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I have a 17 month old female and she refuses to eat her breakfast until dinner time. I have tried switching her food a few times. Currently on Victor. She is 80 lbs but very lean. She will eat the food(2cups for breakfast) eventually but I wasnt sure if it was too late in the evening to give her dinner (another 2-3cups). It would mean giving her dinner at 8pm or later. Anyone see any problem feeding her that late? She can be tricked into eating her food earlier if i add eggs or yogurt to it so im not sure if shes just being stubborn waiting for the goos stuff. Just wasnt sure if it was bad for her to eat all 4-5 cups between 6-9 pm

 

[tim_s_adams]

I feed my dog regularly at around 8pm and she doesn't have any problems. That being said, she eats her breakfast early to mid morning usually, so she's not getting 4-5 cups at once...

If my dog doesn't want breakfast I just let it go and feed dinner at the same time every evening. Missing a meal here and there won't hurt them...

 

[Malibu]

Thats a tough one to deal with because we want to see them eat and more often than not we end up adding something they like so they will eat . That usually ends up backfiring on us. I would just put down the food and if they don't eat it within 10 minutes take it away and try again later.

 

[Beau's Mom]

80 pounds is big for a female. How tall is she? How active? Can you see any of her ribs? Can you feel them easily? Maybe she’s just not hungry enough to eat.

If she doesn’t eat breakfast after 20 min, just pick it up and offer her the next meal at dinner time. If she doesn’t eat dinner, do the same - it won’t kill her to go a day without food, especially if it’s her choice. If she eats dinner and turns down breakfast again, you might just be feeding her too much, and she’s self regulating. If she misses a full day of food and still won’t eat, could still be that, but more likely something else is going on.

If she gets too skinny but still won’t eat, talk to your vet.

 

[car2ner]

It may be summer heat. My big-boy has been turning his nose up for breakfast the past few weeks. Not every day but enough to make me wonder what is going on. I pick it up and put it away until dinner. I don't make dinner any bigger. So it might be heat. He might be bored with kibble. So long as he keeps a normal weight I wouldn't worry.

 

[Springbrz]

My girl (5.5 yrs) stopped eating breakfast when she was around 2. She just doesn't like to eat in the morning. She eats dinner usually after her evening walk that's between 4-7 pm depending on the season. Sometimes she eats it all. Sometimes not. If she doesn't eat it all she usually wants food around 11-12 pm (yes I'm awake). In the morning she asks for a few treats and that's it. If I offer a meal she will take herself to bed in refusal. I don't argue with her over it. It's just how she likes to eat. Occasionally, if she has meal missed a meal for whatever reason she will want breakfast and she gets it, but it's not often. My dog is raw fed and have never had an issue with her eating a 1.5 lbs of food in one sitting but kibble is different. Some dogs just prefer to eat once a day. Like others have said, maybe she is getting to much food. If you really want or need to feed her twice a day you might try reducing the amount of food you feed at dinner to 1.5-2 cups and see of she is hungry in the morning.

 

[Nurse Bishop]

At about the same age as your dog my Inga started not finishing her meals. So I cut her back from 5 cups a day to 4. She is pretty much done growing and does not need that much food. Her waist has a nice tuck and she is fit and shiny. Your dog might be holding out for goodies. What I do is take about a tablespoon full of ground canned food, mash it up with a little water and make a gravy, then mix in 2 cups of kibble- twice a day. She Engulfs and Devours. Other treat foods such as leftover scrambles eggs or whatever are casually left in her bowl for her to find, not associated with feeding times.

 

[andywhite]

I got my GSD at 8 weeks, now she is 10 months. Since day 1 she refused to eat before 4 - 5 pm.

I even stopped offering her food during the day altogether, as it's just a waste of food.

However between 5 pm - midnight she would be able to eat an entire horse! I don't know what does it mean, I just go with it... .

 

[car2ner]

At about the same age as your dog my Inga started not finishing her meals. So I cut her back from 5 cups a day to 4. She is pretty much done growing and does not need that much food. Her waist has a nice tuck and she is fit and shiny. Your dog might be holding out for goodies. What I do is take about a tablespoon full of ground canned food, mash it up with a little water and make a gravy, then mix in 2 cups of kibble- twice a day. She Engulfs and Devours. Other treat foods such as leftover scrambles eggs or whatever are casually left in her bowl for her to find, not associated with feeding times.

I do a similar thing, but offer an egg in the morning. The bit of canned at night. I would leave scraps as something to discover, but my dogs are almost never surprised...You must be very stealthy with those goodies.

 

[Nurse Bishop]

Inga is not allowed to beg or stare when people are eating or preparing food. Its a pack order thing. But she knows the tooth fairy does not leave those highly prized items in her bowl. Its funny, as soon as the plates and forks come out she goes into her kennel without being told.

 

[car2ner]

I do let mine watch while I am preparing food. We have a "yummy spot". If they are sitting in that particular spot they MIGHT get a treat. If they get a treat that is the only place they will be given one. Unless my husband opens the fridge (open head shake here). Luckily those fridge treats seldom come more than one a day, if that.

 

[tc68]

Maybe go for a short 15-20 minute walk before you feed it? Some dogs may need a little work or "waking up" time before eating. I don't know. My old guy wouldn't eat breakfast in the summers, but once it got cooler, he'd gobble it up. In the summers, I'd "bribe" him with either shredded chicken and a little broth or like someone above said, a tablespoon of canned food - the stinkier ones the better.