My B seems to go on and off his appetite. I don't feed him scraps, I can explain it if there is a female in season but that's not to often. I have had trouble keeping his weight up since I brought him home. The breeder said he was a good eater and I wouldn't have any trouble. Well, she just didn't know me I guess.:o
I have tried different foods, including the one she fed him. He will eat good for a while and just when he starts to look good he looses interest and slows way down on his consumption.
He's been tested for worms and seems otherwise healthy. I'm hoping it is normal adolesence he grows out of it since I plan to enter him in shows.
does anyone have any experience with this? He is just lingering at about 20lbs. he is a smallish framed b but needs to be more like 24lbs I think. at least needs to hold a good 22lbs.
those few pounds are really frustrating me.
I know you said no table food…But Sandie loves Vegtables and Fruits...This is a daily part of her intake.. Her favorites are broclie and bananas you could try adding a veggie or fruit...
This time of the year, my 2 males are getting very very picky,then I try really hard to find whatever they like (can food, meat uncook or cooked, vegetables….)as I don't want them to lose too much weight, as this situtation usually ends up only in the beginnig of january.
I've been told Agnus Castus an homeopathic remedy works quite well when the males are feeling down during season period!
My little girl gets picky sometimes. I just cut her food back a little. That seems to help. She eats at least once a day when she gets that way, so I don't worry too much. I am not used to having a smaller dog with having labradors, so this, little dog stuff is kinda new BUT the pickyness is a universal thing. I see it with my labs sometimes. One thing that is almost ALWAYS a sure thing with them eating…..sardines. :eek: With labs, we use them to keep the natural oils up in their coats. They are the highest form in omega 3's. Be sure if you use them, you get the ones in SPRING WATER, the ones in oil can actually cause them to have itchy fur (soybean oil). I use one can
$.50 @ wally world & split it between my 4 girls/twice a week or so. I just put them on top of their regular kibble with a litle water & stir. Mary gets about 1/2 a big fat sardine. There are no crumbs left on sadine night! 
She also loves apples, bananas, baby carrots, peanutbutter :p , pears, & cheese once in a while. All things my other girls can have too. I must say, peanut butter, apples & bananas are daily favorites!
Tuneysmom- My Topaz went through a no or little eating episode right after her spay surgery. The Vet put her on a prescription diet of can food and that helped. Only now she wouldn't eat any kibble..very frustrating.
So I have tried every combination possible. I got her some good can food that is organic & uses fresh meats/veggies Merrills is very good. I would probably eat it MYSELF ha but she likes it very much. I add in some kibble & soak it well & top it off with some Parmesan Cheese she seems to like it!
Then of course she gets tired of it…then I switch to coating the kibble with plain yogurt also a big hit!
She will also eat some of my home made turkey (white meat only no bones) in some home made gravy.
Yes, this dog has me prepping her personal meals LOL!!
my dog got "picky" when I was trying to find a kibble that agreed w/ him. Once I found one, I also started putting a tablespoon or so of Merrick canned food mixed in w/ the kibble… he inhaled it. Merrick is great dog food, IMO. In fact, when my bf first opened a can of their "Grammies Pot Pie" he was tempted to try it himself - it looks and smells like people food. It's full of fruits, veggies, and meats.
In fact, when my bf first opened a can of their "Grammies Pot Pie" he was tempted to try it himself - it looks and smells like people food.
ROFL this is hysterical!! I did the same thing!! I smelled & smelled but I really wanted to taste it. It's really human grade stuff. My mom actually thought that I cooked for my pooches…I'm not THAT dedicated 
IMO Merricks is great stuff better than the mush that most wet food is. And we also feed our B's their kibble Thanksgiving Dinner is my fav..um I mean my B's fav
Stormie and Nikki go wild for Merrick's canned food, too - their favorite is Cowboy Cookout and Wild Buffalo Grill. They scarf it up! I also cook for them 3 or 4 times a week to add in with their kibble -usually steak or scrambled eggs or ground turkey or boneless chicken thighs. I mix a dollop of nonfat yogurt in w/ their breakfast kibble and add in a can of Merrick's or cooked food w/ some cottage cheese for their dinner.
Where can you get Merrick's?
I know of two places here in Virginia Beach, Care-A-Lot Pets which also has an online store and Pet's Supply Plus. That probably doesn't help anyone who doesn't live here out.
Here is the link for Merrick's
I didn't see anyone mention how long the food is left out. I have read that if you leave it out for only 10 minutes, the dog "gets it" and gobbles up everything. Joey was starting to get picky so I did this and now he eats up his breakfast in no time. He went one day without much food. I guess the natural way of a dog's food consumption is to gorge as they would in nature. Never know when the next meal will come around. I also add a raw egg yolk 2x/wk to the kibble and some cooked vegis left over from our meals. I again read that in nature the dog would get vegis from eating animals that had already digested the vegi. Anyone follow me? I am trying to feed Joey as raw a diet as possible. I still have lots to learn though. Oh and I give him raw ground sirloin when we have hamburgers.
I only give mine a certain amount of time to eat…. 10/15 minutes tops, however they are all done in under 2 minutes... :-).... with the exception of my oldest girl... since she is in old age renal failure, it is a struggle to get her to eat some days and takes her longer to "get" interested... but I have never left food out...
My girl is a very picky eater and only likes one brand of dog food which just so happens to be the most expensive kind!
When we first got her the breeder also told us she loved vegtables – she HATES them! When we feed her steak and veggies she will systematically pick the steak out and leave the veggies in the dish.
I have learned a lot by going back through old threads. I was wondering what to feed and if what I was feeding was good. Beeji was being fed a dry only diet while at the vet hospital and they said he was a picky eater and wouldn't eat all his kibble at one time.
When I got him home, I used a combo of Pedigree and Purina dry but he wasn't eating very much as was losing weight and some tone. I decided to get some Purina wet food, I think I got Mighty Dog and just put a tablespoon of wet into a cup of dry and mixed it completely. Beeji attacked that bowl of food as if he hadn't eaten in days, which he really hadn't.
Now that I have read all the other threads and esp. Bryans notes on feeding, I am going to recheck the Kcals and see what wets and drys are best for Beeji.
I like Purina so will probably check on their foods first.
For treats, Beeji loves peanut butter inside his Kong, and we were given a box of I think milk bone dog bisquits from the vet so I have been giving him a couple of those per day, but want to find some other snacks that he will like.
We are having a bit of an argument (hate to say battle of wills with a Basenji LOL) about if Beeji is allowed to get up on me or the table. I say absolutely no paws on the table and so far he is accepting that, but in typical clever dog mode, he puts his paws on my leg, rises up and he isn't technically on the table, but amazingly his head and nose seem to always tilt toward my plate no matter which side he is on!!!
So now, we are working on the command off and putting him in a sit away from the table. This has just started and so the success rate isn't there yet.
However, he is trying to be a gentleman and tries to stay where he is. I am so lucky and amazed at how well he is behaving given I have no history of him at all.
He will let me handle him anywhere on his body. Lets me take food away if he is at his bowl, (we went very slowly with that one!) but he was fine. He lets me check his teeth etc.
The only thing I am finding is when he gets excited he wants to mouth me and I don't allow that. Whenever I feel teeth he gets a correction and I ignore him till he calms down. so far he is trying, but occassionally, he has to climb up in my lap and then "nibble" on my ear.
What a lover boy! but he immediately stops when I say no. then licks me.
And he loves getting in his crate at night. I usually give him just a finger full of peanut butter inside his Kong and/or a treat and he hops right in.
He must of had some training before me. Sure wish I knew his history.
Thanks for all the good advice.
Aloha,
Cheryl
