I Have An Odd Dog

[nomrbddgs]

It may take a few days for him to figure out that the treats are not forthcoming with the frequency that they were. Basenji's are masters of manipulation.:eek:

[Barklessdog]

My kids did the same thing after I went to the Candy Convention and brought home bags of candy. All they would eat was candy. Unless he is sick he wont starve himself to death. But stick to one food at a time.

[lvoss]

Another factor is that it is breeding season and some males lose their appetite during this time of year even if they are not around girls. They just have their minds on something other than food.

[tanza]

@lvoss:

Another factor is that it is breeding season and some males lose their appetite during this time of year even if they are not around girls. They just have their minds on something other than food.

Exactly… that is what I would say too... And believe me... if they are hungry they will eat.... I went through that with my male and he had a horrible appetite until he was about 4yrs old... however I never gave in.... he either ate or he did, his choice... I did not change food, I did not do anything special (I did make sure it was good food, however).... and when he was 4.. everything changed and from then on he ate like a horse!!!! and ate everything that was put in front of him....

[tanza]

@Vanessa626:

Getting Chance to eat his meals daily really takes a lot of effort on my part. In the beginning dry food was fine. Now he hates dry food so I decided to mix wet food in with the dry and he loved it (for a short while) NOW he dislikes what I am giving him. Who would of thought a Basenji gets tired of the same old food on a daily basis :rolleyes:
He will only take a bite or two of breakfast and then we don’t feed him till dinner time. Then at dinnertime he just looks at his food as if to tell me…"are you serious...I have to eat this??" Yah...thats the expression he gives me.
I am starting to worry. Not eating in 2 days isn't healthy. He is active (when I peal him off the couch), will eat treats and seems fine. What am I supposed to do? I have been told that eventually he will get hungry and eat but I don't like this.

People who do not own a Basenji tease me telling me how I pamper my pup and cater to his meals. Little do they know that If I don't, I'll have lovely stains all over my carpet from puke. :rolleyes: Am I supposed to design a menu and serve him something different everyday? Ummmm...now I sound crazy. I guess owning a Basenji is like having a kid. At least when he turns 16 he won't be asking for the keys to the car :p Instead, he will just hide the keys from me!

By the way… the fact that he "eats" treat is the key that he is yanking your chain

[Vanessa]

@tanza:

Exactly… that is what I would say too... And believe me... if they are hungry they will eat.... I went through that with my male and he had a horrible appetite until he was about 4yrs old... however I never gave in.... he either ate or he did, his choice... I did not change food, I did not do anything special (I did make sure it was good food, however).... and when he was 4.. everything changed and from then on he ate like a horse!!!! and ate everything that was put in front of him....

Good Point Pat and Lisa. I swear…this time of month really gets annoying :rolleyes:
I'll stop giving him treats to compensate for not eating. He can just deal with it. (muahahahahah)
I guess your right...he is really working me! Smart lil' devil!
This is where I apparently need to slap myself in the head and say "duh" I just got outsmarted by my dog.

[Barklessdog]

This is where I apparently need to slap myself in the head and say "duh" I just got outsmarted by my dog

Get used to it, they are constantly plotting how to get their way or get you on their agenda. The older they get the better they get at it.

[Vanessa]

@Barklessdog:

Get used to it, they are constantly plotting how to get their way or get you on their agenda. The older they get the better they get at it.

Hahahahaha!

[MacPack]

A dear friend said to me many years ago, when I was struggling with a new basenji puppy, "First you have to be smarter than the dog". I knew which of us was smarter, so I gave up! She was a great pack leader.

Anne in Tampa

[phoenix3]

Mine will get picky once and a while and i put Baby food in it i mix the dry and baby food { chicken or beef} and they LOVE IT they would eat anything with baby food in it lol I usually only have to do it for a few days and then they are fine to switch back to there normal

[tanza]

@phoenix3:

Mine will get picky once and a while and i put Baby food in it i mix the dry and baby food { chicken or beef} and they LOVE IT they would eat anything with baby food in it lol I usually only have to do it for a few days and then they are fine to switch back to there normal

Yes, usually baby food will get them to eat… point here is it is not necessary... if they are hungry they will eat... only change to that is a sick or elder dog... then anything that works should be used

I am a firm, very firm believer that if you baby your dog into eating you will never ever develope a dog that has good eating habits... and therefore.. if they are sick you will never know if really not eating because there is something going on or if they are "yanking" your chain...

[phoenix3]

@tanza:

Yes, usually baby food will get them to eat… point here is it is not necessary... if they are hungry they will eat... only change to that is a sick or elder dog... then anything that works should be used

I am a firm, very firm believer that if you baby your dog into eating you will never ever develope a dog that has good eating habits... and therefore.. if they are sick you will never know if really not eating because there is something going on or if they are "yanking" your chain...

I think sometimes it depends on where u live and how ur dogs are for intance mine usually have no problem eating but when it's summer here and hot and muggy they usally don't eat very much that's when the vet suggested putting alittle baby food in it to get them to eat alittle more when it's hot and they just want to sleep all day i don't mind when its just a day or 2 and they don't eat to much but when it's a heatwave and they really don't want to eat alll week that's when i would put the baby food in it to help them out alittle works like i charm i understand where there coming from who likes to eat when it's really really hot and muggy out but they need something in them

[Quercus]

@Vanessa626:

Getting Chance to eat his meals daily really takes a lot of effort on my part. In the beginning dry food was fine. Now he hates dry food so I decided to mix wet food in with the dry and he loved it (for a short while) NOW he dislikes what I am giving him. Who would of thought a Basenji gets tired of the same old food on a daily basis :rolleyes:
He will only take a bite or two of breakfast and then we don’t feed him till dinner time. Then at dinnertime he just looks at his food as if to tell me…"are you serious...I have to eat this??" Yah...thats the expression he gives me.
I am starting to worry. Not eating in 2 days isn't healthy. He is active (when I peal him off the couch), will eat treats and seems fine. What am I supposed to do? I have been told that eventually he will get hungry and eat but I don't like this.

People who do not own a Basenji tease me telling me how I pamper my pup and cater to his meals. Little do they know that If I don't, I'll have lovely stains all over my carpet from puke. :rolleyes: Am I supposed to design a menu and serve him something different everyday? Ummmm...now I sound crazy. I guess owning a Basenji is like having a kid. At least when he turns 16 he won't be asking for the keys to the car :p Instead, he will just hide the keys from me!

He is SOOO playing you! Querk was like this as a pup….skinny, skinny, skinny...didn't care about eating. I was worried; particularly because he was a show dog. Everyone told me to just wait him out....and I finally said fine, eat or don't eat, I would give him about 30 minutes to eat what he wanted and then the food would go away until the next meal...he started eating. I had to hand feed him when we were on the road for about a year...but I refused to add stuff to his food, or feed him extras.

[Quercus]

@tanza:

Exactly… that is what I would say too... And believe me... if they are hungry they will eat.... I went through that with my male and he had a horrible appetite until he was about 4yrs old... however I never gave in.... he either ate or he did, his choice... I did not change food, I did not do anything special (I did make sure it was good food, however).... and when he was 4.. everything changed and from then on he ate like a horse!!!! and ate everything that was put in front of him....

Oh, and I ditto this. Pat was one of the ones who told me 'he will eat when he is hungry'…and she was sooo right

[Vanessa]

Yes Quercus you are soooooo right! He was playing me like the fool that I am because Basenji's believe that they are far superior than us.
Well…I finally put my foot down and decided that I will no longer cater to his needs. He is a dog and dogs eat dog food....Period! If you dont want it than starve. (ok...im not really this mean) but I got that in my head and it has worked. Now he knows that this is it. He is eating again.

[NullaBasenji]

When I mix wet and dry foods my dog will sniff through the dry stuff and scarf up the wet stuff. Then we are left with a half a bowl of dry slobbery dog food that we are forced to waste. Believe me, we are not feeding crappy quality food either. Its frustrating!

[BaMica]

Mica has been through so many changes in her eating habits, I cant keep track of it, or so it seems. I have had her turn her nose up at iams, merrick, evo, raw diet, and I have stopped the many treats, but I now have her eating dry purina, and partial wet canned dog food and she changed the product on that, too. Shell eat rice that I cook her also. She seems to like the canned chicken flavors esp the little gravy thighs, and canned duck, too. Ive tried cooking vegetables and that seems to work, as that is in the experimental stage, hand feeding her sometimes, and we eat dinner or breakfast at the same time, sometimes, too. She gets yoghurt, too. It seems to be that you have to work at feeding this little creature. But I think variety is the thing. I like to think if I were a wild animal, wouldnt I like variety and be choosy on the diet I could find? She eats the crab grass with a ravenous pleasure. After we go for long walks and play time at the dog park, she gets a big treat, or a bully with a find it game, sometimes. She also gets kongs with peanut butter and a bully stuck in it, frozen if there is time and of course, the never ending treat jar at the top of the bed. It is a constant watch, how is she eating game. But than, I worry about her, too. I know, someone may add that I cater to her taste pleasures, but than, I am rewarded by a constant, endless shadow in my presence and she is an amazing animal to watch that rewards me with an unmatched friendship. I can move and she will wake up from a sleep and follow me. But I think she likes variety and a challenge.
BaMicas mom

[Robin_n_Jack]

Jack goes through phases where he won't eat too. I call it his anorexic phase. I started adding water to his food and he has started eating it all in one sitting. If that is all it takes, fine by me.

[LiveWWSD]

I must be really lucky with both the kids. I have never had them refuse their meals. Well that is not totally true. Part of changing over to a Raw diet for charlie was that he had so many grain alergies that he would actualy starve himself rather than eat. He would refuse both food and treats. He would go so long without food that he would just puke EVERYWHERE. Zaire has never been a picky eater. Her breader said she was bad about concentrating on eating and to crate her while eating, but from the first day a brought her home I have never had a problem. With them both on a raw diet they get alot more variety than they would with kibble. (I don't know about all of you, but I couldn't eat the same dried food every day of my life).

[youngandtired]

My Sahara is a picky eater too, she likes her variety. She likes Merrick's dry, mixed with Merrick's wet but I give her different kinds of Merrick's. Like chicken, lamb, vension, turkey, she is sooooo spoiled I know as well. There are days she doesn't eat well at all, but I just leave it until she does. If she doesn't eat it by the end of the day I have to throw it out, which makes me mad b\c Merrick is NOT cheap. She has never been a big eater though so I try not to worry to much, she is slim and muscular and that's the way I think she should look, I don't want her over 25 lbs. which she weighs now. PERFECT!