Finicky Newfie

[Rebecca]

Our three-year-old wavers between really wanting his meal to having to be coaxed to eat. I use a salmon sweet potato from Costco and we mix in fish or eggs for extra protein, and any doggie goodie is made from scratch, pumpkin peanut butter doggie cookies. I thought that perhaps he was snacking too much, and cut back on that, which may have explained dinner reluctance. In the morning he should be sufficiently hungry but doesn't even finish his bowl sometimes. I have NEVER had a dog or have known a dog that isn't totally food motivated all the time, 24/7. Any advice? Raw food is not an option, we tried but we can not sourced enough around here. P.S. He will eat anything that is in our hands though, anything.

 

[lmfoltyn]

Our Jake HAS to have something sprinkled on top of his dry food before he eats it. We have found a sprinkle of shredded cheese works great. Just a pinch of it and he eats all his food. Without the sprinkle he just sits there and looks at us, like, where is the cheese? LOL...maybe give it a try...

 

[Brandie&Maggie]

We tried so many kinds of kibble and Maggie was always that way. She would just pick, sometimes taking hours to eat her food, if she even finished it. It turns out we had 2 problems - she was very hypothyroid, and she had lots of allergies. It's like she knew the kibble wasn't good for her. We got her on meds for the thyroid and switched to a homemade diet that is free of her allergens and now she gobbles up her meal happily every time!

So, if this is a new problem, I'd make sure there are no underlying issues (signs of thyroid issues, belly issues, allergy issues, etc). If he's healthy, then perhaps try a new kibble?

 

[jane]

When I used to feed kibble, anyone who didn't finish in 20 minutes lost the rest of the meal until the next feeding. From my experience in the past, no dog will starve itself unless of course it is sick. I would stop feeding him anything from your hand. Bowl only and be cheap with the treats for now.

 

[dreamchaser456]

After checking to make sure there are no health issues, don't worry too much. Both my girls reduced their intake of food about this age and pretty much quit growing and slowed down. Food goes down if not eaten in about 20 minutes it is removed (I have 3 and they will visit other bowls if unattended). I have had one not eat for an entire day, be fine the next. And I have 2 here that are not food driven at all. That makes it fun to find rewards when training sometimes.

 

[littlerosieuk]

I am hard but would only give 5 minutes to eat then take the food away until the next meal. No treats unless training and make them small. Its amazing how soon they learn and how soon they can train you. Try not to feel guilty or to tempt him to eat. Maybe he is getting too much and is not hungry.

 

[Rebecca]

Thank You!

Thank you everyone, from your input on finicky Georgie, he sounds Newfie normal. I will try some of the suggestions and try not to compare him to our late Lab named Lady, who ate ANYTHING and never turned down meals.
He finally did get up off his pad and went into the kitchen to see what was in his bowl. I noticed lately he is not eating as much as when we first got him last June (very skinny, stressed) but he seems to have plenty of energy. I am afraid sometimes he may be too skinny, but I think it is just that he isn't as bushy as many of yours. He had a very severe "hair cut" by the time he came to us last summer. He didn't even look like a Newfoundland, if it wasn't for his papers we would have thought he was just a giant dog (31 inches at shoulders), lol. He is not exactly a rescue, but is a sweet boy that was just a bit too hairy, or slobbery, or big; for four other owners to handle. He is now in his forever home and much loved.

 

[shellyk]

When we switched to raw our Newf didn't become less finicky maybe even more so. She will sometimes not even take a treat. She'll smell it, drop it on the floor only to scarf it up if our other dog seems interested. But she sounds like yours in that she wants whatever we are eating :goofy:

 

[YorkvilleNewfie]

When I used to feed kibble, anyone who didn't finish in 20 minutes lost the rest of the meal until the next feeding. From my experience in the past, no dog will starve itself unless of course it is sick. I would stop feeding him anything from your hand. Bowl only and be cheap with the treats for now.

This. No dog will starve themselves on purpose. He will eat when he's hungry. Cut out any and all treats, toppers, enticements, etc. Just put his food down, and whatever doesn't get eaten in 20 minutes gets picked up and the next meal doesn't come until the next meal time. I promise you, he will eat when he's hungry.

Frankly, be glad that you have a dog that's not obsessed with food. My Newf is an absolute nightmare about food, after being a finnicky eating pup for the first 2 years. She counter surfs, steals food from people when they're not paying attention, begs/bothers and after 2 years I'm STILL working on getting her to reliably hold a down/stay on her bed while I'm cooking/eating. I have half a mind to move into a new place just s that I can find one with a narrow enough entry into the kitchen/dining area that I can gate her out of there completely. I used to fret over her finnicky eating (but eventually did as I typed up there, and still she would randomly skip meals out of pure disinterest)...I had no idea how good I had it back then! :lol:

 

[mmbrod02]

My newf if very picky and will go without eating to the point she throws up bile in the middle of the night after going a couple of days without eating. She also recently learned how to open the fridge and she will open it if it is not barricaded closed. I have to rotate her food and she generally will eat a 25-30 lbs bag of the same kibble if I add things like a sprinkle of cheese, a raw egg, sauerkraut, yogurt, etc. but once the bag is gone I have to switch to a different kibble. I have 4 different kibbles that I rotate now and that has been working for us.

 

[R Taft]

When I used to feed kibble, anyone who didn't finish in 20 minutes lost the rest of the meal until the next feeding. From my experience in the past, no dog will starve itself unless of course it is sick. I would stop feeding him anything from your hand. Bowl only and be cheap with the treats for now.

This is what we do.............and what i tell others to do

 

[Rebecca]

LOL. The experiences on this thread make me and my Newf seem blissfully normal. Thank goodness. I wanted to follow up and let everyone know that I did pretty much everything this thread suggested, and it worked. Less treats especially, and I also started to "spice up" his bowl by adding the tiniest of cheese shreds or cooked chicken, etc.., and I want to stress tiny amount. With these dog's noses and their olfactory senses it must seem to him like I've added something delectable. He knows it is there, but is very slight. This morning he literally jumped up(!) when he heard the final tap, tap of the mixing spoon on the side of his bowl.
Thank you for the help.
Now I need to work on the color of his pee and making him drink more. (Argh)

George, post-breakfast, this A.M.

 

[R Taft]

If you seriously need a dog to drink more...........Make bone broth....Cook some bones in water, do not give the cooked bones to the dog, discard, but use the broth. No salt or anything added. You can even dilute it to increase intake. When one of mine would not drink water, due to being very unwell, he would do the broth

 

[MC Sullivan]

If you seriously need a dog to drink more...........Make bone broth....Cook some bones in water, do not give the cooked bones to the dog, discard, but use the broth. No salt or anything added. You can even dilute it to increase intake. When one of mine would not drink water, due to being very unwell, he would do the broth

My dogs absolutely love bone broth. I make it monthly. I simmer or throw bones into a crock pot for 2 days on low. I have used turkey, chicken, pheasant, or venison bones to make it. I freeze the extra. Bone broth ice cubes make great summer treats.

 

[Rebecca]

I will try the bone broth idea. I also started to put a bowl of water out in the room where we hang out as a "pack". Our kitchen is separate, an older 60's house. He seems to drink more in that one little bowl than in any of his bowls. Thanks!