Un-interested in Food or Treats?

[evanb]

Evereytime I feed my pup (3 times a day) he doesnt not go right ot the food, I have to show it to him and he takes a coupel bites and then walks way? I have to keep pointing at the food until he eats more. He does not even finish a cup of food so i take away after he eats a good amount. How long should I feed the puppy 3 times a day? Should I switch to 2 so he becomes more interested?

As for treats, I have been trying to reward him with treats, but he sniffs them and doesnt really eat them. I have tried couple different kinds, I have a Science Diet for puppies treat as well as a Mother Hubbard treat for puppies

 

[boxer]

How old is your pup and what do you feed him?

Not every dog likes every food, and puppy formulas seem to be disliked more often than the adult one, so switching foods could be an option. If he's just a baby puppy, you might also find that wetting his kibble with a little warm water, so the pieces are softened, encourages him to eat.

But with all that said, pups often go through picky stages. It is related to their growth rates - they're ravenously hungry during the growth spurts when their bodies are demanding more energy, but rather uninterested in food at other times. Could be that your pup is just in one of the "down" periods, and his appetite will pick up in a couple of weeks during his next spurt.

Up until 6 months or so, I'd keep him on three meals a day if you can do it. If he just won't eat it, then there's not a lot you can do about that. But it is better for them IMO, to eat smaller more frequent meals.

 

[evanb]

Thanks for the reply -

He is 8 weeks old, the breeded was feeding him eukunuba which was softened with water and put in the fridge for a few hours. I am mixing the eukunuba with science diet and dabbling with water and then putting in the fridge. Maybe I will try not putting in the fridge so it stays warm. This a.m. he ate more then usual so that was a good sign

 

[bunkermom]

more information

Before anyone will be able to give much advice you will probably need to provide more information.

1. What kind of food are you feeding your puppy?
2. What time(s) of day are you feeding him?
3. How old is your puppy?
4. How often do you give him treats? Does he ever get anything besides treats or puppy food to eat?

Most people on this board do not suggest free feeding, and for some very good reasons. I happen to be one of the very few who actually do free feed but I keep accurate track of how much she eats in every 24 hr period. From what I have seen posted you are supposed to put down the food and direct the puppy to it. Take it up after 15-20 minutes and then they dont get fed again until the next scheduled feeding time. The theory is that they will eat when they get hungry enough. I dont agree with this, especially if you just got your puppy and he might just be unsure in his new home (hence not eating well) or he just might be not like being alone while he eats in his new home. I also realize that most people do not have the luxury of being home all the time ( I fortunately do) and cant let their dogs eat whenever they want!!

Our puppy is 13 weeks old now and for the first week we had to sit beside her every time she ate, or she wouldnt eat anything at all. One or two bites and she was coming to look for us...she just wasnt familiar with our home and was scared to be alone. After that first week I stopped sitting beside her and just stayed in the room while she ate. After a couple of days of that I have not had to be in the same room at all. Now that she is comfortable here she eats and eats and eats....no problem!!

Make sure you are feeding your puppy a high quality kibble, there are a million threads on boxerworld regarding what kibbles are best. Simply do a search and read, read, read. Also make sure you are feeding high quality treats...Mother Hubbard is great, Science Diet food is awful...I dont know about the treats.

Good Luck...I will keep watching this post to offer anymore advice I might have!

Autumn

 

[courtney323]

He is 8 weeks old, the breeded was feeding him eukunuba which was softened with water and put in the fridge for a few hours. I am mixing the eukunuba with science diet

Hi Evan -

I would do a search here, on premium kibble, as neither of those foods are very good quality (don't mean to be the bearer of bad news)

The following thread has a lot of great information on how to choose a good kibble:

www.boxerworld.com/feeding