5 month old puppy tricky to feed

[Baladou]

Our puppy has been difficult to feed from day 1. He won’t eat out of bowl or off plate and I have to throw bits of food down , usually outside to get him to eat what he needs and encourage him by playing with a toy and often putting food on toy. We found a raw food he will eat but every day is a challenge to get him to eat enough. Any suggestions. Should we try to put the food down and take it up after 15 minutes until next mealtime. I worry this will put him off eating as he is not food orientated. He is a Very healthy and happy pup but I think looks well mainly due to extreme efforts I have put in to get him to eat but it is very wearing. Will he grow out of this?

[Girlintheframe]

We feed our dog one of his meals outside too. He loves it and it keeps things interesting for him.
How old is your pup and how many meals is he getting? Could it be that he is ready to drop one of his meals? Our dog went off breakfast when he was around 5 months so we stopped the lunch meal and he went back to having breakfast/tea.

[SharkasticRhymes]

IME many puppies and (especially) teenage dogs are picky about food but grow up and out of it given time.

Unless your breed has specific requirements about meals per day (e.g. I think some of the tiny breeds do) then, at this age, I would be tempted to offer two meals a day, left down for 15 mins and then picked up until the next meal.

I'd also look carefully at what treats were being used throughout the day, especially for training (or fattening up) and perhaps skip this for a week or so, just to test if this made a difference.

[pigsDOfly]

Would agree about treats. Include his treats in the amount of food you're feeding him and make sure you're not making his meals too big; the amount of food recommended on dog food packages/tins is more often than not far more than most dogs need.

I found this when I was feeding my small dog the recommended amount of 301grams a day of her (wet) food; she never seem to get truly hungry and I had to really encourage her to eat.

I've learned over some time how much works for her and she now on 224 grams a day. She now looks forward to her meals and is slimmer and livelier.

[Baladou]

All sounds sensible so will put it to test

[vanillandhoney]

How many times a day are you feeding him?

Mine wouldn't eat two meals a day. He would pick at it, refuse food, drop it all over the floor. So we cut back to one meal a day at around 3.30pm, and he wolfs it down.

I don't think all dogs suit 2-3 meals a day, despite what the manufacturers might say. Mine has never been fussy over food since we did this.

[StillMedusa]

Mine's the same and always has been.. picky and not food motivated at all.. hates bowls and prefers it scattered.
I wasted a lot of money on complete raw foods (good ones..Paleo Ridge etc) and worried a lot.. then realised she is fit, healthy, slim but happy and that I needed to relax.
I now feed a mix.. kibble in the mornings with a bit of grated cheese, or chicken on, and usually raw in the evenings and if she doesn't eat it..she doesn't eat it! Some days she is hungry and eats well, others virtually nothing but she's the correct weight ..just turned 1..and full of energy.
During this hot weather she really hasn't wanted to eat and I've found she has no appetite until late at night when it's cooled down.

I do envy those with 'dustbin dogs' who eat anything..mine has even turned her nose up at treats offered by other dog walkers when out and about which is embarrassing!!

I think my advice would be..feed less, back off and he will eventually balance his own needs. Also.. raw isn't be be all and end all of dog food... mine hated the sloppyness so we now mostly give raw chicken wing tips (she likes them straight from the freezer) and her kibble balances the other nutrients she needs!

[Baladou]

Thank you for your reply. It is good to know someone else out there has experienced a similar problem. I think everything you sappy makes sense and it is for me to get my head round it and as you say back off, relax and things will sort themselves out in time.

[HaveYouSeenMyBones]

Mine was never fussed about raw, either. And I know what you mean, pp, about turning their noses up at other people's treats.

The vet used to give him treat A which he really loved. They then swapped to treat B and he literally spat them out onto the floor and refused to eat anything until Treat A had been produced for him. He ate A and then ate B off the floor

[Girliefriendlikespuppies]

My dog has always been a fussy bugger, he's nearly a year old now and I've learnt not to stress about it too much. He has dry biscuits (James wellbeloved) down all of the time, he only eats these when he is really hungry 🙄 and he gets one tin of Butchers a day which he normally wants after his walk.

He has tons of energy and appears healthy enough so 🤷‍♀️