# picky eaters



## steve davis (Mar 24, 2009)

what the hell do you do for a picky eater...my dog has been a picky eater since i brought him home as a pup...i've tried literally everything. seriously....everything from changeing kibble to adding all sorts of stuff to kibble. it just drives me nuts that he so f'n skinny, runs all day, and doesnt put on the weight he needs. i've tried k9 super fuel for more cals, i've got him on native level 4 wich is a 35% protein 25% fat. the dog has more drive than some mals i've seen. its frustrateing and no i cant afford to switch to raw...what else is there to try????? starving the dog for a week?? hell im up for any suggestions


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## Guest (Dec 1, 2008)

skip a few days, then 1/2 rations...don't put all that crap trying to get him to eat, he will expect it every time after.....just deprive him....he'll get hungry eventually and will eat anything you put in front of him....LOL


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## mike suttle (Feb 19, 2008)

steve davis said:


> what the hell do you do for a picky eater...my dog has been a picky eater since i brought him home as a pup...i've tried literally everything. seriously....everything from changeing kibble to adding all sorts of stuff to kibble. it just drives me nuts that he so f'n skinny, runs all day, and doesnt put on the weight he needs. i've tried k9 super fuel for more cals, i've got him on native level 4 wich is a 35% protein 25% fat. the dog has more drive than some mals i've seen. its frustrateing and no i cant afford to switch to raw...what else is there to try????? starving the dog for a week?? hell im up for any suggestions


You may be surprised to find that feeding a raw diet could be cheaper than what you are feeding now. 
But in any event, I would not change anything, offer him food and if he does not eat it, then take it away and offer it again tomorrow, if he does not eat it then take it away and offer it again the next day, etc. By day three or four he will eat when you offer him food. 
He will not starve himself to death when there is food in front of him (as long as he is healthy)
I think by switching his food and mixing in all the other stuff you are making him a picky eater.
After a dog is in my kennel for 3 days he will always eat when I offer him food and will not leave his bowl until it is empty (as long as the dog is not sick for some reason)


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## steve davis (Mar 24, 2009)

mike suttle said:


> You may be surprised to find that feeding a raw diet could be cheaper than what you are feeding now.
> But in any event, I would not change anything, offer him food and if he does not eat it, then take it away and offer it again tomorrow, if he does not eat it then take it away and offer it again the next day, etc. By day three or four he will eat when you offer him food.
> He will not starve himself to death when there is food in front of him (as long as he is healthy)
> I think by switching his food and mixing in all the other stuff you are making him a picky eater.
> After a dog is in my kennel for 3 days he will always eat when I offer him food and will not leave his bowl until it is empty (as long as the dog is not sick for some reason)


 
what do you mean when a dog is in your kennel for 3 days?? you dont feed them for the first three days??


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## todd pavlus (Apr 30, 2008)

Raw is definately cheaper than a high grade kibble


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## andrew kurtowicz (Nov 19, 2008)

whatever you do dont change the diet..... no dog wants to die hungry just keep putting his regular kibble down at the regular time and he will eventually eat. if you add all kinds of stuff to his kibble you are conditioning him to not eat regular kibble


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## mike suttle (Feb 19, 2008)

steve davis said:


> what do you mean when a dog is in your kennel for 3 days?? you dont feed them for the first three days??


LOL, no that is not what I mean. What I mean is that when I import a dog from Holland sometimes they dont eat the first day, so I take the food away and try again the next day. By the 3rd day they will always eat. I do not ever leave food with any of my dogs for more than about 1 minute or so, the only exception is pregnant or nursing females. If a dog walks away from the food bowl even for a second, then I take the bowl away and the dog doesn't see food again until the next day.
I have never had a dog that would not eat after 3 days of being here.


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## Guest (Dec 1, 2008)

Whats wrong with if he didn't feed for three days?


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## andrew kurtowicz (Nov 19, 2008)

thats called building food drive and if i had to starve my dog for 3 day to build food drive i wouldnt feed him again...lol whats up jody hows duko


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## Guest (Dec 1, 2008)

I have an ACD I didn't feed for almost a week, and then for the last 7 months all she has gotten is what I can put in my hand in one scoop, roughly 1 cup....its not building food drive, its called A DIET!  He is fine doing great!


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## andrew kurtowicz (Nov 19, 2008)

glad to hear it


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## Guest (Dec 1, 2008)

LOL, me too after all the horror stories, he isn't that bad at all, I think he would hurt himself before anyone else...


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## Sherry Spivey (Sep 7, 2009)

Our male show line GSD, was the pickiest eater ever. I finally switched to raw and it made a huge difference for him. He literally licks his bowl now. The prescription diet the vet had offered he wouldn't touch.

If you use a ground beef you can pack on some weight. Panzer always looked like a gumby dog, you know full size from the side and thin as paper from the front. Also, oatmeal is awesome for adding weight. Most GSD's do well on oats....

I have found I actually saved money once we switched to raw. I have fewer vet bills. No more gastrointestinal problems. No more teeth problems either (as in teeth cleaning).


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## Nicole Stark (Jul 22, 2009)

Looks to me like you've gotten plenty of good advice here already but I wanted to offer a slightly different view point since you were looking for ways to get the dog to eat. If the dog is the mal in your photo gallery I'd say don't change a thing - the dog looks good. Even if he is and you still want to get him to eat then something to think about is the individual dog itself. It may not be picky, just more interested in the world, you, whatever that's going on around it. 

I had a dog who was more interested in what I was doing than eating. She was this way with everything that concerned me and would give up many of your creature comforts just to hang out, play, etc. So what I did was simply leave her alone for a short period of time and remove whatever she didn't manage to eat by the time I got back. If you're around when feeding your dog and feel that the idea of leaving him with his food jives with you, then give it a shot. If not, I'd do exactly what Mike does and forget about it.


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## Howard Gaines III (Dec 26, 2007)

IF they are hungry, they'll eat. If the dog is sick or has any medical condition, they may not eat. If the food is spoiled, may not eat. Picky...they would get over it QUICK around here. Always another dog WILLING to eat it!!!


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## Jennifer Michelson (Sep 20, 2006)

My last gsd was a pretty picky eater. I finally figured out that he would not eat until he had worked (at least been run/exercised well). So I stopped feeding him before I could get him out. He always ate after he had been exercised. Generally he at 1pm and 10 pm (I always feed 2x/day, normally morning and early evening). I also added raw hamburger to his kibble and if he didnt eat it all within 5 mins, it got dumped.


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## Kadi Thingvall (Jan 22, 2007)

steve davis said:


> what the hell do you do for a picky eater...my dog has been a picky eater since i brought him home as a pup...i've tried literally everything. seriously....everything from changeing kibble to adding all sorts of stuff to kibble. it just drives me nuts that he so f'n skinny,


 
How much does he eat in a day? IE is he really a picky eater, or is he just not eating enough to keep the weight on that you want? By that I mean a dog who is eating 3-4 cups of food might not be a picky eater just because they don't want to eat 5 or 6, but because they aren't hungry anymore, or are distracted, etc. At the same time I've had dogs that had to eat 7-8 cups of food a day to maintain weight, so on 3-4 they would look way to skinny.

You've gotten some good suggestions already. You might also try the Diamond Extreme Athlete, it's a higher fat/protein content then what you are feeding and was one of the few foods that helped my "hard keepers" gain weight. You might also try going to 2 meals a day, I did that with one of my "hard keepers" and actually had to cut back on his rations because he was getting fat. I've also had good luck adding some raw to the diet, either turkey or chicken backs or just a "chicken quarter" (it's the thigh and drumstick). I can buy those in my area for 49-59 cents a pound, so it's not that expensive. Just give the dog one per day as a seperate meal and it makes the difference for one of my dogs between being skinny (hips/spine/ribs all visible) and looking good (little hip/rib but no spine showing)


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## steve davis (Mar 24, 2009)

i tried the diamond E/A and he wouldnt touch it. i ended up haveing to sell it to a friend of mine. anywho, the dog im talking about is the light black and tan GSD. i swear he is a malinois in a GSD body. he will not eat no more than 4-5 cups at a time. i wish i could get him to eat more at times but if 4 cups keeps him looking healthy then thats great...but he wont always eat. i've done the pick it up if he doesnt eat it..i wont leave it lay for no more than 1 minute. i've done the 2 day fast...i've done the chicken broth, the super fuel, the oatmeal, i've done it all! (hmm..maybe thats the reason he is the way he is:? oh and yes, he is healthy, did blood work on him just recently.


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## Guest (Dec 1, 2008)

I'm telling you 2 day fast......not long enough....go for a few more days, don't worry, he will get hungry eventually, then only give him half of what he normally eats....

Bloodwork good, did you check for worms/parasites?

Is he getting feed or something else anywhere else? Possible? 

Hey, is he like my bitch, eating his own terds?


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## steve davis (Mar 24, 2009)

Jody Butler said:


> I'm telling you 2 day fast......not long enough....go for a few more days, don't worry, he will get hungry eventually, then only give him half of what he normally eats....
> 
> Bloodwork good, did you check for worms/parasites?
> 
> ...


 
no parasites, no other food, and no turd eating


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## Sherry Spivey (Sep 7, 2009)

If it is a GSD, did you do the TLI bloodwork for gastrointestinal? If the poops are normal you are probably alright, but I know several people who have had EPI issues. My one female has EPI the dogs are VERY skinny, even when they do eat. There are enzymes which you add to the food and it helps put weight back on the dog. If the dog is eating 4 cups of food at one sitting, that's a lot of food to not put weight on.

My female, we went through all kinds of testing. Normal bloodwork comes back normal. It is the TLI test that showed FINALLY what was wrong with her. The same thing happened to two other GSD owners. Skinny dogs, dry coats, slimy poops, stool eating, gas, sometimes vomit. You don't always get all of the symptoms, sometimes starts with just the weight.


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## steve davis (Mar 24, 2009)

Sherry Spivey said:


> If it is a GSD, did you do the TLI bloodwork for gastrointestinal? If the poops are normal you are probably alright, but I know several people who have had EPI issues. My one female has EPI the dogs are VERY skinny, even when they do eat. There are enzymes which you add to the food and it helps put weight back on the dog. If the dog is eating 4 cups of food at one sitting, that's a lot of food to not put weight on.
> 
> My female, we went through all kinds of testing. Normal bloodwork comes back normal. It is the TLI test that showed FINALLY what was wrong with her. The same thing happened to two other GSD owners. Skinny dogs, dry coats, slimy poops, stool eating, gas, sometimes vomit. You don't always get all of the symptoms, sometimes starts with just the weight.


 
poo's are firm and as "nice" and healthy as they can be. he's not backbone skinny, just thin. he's strong as hell, fast as hell, is really athletic, and off the wall drive. this is while i say i have a mal in a GSD body. i just wish he would put on some more weight. the fact is, i dont want him decideing when he is going to eat..I decide when he is going to eat. ill just keep trying by error and see what works...so far alls i have left is the suggestions other than blood work because he's healthy.


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## Jennifer Coulter (Sep 18, 2007)

steve davis said:


> poo's are firm and as "nice" and healthy as they can be. he's not backbone skinny, just thin. he's strong as hell, fast as hell, is really athletic, and off the wall drive. this is while i say i have a mal in a GSD body. i just wish he would put on some more weight. the fact is, i dont want him decideing when he is going to eat..I decide when he is going to eat. ill just keep trying by error and see what works...so far alls i have left is the suggestions other than blood work because he's healthy.


I hope I don't sound too ignorant here, I have never had a dog that didn't like to eat.

If the dog is healthy, has all the energy and strength you want, and you are not being threatened with abuse because the dog's backbones are sticking out....then perhaps the dog is meeting its caloric needs and simply is not hungry? 

Why do you want it to be heavier? Do you just want a more filled out, stronger "looking" dog?

I did not reread all the posts. Is the dog young? I know it took about 3 years for my dog's metabolism to slow a bit so I did not have to feed huge amounts to keep weight on. Maybe the dog will fill out yet over time?


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## Maddy Freemont (Sep 16, 2009)

If your dog is healthy... that's the most important thing. I know my GSD is highly picky and that when I feed her in the midst of my 2 others, she is motivated to eat as a competitive factor.


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## Maren Bell Jones (Jun 7, 2006)

Sherry Spivey said:


> If it is a GSD, did you do the TLI bloodwork for gastrointestinal? If the poops are normal you are probably alright, but I know several people who have had EPI issues. My one female has EPI the dogs are VERY skinny, even when they do eat. There are enzymes which you add to the food and it helps put weight back on the dog. If the dog is eating 4 cups of food at one sitting, that's a lot of food to not put weight on.
> 
> My female, we went through all kinds of testing. Normal bloodwork comes back normal. It is the TLI test that showed FINALLY what was wrong with her. The same thing happened to two other GSD owners. Skinny dogs, dry coats, slimy poops, stool eating, gas, sometimes vomit. You don't always get all of the symptoms, sometimes starts with just the weight.


I was reading and EPI kind of crossed my mind, especially as it is a GSD (the poster child for exocrine pancreatic insufficiency). In EPI, dogs are often very, very hungry, they just don't gain the weight and they have the slimy, fatty diarrhea (called steatorrhea, basically because the fats in the diet aren't being broken down). EPI can also be subclinical, meaning the enzymes in the pancreas are just not being produced but the dog isn't showing all the signs, or any of the signs at all. The TLI test is certainly not a bad idea for a rule out though. 

Steve, how's his muscle mass look? I realize he won't be quite filled out at his age, but that may be another indication of a problem. Have you tried something like EVO? Probably about one of the most calorie foods out there. A former dog of mine needed just 2.5 cups a day to keep in good shape. Grain free can be too rich for some dogs though, so if he likes it but has either diarrhea or gas, either back off on it or "dilute it" with a low grain food. After much experimentation, all four of my current dogs seem to do best on California Natural Herring & Sweet Potato with no EVO. Some dogs do great, some dogs don't. It's okay to be flexible, everyone's different. :wink:


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## steve davis (Mar 24, 2009)

Maren Bell Jones said:


> I was reading and EPI kind of crossed my mind, especially as it is a GSD (the poster child for exocrine pancreatic insufficiency). In EPI, dogs are often very, very hungry, they just don't gain the weight and they have the slimy, fatty diarrhea (called steatorrhea, basically because the fats in the diet aren't being broken down). EPI can also be subclinical, meaning the enzymes in the pancreas are just not being produced but the dog isn't showing all the signs, or any of the signs at all. The TLI test is certainly not a bad idea for a rule out though.
> 
> Steve, how's his muscle mass look? I realize he won't be quite filled out at his age, but that may be another indication of a problem. Have you tried something like EVO? Probably about one of the most calorie foods out there. A former dog of mine needed just 2.5 cups a day to keep in good shape. Grain free can be too rich for some dogs though, so if he likes it but has either diarrhea or gas, either back off on it or "dilute it" with a low grain food. After much experimentation, all four of my current dogs seem to do best on California Natural Herring & Sweet Potato with no EVO. Some dogs do great, some dogs don't. It's okay to be flexible, everyone's different. :wink:


 
see the problem isnt that he is skinny. the problem is is that he wont eat to put the weight on that he needs. i know a dog that has EPI and looks very malnourished. tyson has a nice muscle mass..the only bones that show are his ribs..there are times when he eats really good and then there are times when he likes to be picky and he's been on the same food for months. the times when he gets picky are when the ribs show up again. its rather frustrateing..the vet has never mentioned to me that he needs to gain weight. the only thing he has mentioned is that he wont gain it fast based on his disposition (high drive).


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## Connie Sutherland (Mar 27, 2006)

steve davis said:


> see the problem isnt that he is skinny. the problem is is that he wont eat to put the weight on that he needs...the vet has never mentioned to me that he needs to gain weight. the only thing he has mentioned is that he wont gain it fast based on his disposition (high drive).


I'm lost. He's not skinny and the vet has never said he needed to gain weight? So then what's the problem?


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## Connie Sutherland (Mar 27, 2006)

steve davis said:


> ... there are times when he likes to be picky and he's been on the same food for months. ...


IF there is a weight maintenance problem, why not vary the food? There's a lot more than one high-quality commercial food. 

And there are more reasons than interest to feed a varied diet.


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## steve davis (Mar 24, 2009)

Connie Sutherland said:


> IF there is a weight maintenance problem, why not vary the food? There's a lot more than one high-quality commercial food.
> 
> And there are more reasons than interest to feed a varied diet.


 
ok, that was worded wrong..but he still needs to gain weight. ribs are clearly visible...he just needs to gain about 10 lbs. im tired of ppl asking "why is he so skinny" or "you need to feed your dog more." yea one problem HE WONT EAT!! so this is why im asking you guys how i can get a picky eater to EAT. the vet knows how he is and knows he is too skinny but doesnt tell me that he needs to gain weight because he is healthy.


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## James Downey (Oct 27, 2008)

I Had the same problem with my first malinois. I created the problem by always offering something else, changing foods....the whole sha-bang. Finally someone told me what's for dinner is what's for dinner. if the food is good, and the dog is healthy and they do not want to eat. They need to live with the decision they make, but he menu is not changing. I gave him like 20 seconds to show interest, if he did not want to eat. Then it will be 24 hours before he sees food again.....He went an anstonshing 11 days without food. But when he finally ate, he ate like he it was last meal ever, and every meal since then. He lost a ton of weight, looked like shit...But hey he made a decision. It's just my job to offer food, not make em' eat it.


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## Guest (Dec 1, 2008)

james downey said:


> i had the same problem with my first malinois. I created the problem by always offering something else, changing foods....the whole sha-bang. Finally someone told me what's for dinner is what's for dinner. If the food is good, and the dog is healthy and they do not want to eat. They need to live with the decision they make, but he menu is not changing. I gave him like 20 seconds to show interest, if he did not want to eat. Then it will be 24 hours before he sees food again.....he went an anstonshing 11 days without food. But when he finally ate, he ate like he it was last meal ever, and every meal since then. He lost a ton of weight, looked like shit...but hey he made a decision. It's just my job to offer food, not make em' eat it.


 
amen!!


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## Anna Kasho (Jan 16, 2008)

James Downey said:


> I Had the same problem with my first malinois. I created the problem by always offering something else, changing foods....the whole sha-bang. Finally someone told me what's for dinner is what's for dinner. if the food is good, and the dog is healthy and they do not want to eat. They need to live with the decision they make, but he menu is not changing. I gave him like 20 seconds to show interest, if he did not want to eat. Then it will be 24 hours before he sees food again.....He went an anstonshing 11 days without food. But when he finally ate, he ate like he it was last meal ever, and every meal since then. He lost a ton of weight, looked like shit...But hey he made a decision. It's just my job to offer food, not make em' eat it.


I would not make a blanket statement like this. Sometimes it is not a result of a spoiled dog, I have heard a number of similar stories about pets poisoned during the melamine-contamination recalls. I know this is not your situation, but IF an apparently healthy dog who has been eating normally suddenly turns picky over the food, there may be something else going on. Just sayin'...


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## Jim Nash (Mar 30, 2006)

If the dog hasn't been checked out medically I do that first . But the best advice I've seen given so far is to continue to take the food away if they don't eat it right away . The dog will figure it out eventually . Some are more stubborn then others . Playing games with it's food just makes the problem worse .

I know Mike Suttle has dealt with a lot of dogs and I have seen quite a few come through our kennel like this . 

Even some of my "tough" fellow K9 handlers get upset when they see me take a bowl with food still in it from a new dog in our kennel . They ALL have figured out to eat it or loss it . By the way , this worked great for my youngest daughter also . Couple times of going to bed hungry worked wonders . 

As for the comments about your dog being skinny , I have gotten that with all my dogs . The vast magority of our K9 Handlers hear that also . My first K9 partner had EPI and I fed him 11-12 cups a day and he was still skinny but had plenty of energy to do the job . He could out last most of the other dogs I worked with at the time . 

My response when someone asks why my dog is so thin is ; " Because most peoples' dogs are FAT and people aren't used to seeing a working dog at the proper working weight . " . They ussually walk away with a confused look on their face . 

Good luck . My guess is barring any medically condition is it's going to be an easy fix . You just need the strength to take it's food way .


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## Bob Scott (Mar 30, 2006)

My two GSDs are fed about 4-5 ft from one another on the patio. Creates great competition and the food never last more then a couple of mins.


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## Maren Bell Jones (Jun 7, 2006)

steve davis said:


> ok, that was worded wrong..but he still needs to gain weight. ribs are clearly visible...he just needs to gain about 10 lbs. im tired of ppl asking "why is he so skinny" or "you need to feed your dog more." yea one problem HE WONT EAT!! so this is why im asking you guys how i can get a picky eater to EAT. the vet knows how he is and knows he is too skinny but doesnt tell me that he needs to gain weight because he is healthy.


Can you post some pictures or videos of your dog? Also, he's still young, yes? All dogs (assuming they are not malnourished and are on a correct diet) will reach their genetic height and weight they are "supposed" to. It's only a matter of when. It's better for his joints to reach that genetic potential later than earlier. If it takes him til he is 2.5 to 3 years to totally fill out, there is absolutely nothing wrong with that. Besides, particularly with a GSD, you want to make sure they don't get heavy before their joints can take it. There's a difference between skinny (which implies little body fat and not much muscle mass) and lean (not much body fat, but good muscling). If the muscling is fine and your vet is satisfied, I wouldn't be super concerned unless he becomes completely anorexic. Just have the scheduled meal times and have the bowl go up in between. No biggie.

Forgot to ask...what exactly are you using for training treats and how much/often?


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## James Downey (Oct 27, 2008)

Anna Kasho said:


> I would not make a blanket statement like this. Sometimes it is not a result of a spoiled dog, I have heard a number of similar stories about pets poisoned during the melamine-contamination recalls. I know this is not your situation, but IF an apparently healthy dog who has been eating normally suddenly turns picky over the food, there may be something else going on. Just sayin'...


 
I do not know if it's a blanket Statement with a qualifier in it like this....

"if the food is good, and the dog is healthy and they do not want to eat."


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## steve davis (Mar 24, 2009)

Maren Bell Jones said:


> Can you post some pictures or videos of your dog? Also, he's still young, yes? All dogs (assuming they are not malnourished and are on a correct diet) will reach their genetic height and weight they are "supposed" to. It's only a matter of when. It's better for his joints to reach that genetic potential later than earlier. If it takes him til he is 2.5 to 3 years to totally fill out, there is absolutely nothing wrong with that. Besides, particularly with a GSD, you want to make sure they don't get heavy before their joints can take it. There's a difference between skinny (which implies little body fat and not much muscle mass) and lean (not much body fat, but good muscling). If the muscling is fine and your vet is satisfied, I wouldn't be super concerned unless he becomes completely anorexic. Just have the scheduled meal times and have the bowl go up in between. No biggie.
> 
> Forgot to ask...what exactly are you using for training treats and how much/often?


i dont use training treats. the dog is almost 2 years old...training treats were gone when he was 6 months old lol. i ought to move my little GSP's crate next to my shepherds...my GSP is a total chow hound..doesnt miss a meal. i guess i never realized when i was boarding a friend of mine's GSD for a week her crate was right next to his and he ate good. (they are fed in there crates)


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## Jeff Oehlsen (Apr 7, 2006)

Unless you are seeing some outward signs of lack of nutrition, then wtf who cares ?? 

I had a GSD that didn't eat shit for the first 5 years of his life. He ate what he needed and then went about his business. The only problem that I had was OTHER people not shutting the **** up about it. He went ad visited several people's houses, as they all said they could get him to eat. The longest that lasted was about a week and a half.

When he was 5 or maybe 6 he started eating about twice as much as before, and by the time he was 7, he was eating about 6 cups a day, and had a little weight on him. He was never sick, except the day he died, which was from tumors on his spleen that burst according to the vet.


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## Connie Sutherland (Mar 27, 2006)

steve davis said:


> im asking you guys how i can get a picky eater to EAT.





Connie Sutherland said:


> .... why not vary the food? There's a lot more than one high-quality commercial food.


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## steve davis (Mar 24, 2009)

are you refering to food rotateing? if thats what your saying, i've done that. i think thats what caused the issue.


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## Nicole Stark (Jul 22, 2009)

This might just be a perception issue. It's like those skinny ass people who others think must be jamming their fingers down their throats to stay that way when they're just that way naturally. For some reason, people feel the need to comment on that. I say roll with it and leave well enough alone. 

But if you are hell bent on getting weight on this dog put him on Evo, feed him in the crate, next to somebody, and give him some time to eat. BTW, if you don't feed him more than once a day consider doing so.


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## steve davis (Mar 24, 2009)

Nicole Stark said:


> This might just be a perception issue. It's like those skinny ass people who others think must be jamming their fingers down their throats to stay that way when they're just that way naturally. For some reason, people feel the need to comment on that. I say roll with it and leave well enough alone.
> 
> But if you are hell bent on getting weight on this dog put him on Evo, feed him in the crate, next to somebody, and give him some time to eat. BTW, if you don't feed him more than once a day consider doing so.


 
i have considered feeding twice a day..i would come home to a bowl still full of food in his crate..and yes he is crated all day when im not home and he is fed in his crate.


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## Dana McMahan (Apr 5, 2006)

Ditto on a few of the other post.

-Short amount of time to eat. 5-10 minutes. Near other dogs so there is competition. Fast the dog for some days if need be (I would never fast more than 3-4 days personally because my understanding is you start changing the metabolism)

-Feed smaller meals throughout the day. When I was putting weight back on my dog after he had surgery to remove a tennis ball from his intestines, his digestion was all screwed up. So he had to eat 4-5 meals a day to put it back on.

-Experiment with texture. My Rottie bitch was a 'picky eater' until we figured out she just liked things dry. Anytime you added something that made the food more mushy, she'd turn her nose up at it. 

-Make sure the environment is low-distracting. Some dogs like the competition of other dogs....others are distracted and need to have their crate covered. 


I've experimented with a lot of things for weight gain. If the dog is not eating, that is one thing that can be fixed with 1) maturity (my bitch also got better with age and particuarly I think when she had her first cycle) and 2) fasting.

For a medical issue, like my dog had after he swallowed the tennis ball and when he was younger when he had parvo, there's very little that kept weight on the dog. He usually did best on corn-based cheap dog foods. So far I've liked his weight best on Raw mixed with Acana. I wasn't super impressed with Evo for him. Never had success with any of the weight gainers/creatine/oats/etc. Not for him at least.


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