Cooper's Mom
Posts:40
 |
| 10/09/2007 11:34 AM |
|
We have a 13 week old GSP puppy that we've had for 4 weeks now. His name is Kota & he is beautiful & super smart. Unfortunately, he is not interested in eating. We have tried everything. He was a great eater for the 1st week & ever since then it's been a challenge. Currently, we are smashing up his food into tiny bites. The vet recommended giving him wet food in w/ the dry but he eats the wet & not the dry. He will eat the dry if we give it to him as a "treat" or roll a piece across the floor to him as we are crushing the rest. This morning we tried chicken broth on top of the food & he licked at it for a while. We are now cooking him chicken & mixing it in w/ his food b/c he is growing so fast but not keeping up w/ calories. We had hoped that he'd be so hungry that he would eat no matter what but we are affraid that we would stunt his brain growth, etc. We are not giving him a bunch of treats during training, & have now decided not to exercise him as much as we have (3-4 walks/day, etc) b/c he is using a lot of calories. Thoughts? |
|
|
|
|
Chase
Roseville, Ca
MH
Posts:72
|
| 10/09/2007 12:03 PM |
|
| From my experience, and I could be wrong, if they are hungry they will eat. Unless he is loosing weight or acting lethargic then I wouldnt worry. When I've raised pups they seem to have gone through stages and when they hit a growth spurt they will devour whatever is put in front of them. Sometimes they seem to not eat at all. Maybe he is bluffing you hoping you may put something else better in his bowl? When I got Chase I worried too, he wouldnt eat a thing and I thought for sure he would starve to death. I finally gave up with all the tricks and just gave him plain old dry food, and he's still alive, LOL. I'm curious as to what the experts have to say. Good luck, andrea |
|
|
|
|
Ace1cappuccino
Carp Lake, Michigan
MH
Posts:1618
|
| 10/09/2007 4:52 PM |
|
| I had that problem once and I sat on the floor by the food and hand fed the pup a little. Eventually she got her appetite going and started eating. I am not an expert by far! Just a thought. Maybe it will work. Did you change the food the breeder was using? I know that sometimes that will mess them up. I always use the same food the pup was started on then go from there! |
|
Cornell's GSP'S- Mocha cappuccino, Lili Belle Lotte, Sir Leopold Vom Hunter 1, Lil Miss Lotte Doddi, Ace Hunter Twisted Mister(GSP'S)  
|
|
|
Codyboy
Ohio
MH
Posts:251
|
| 10/09/2007 5:24 PM |
|
Ace, that is funny. Our little girl boston terrier was the same way, I hand fed her also. She does eat her food now but still acts like she is to good to stick her head in the dish. I also spoiled them and added boiled chicken to there food. Sadie could (and still does when I add it) take a bite and I swear she spits the dry food right out of her mouth onto the kitchen floor. Once the good stuff is gone she will eat her dry. Oh what we do for our babies and she is going on 9 yrs.old.
|
|
|
|
|
Trey
SW Iowa
MH
Posts:516
|
| 10/09/2007 7:18 PM |
|
| I would just put the food in the bowl and leave it for 10 mins. and pick it up. I would not add anything to it, or leave it out. If you continue you will have a life long picky eater. Some dogs are not chow hounds, but they will not starve themselves. What kind of food are you feeding him? |
|
|
|
|
prairiefire
Western Wisconsin
MH
Posts:409
|
| 10/09/2007 8:34 PM |
|
Did your vet suggest that your pup's weight was a concern?
If not, I'd have to agree with Chase and Trey. Unless you're seeing changes in your pup's behavior or he's in poor condition, I wouldn't worry about it too much. Remember that GSPs as a breed don't carry a lot of extra weight and that is a good thing--less wear and tear on their joints.
I haven't had any issues with my pup. However, my son, Noah, is the human equivalent of a GSP. He's very active, skinny as they come (we call him Skeletor), and won't sit still for more than two minutes to eat anything. It took me a long while to really believe his doctor, but I began to see that he was regulating himself--eating only what he needed, and eating bigger portions only when he was in a growth spurt. He did and continues to follow a normal growth pattern.
I think that, as long as you're feeding a palatable, balanced feed and your pup isn't giving you other causes for concern, I wouldn't worry too much. When he's growing, he'll eat. |
|
|
|
|
Cooper's Mom
Posts:40
|
| 10/10/2007 10:11 AM |
|
Thank you so much for the suggestions. We know that we have to do the tough love bit but boy is it scarey. We already see ribs & hip bones, but I guess he'll eat when he needs, too.
He also acts so much differently w/ me than my husband. He jumps on me constantly, tries to chew my hair & is forever trying to put my hands or any piece of clothing that I'm wearing in to his mouth. I keep toys handy as a diversion, I've tried Bitter Apple spray, time outs, etc. He just gets this look like he's the boss of me. It's frustrating but mainly it's painful with all of the cuts I've gotten & holes in bottom of shirts, etc. |
|
|
|
|
bravepoint
North Gower, ON Canada
MH
Posts:894
|
| 10/10/2007 10:49 AM |
|
I agree with Trey on this one. Pick the food up if he doesn't eat it within 10 minutes. He'll eat when he's hungry. When you start putting yummy stuff on kibble to try to get a dog to eat, it snowballs and you have to try for even yummier stuff!
The biting issue is a different problem. I strongly recommend a puppy obedience class to all my puppy buyers. Your puppy needs to know that he is below all humans in the family in the pecking order. He's trying to dominate you. I know this has been discussed here before. Try yelping like another puppy would in a high pitched way. This worked for me. I'm no expert but others here are....
Gail |
|
Gail, Moka, Avery, Terra & Rayne
Bravepoint GSPs
|
|
|
Cooper's Mom
Posts:40
|
| 10/10/2007 11:00 AM |
|
Thanks for the tips. He actually has his last Puppy Obedience Class tomorrow night. I've yelped, I've growled, I've taken his head in my hands & lightly shook his head NO when I've said NO. Hopefully he'll grow out of it. We will be moving on to Beginner Obedience in a couple of weeks, but might need some private lessons in the interim.
|
|
|
|
|
prairiefire
Western Wisconsin
MH
Posts:409
|
| 10/10/2007 11:09 AM |
|
Wow--I know how that is! We could see 5-6 ribs and hip bones on Otto as a pup too (around 8-12 weeks). I was feeding the brand and amounts recommended by the breeder, but it just wasn't enough. I began to increase the amounts we were feeding, but finally decided to try free feeding him as he wasn't making the gains I had hoped for. After two days of inhaling his food, he leveled off--and in two weeks he was right where I would have hoped to see him. He's not heavy by any means--the last 2 ribs are just visible, but he no longer looks like a dairy cow. Though we are/were looking at essentially the same puppy, we're coming at it from different directions. Otto was tearing for the food bowl. My guess is that, after a day or two of limiting his access to food, he'll be quite thrilled with his dry kibble. Give him a little time, he'll come around!
And I'd definitely get involved in a puppy obedience class as soon as possible. The difference with Otto was night and day. For me, having specific directions, repetitions, and progressions in the exercises was enormously helpful. Plus it gave us lots of great opportunities to socialize Otto with some really nice puppies. Just make sure that you really look around for a good class! As in anything else, there are really great instructors and bad ones as well. |
|
|
|
|
prairiefire
Western Wisconsin
MH
Posts:409
|
| 10/10/2007 11:11 AM |
|
Sorry, looks like we were typing at the same time! |
|
|
|
|
unowhoandwhy
Middleofnowhere, NH
MH
Posts:1805
|
| 10/10/2007 11:12 AM |
|
Jeeze, the forum ate my post AGAIN! Let's hope that the 3rd time's the charm! ...I'm just glad I copied it before I hit the submit button this time.
Hmmm... the forum ate my reply! Let's try again...
I free feed my dogs and have never had a problem with them overeating. They have access to bowls of dry food all day & eat when they are hungry. I supplement that with a mixture of plain yogurt, broth or some other yummy, nutritous treat mixed into a small amount of dry food as a special treat once a week or so (it depends on how active we've been that week). I don't feed canned food, not since that pet food recall a while back, I'd rather be safe than sorry.
Also, have you tried a different brand of food, or even a different flavor? My Daniel turns his nose up at the Lamb & Rice flavor of any brand of dried food, but will happily eat any other flavor. |
|
Daniel Yankee Flyer - 8/2002
Lady Layla - 1/2006 |
|
|
bravepoint
North Gower, ON Canada
MH
Posts:894
|
| 10/10/2007 11:18 AM |
|
| Ask your instructor what they suggest. Can you restrain your puppy i.e. hold him donw til he relaxes or does he struggle like mad never giving in to you? Do you do the classes with him yourself? |
|
Gail, Moka, Avery, Terra & Rayne
Bravepoint GSPs
|
|
|
everbell
Kanata, ON
MH
Posts:3180
|
| 10/10/2007 12:37 PM |
|
Bo is definitely more dominant with me than with my husband. He is ALWAYS after my pony tail. I try destracting him with something more interesting when he gets in that mood... typically tho, when he gets really rough, he's overtired. TIme for a nap in the crate  |
|
Joce and Rich
Bogart and Shiraz (GSPs)
Roxane (RIP: 1995-2009) and Tiger Lily (Cats)
The Everbell Adventures |
|
|
Ace1cappuccino
Carp Lake, Michigan
MH
Posts:1618
|
| 10/10/2007 3:21 PM |
|
| Maybe that's the suppliment he wants! They are little vampires for a while. Ha Ha When mine bite on me I pinch their tongue onto the bottom jaw. Not real hard or anything but they don't like it. Much better than being a chew toy. |
|
Cornell's GSP'S- Mocha cappuccino, Lili Belle Lotte, Sir Leopold Vom Hunter 1, Lil Miss Lotte Doddi, Ace Hunter Twisted Mister(GSP'S)
|
|
|
everbell
Kanata, ON
MH
Posts:3180
|
| 10/18/2007 6:31 PM |
|
Any word on how Kota is doing? Has his appetite improved? |
|
Joce and Rich
Bogart and Shiraz (GSPs)
Roxane (RIP: 1995-2009) and Tiger Lily (Cats)
The Everbell Adventures |
|
|
Cooper's Mom
Posts:40
|
| 10/19/2007 12:15 PM |
|
What a difference changing back his food has made. We gradually switched Kota's food back to what the breeder had been feeding him & he is a champion eater now. We actually think he snorted a piece of it up his nose last evening b/c he was eating so fast & enjoying himself & then started sneezing, scratching at his nose, snorting, etc. Thanks so much for the suggestions.
I'm still struggling w/ the dominance issues he has over me. He looks at me like I'm his litter mate & I think he's put teeth mark/holes in 5 different shirts from lunging & jumping up at me. I'm trying different things & slowly I'm sure it'll help. I'm sure the neutering at 5 months (December) will help, too. He finished puppy school last month, so we are twice daily working with him on commands, etc. He will usually walk 2x in the morning w/ my husband and at least 2-3 times in the evenings with me. We try to keep him busy & out of trouble. |
|
|
|
|
prairiefire
Western Wisconsin
MH
Posts:409
|
| 10/19/2007 2:42 PM |
|
That's great news!
As far as his behavior, it does get better! Otto was a terror--we all have shirts that now have more "ventilation", but he's sooo much better now. Just keep working on the obedience stuff, be super consistent, and make him work for his praise--no freebies! I bet in a few months, he'll be a different dog.
BTW, is Kota your avatar dog? He's adorable! |
|
|
|
|
everbell
Kanata, ON
MH
Posts:3180
|
| 10/20/2007 4:32 PM |
|
I'm glad everything worked out with Kota. I know you had such heartache over Cooper!
I'm still trying to figure out how to keep a 55 lb "teenager" from humping me everytime I sit down. It's actually pretty funny 'cuz once he has me in his "death grip" good luck moving |
|
Joce and Rich
Bogart and Shiraz (GSPs)
Roxane (RIP: 1995-2009) and Tiger Lily (Cats)
The Everbell Adventures |
|
|
Ace1cappuccino
Carp Lake, Michigan
MH
Posts:1618
|
| 10/20/2007 6:41 PM |
|
| I'm glad the food has worked out for you. Glad we could help. Good luck with the holy shirts! ha ha |
|
Cornell's GSP'S- Mocha cappuccino, Lili Belle Lotte, Sir Leopold Vom Hunter 1, Lil Miss Lotte Doddi, Ace Hunter Twisted Mister(GSP'S)
|
|
|