Puppy not eating enough?

[shopsalot]

Hi all

I have a 14wk golden retriever puppy who is being fed Skinners puppy dry food (like at breeders) but he doesn't seem to be eating enough - and seems really bored with it. He is over 10kg and should be eating over 400g a day but is normally eating around 300g. That includes stuffing kongs. He does have other treats and chicken for training - plus peanut butter and Kong paste on a lickimat with his food - in fact this is the only way I can get him to eat a significant amount. He doesn't seem to like eating out of his stainless steel bowl now (used to eat no problem). In the mornings he is not food focussed at all - goes back to bed for a nap!

Anyone else had a similar experience? Do the food manufacturers over-egg the quantities? Can I mix some wet food in to make it more interesting? Also I used to pick it up after 15min of not eating but obviously now I'm worried he's not eating enough so I'm leaving it down (he ignores!).

Seems fine in himself - energetic(!), pooping ok, sleeping ok etc.

Thanks for any help!

[GrumpyMiddleAgedWoman]

I think some dog food companies (including Skinner's) over-estimate the quantities. Someone I know has just been told by the vet that her puppy is overweight and she'd been feeding the quantity on the packet. Puppy is a hoover so had guzzled it all down. Bear in mind that treats and peanut butter are quite high calorie, too.

If you puppy has loads of energy, bright eyes and is growing, you don't need to worry. Many breeds don't bulk up until they are over a year old and can look very 'ribby' without being unhealthily thin. I take the view that being a bit too thin is better for a dog than being a bit too fat.

Consult your vet if you're worried, but I suspect your puppy is fine.

[raspberryk]

I think all of the extras add up to more than what would be in that remaining 100g of food.
Our pup isn't a morning person so she has less in the morning than her other meals. I don't think leaving it down helps. If he was hungry he would eat. And yes they probably do tell you too much. Our pup also does better on 3 meals than 4, it's just the way she is she eats at roughly 7, 1 & 7, sometimes the morning one is later on weekends etc and she brings me her long food dispenser at lunchtime if she's hungry before I have got round to doing hers.

[missbattenburg]

Manufacturers massively over-egg the quantities. As much as double, ime.

In a breed like a goldie, slow puppy growth and low (but healthy) weight is far, far, far better than rapid/chubby growth.

You want a lean dog so that joints have time to develop properly before being asked to carry too much weight.

[shopsalot]

Thanks for all the answers! You've said what common sense was telling me but, having been quite relaxed about it, I suddenly thought is this normal. He is hungrier later in the day so we've adjusted and have gone down to 3 meals as well (spread out) as he seems to prefer this.
Hopefully his eating will normalise as he grows - he looks a healthy weight if a little lean.

[GrumpyMiddleAgedWoman]

You want lean. Much better for a young dog.

[adaline]

Lean is really good in a growing dog! You're supposed to be able to see/feel their ribs easily when they're small.

[GrumpyMiddleAgedWoman]

You're supposed to be able to feel their ribs easily when they're fully grown!