart on my couch while my kids sit on the floor. lol

 

[StellaSquash]

Do what you want then. Keep worrying about what new flavor to offer her and keep dealing with dogs that don't eat. In my kennel, dog that don't eat go hungry until they comply with the rules.

Plain and simple.

I have a business to run outside of the dogs, kids to raise, charities to support, football games to go to, clay targets to shoot at.

The dogs do quite well and are quite happy here.

You are just wasting time and money. Try it my way for one week. The tails will be wagging and bowls licked clean and then you have time for something else.

lol. I guess it's a good thing I have ample free time since apparently it's going to be a full time job purchasing dog food.

I don't see how I'm wasting money and/or time though.. regardless what I feed them, I still have to use money to purchase the food (and based on what I saw yesterday, all the foods I checked were within the same price range) and I still have to take the time to go get the food.

I don't think doing it this way is bad and your way isn't bad either (even though you seem to imply changing is bad). *shrugs*

I've been feeding my dogs "your way" all along... they aren't all that excited about their food like you think they should be. hence my investigating changing it up.

good chat though. glad it works well for you and yours.

 

[StellaSquash]

That is because HE has YOU trained!

They are your dogs, if you want to jump thru hoops to get them to eat, that is your choice.

HOWEVER as has already been said, a HEALTHY dog will NOT starve itself.

I have had numerous dogs of different breeds over the past 40 years and I have NEVER had one that was a "picky eater". They get the kibble I choose, WHEN I choose and the amount I choose and they are GLAD for it. (When I say "I choose" that is assuming that it agrees with the dogs system. If I decided to feed something and found out that it didn't agree with the dog, I WOULD change it to something else.)

I don't think that changing flavors or even brands of kibble is a bad thing in and of itself. BUT it can lead to them getting into the habit of trying to "wait you out" if they get a kibble they don't like as well as the others.

I also don't feed ANY kinf of "topper". They eat their kibble PLAIN and DRY or they don't eat at all. I DO give my dogs other things besides kibble including "people food" and occarionally canned dog food, but it is NEVER with their meals. I keep other "yummy" things 100% seperate from meal times. That way if I run out, they don't refuse to eat their meals.

This is what I wanted to hear. (I'm getting a lot out of this thread btw, thanks to the OP for asking)..

I did some thinking and I've decided I"m not adding canned food to Riley's diet. Reading what you said there, you're right, and I didn't think of it that way. If I keep changing what she eats, she may decide she doesn't like such and such and learn that if she waits long enough, I'll find her something else.

good point.