Picky Puppy ?

[maddoxsmom]

We have had Maddox for almost 3 weeks now and have had a horrible time feeding him. Since we brought him home he has only eats about a 1/2 cup of food per day, sometimes it is even less. We consulted the vet and they said maybe switching the food, which to me is the cause of his watery stools, however we did it and have tried 3 different kinds. Right now we are feeding a special chicken blend from "3 Dog Bakery" it is suppose to be just fine for humans to eat also. He still turns his nose up and just sniffs and then goes about his business.

When one of my two year old twins drop something on the floor, he is there trying to eat it as fast as he can ( we don't let him eat it if we can help it )
He seems to want anything except dog food.

It is also real hard to train him and give him treats for good behavior, like going potty outside, because he could care less about the treat.

Does anyone have any suggestions, I am going nuts !!!!
PS: the vet said his weight gain is fine. He is 11 weeks and weighs 12.5 lbs

 

[BooBoo & Riley]

what food have you feed him in the last 3 weeks??? changing food that often will cause diahrea and watery stool... 1/2 cup seems way too little, what does the vet say about his weight and general health???

 

[kit02]

I think you need to be a little more patient Changing his food that many times in such a short period of time will most definitely cause loose stool in a puppy. He will not starve himself. So if the vet says his weigh is fine then I wouldn’t worry too much about it.
You can try adding things to his food, a lot of people to that. I know some people on here will say don’t add things to his kibble but as a half homecooker I highly recommend adding things, like a spoonful of yogurt once a day, veggies, etc. You can do a search in the feeding forum for other add-ins.
But stick to one food, don’t keep changing it right now.
When I first brought Owen home at 8 weeks, he was on all kibble, he eventually started eating it b/c he was hungry but now I homecook also and he can't get enough
Good luck.

 

[maddoxsmom]

We have been trying the same food for 2 weeks now, the first week I bought Royal Canin, then the vet suggested trying regular puppychow and adding the good food in with it, That did not work so for the last 2 weeks we have been offering him the chicken receipe from Three Dog Bakery and we have not offered anything else, I didn't think he would starve himself so I figured if he is hungry he will eat what I offer. I am concerned about the amount he eats because he is skinny ( I can see some of his ribs), but the vet says he is fine.
Any suggestions on the treats ? I do not know what else to do except the verbal praise since he does not like the treats.

 

[Shanz]

had the same problem with my puppy. She ate fine the first day (puppy chwo because thats what the breeder was feeding her) but then she got a whiff of my older dogs food (eukanuba) and she wouldnt eat her own food, kept trying to eat the older dogs. We switched to Pedigree and even tried little sample foods to see if she would eat them. Finally i found a chicken flaboured puppy food and she seems to like that (technical life stages) She still eats my older dogs food every morning.. i think it could just be she likes the biger size of food.. and i can only find tiny size puppy food.
As for watery stool.. are you gradually changing the food. or just switching all at once?

 

[kit02]

then the vet suggested trying regular puppychow and adding the good food in with it,

I would rarely take advice like that from a traditional vet, that is the worst food, but it seems you don’t feed it anyway
Try a search for The Whole Dog Journal list, or premium kibbles. You will find a lot of high quality kibble listed to try. One food which I hear a lot of dogs do well on a love is Chicken Soup for the Dog Lovers Soul. A spoonful of yogurt is good for them once a day. I've heard parmesan cheese works sprinkled on top to make them like it better.

It is pretty normal for Boxer puppies to be on the skinny side. My Owen is turning 7 months and he finally is looking like we feed him. Since I've had him I've gotten the "Do you feed your dog?" question (by idiots ) b/c he was so skinny. They go through growth spurts and can be on the skinny side until they are done growing up, then they will fill out which may not be until he's about 1.5 years or so.

What treats are you feeding now?

 

[maddoxsmom]

We are giving (trying to give) just a treat we found at the supermarket. I just remembered the name of the treats that I gave our first boxer Otis (1/04-7/04) it was Bil-Jac, I think I may try those. I put Cottage cheese (just a little) on his meals today and he really seemed to like it alot.

I know all puppies are different but it is hard not to compare Maddox with Otis, Otis was a chubby puppy and had no issues with food, so with Maddox I keep wondering if there is something wrong with him. Maybe it has a bit to do with us being scared of losing him too.

 

[basak]

A treat? What is that ?

You cannot fool Krose with treats. He does not eat them at all!!! I was about to go crazy like you about treats because it was hard to teach him anything without a prize. Then my friends here on BW suggested to find his own special treat. In my case, Krose's treat was his ball. Regular tennis ball. You can make him to whatever you want if you're holding that ball. He learned everything in a flash
I don't use his treat anymore. One hug, one good word is all he wants.

Some dogs are pickier than others. Krose sometimes still doesn't eat for a full day. Who wins the battle? He does of course:D I swear, I don't put this much thought on our food:rolleyes:
I usually mix his food with milk, yogurt, raw egg, sauce from our food, canned food, (keep in mind small amounts)

If his weight is fine, don't worry. Krose was a bit skinny when he was a baby too. He got tall so fast:D

basak

 

[kit02]

maddoxsmom - I completely understand you being paranoid after losing Otis so young, I'm sorry. I lost Finley at 8 months old and when I 1st got Owen I couldn't help do some comparing but they each are so different.
You're not doing a bad thing at all with mixing some add ins with his food, imo.
basak made a good point with finding what he really likes. Some dogs are more food motivated than others. Some do better using their favorite toys or praise, etc.

 

[maddoxsmom]

Thanks everyone for the wonderful advice, Maddox does of course win most of the battles, but I WILL win the war !!!!!!!!!!! I took him outside today and played with a ball for what seemed like forever and he loved it. I will try the ball as a treat ( his favorite toy is my 2 yrs old daughters baby doll and she won't give it up)