Today's issue!.....

[Happymm]

Food. My lovely lab,9wks is being a monkey re:eating. She only will eat if I sit with her. If I don't stay then she just leaves it and follows me to wherever I'm going. I leave it down for 20mins then remove till next meal, but even then she's not bothered enough to stay by herself to eat. I don't want to make a rod for my own back by creating a pattern of my being there for her to eat. Also currently, I feed her every time we eat, plus a wee snack about 8.30 to fill her up for night but still allow for poo time. Any thoughts? She's on pro plan as this is what the breeder had her on. Thanks for today's help... :o

[DooinMeCleanin]

Could she eat in the same room you eat in? Is she crate trained?

Crate training is a god send. It helps with so many problems. Whippy adores her crate and rushes in as soon it's feeding time or bed time. She loves it so much it's going to have to be packed away and taken to the kennels with her when we go away because she won't settle down to sleep alone unless she is in her crate.

If you crate train you can, eventually, start closing the door when you feed, so she won't be able to follow you. I don't need to do this now, with Whippy as I have found a food she loves and nothing in the world will stop her eating it

I've not heard of Pro-Plan, so ignore me if I am talking bollocks, but I'd think of switching at some point in the future if it's a food filled with fillers and crap. Skinners is a good and cheap dry food.

Also puppies, much like babies, need a much smaller amount of food than we'd think, so if she is growing normally and is active, she's probably getting enough.

[Madsometimes]

Maybe because she is still so young? My dog was not into food at that age, there were too many other things going on that were more exciting.

Not all dogs are food motivated, and even some labs stay fussy eaters, but your dog seems too young to say if she will stay that way.

[Happymm]

She is crate trained. Sleeps all night with door shut. Even takes herself in there during the day for sleeps. I do feed her in there too. Maybe I should just shut the door and she'd eat as nothing else to do? Her carte is in the utility room, and we eat in there so very close.

[DooinMeCleanin]

Yes, just close the door and she should eat. If she is not used to being shut in the crate during the day when everyone is up and about you might need to stay very near the crate at first and slowly extend the amount of time you leave her alone in the crate.

See how she goes. She probably won't care.

[Spamspamspam]

My puppy was like this for about 2.5 weeks happymm I was getting quite worried about it as some days I didn't think she had eaten anywhere near enough and it took me time to realise she needed us standing over her - Vet had told me to leave her to it as she needed to be alone - wrong! Also I was treating her every time I trained her with other things rather than her kibble and I think she was ignoring the kibble and hoping for other treats. After about a week or her being here I just stuck to the kibble with some cheese treats occasionally, in the end she realised that all she was getting was the kibble and started eating a bit more but was still anxious about it and we had to stand in the kitchen with her.

She changed overnight on Sunday BUT I hasten to add it was after a bout of diarrhoea and sickness - she must have got something and we are still flumoxed as to what but she was quite poorly. I sought vet advice who told me to starve her for 24 hours and then give her rice and chicken for 24 hours and then re-introduce food. Since then she has eaten like a horse and doesn't need watching over and in fact she has gone the other way and seems constantly hungry! I was going to write another thread about it.

Although you don't want sickness and diarrhoea, I think once your puppy is a bit more settled in your home and your routine she will eventually feel comfortable eating on her own, if she is hungry enough she will eat.

Also very good advice from Dooin re feeding her in the crate, I did this also but not every meal, she usually ate a lot more when in her crate.

[Happymm]

Yahoo! Thanks for the advice. Shut the door to her crate and left her to it. She howled for a couple of mins then all went silent. Went back to her after 30mins-had to put my son to bed for kippy time. She'd eaten it all! Though had also upended her water over her bedding, so just washing that for the second time in two days-took it outside and buried it yesterday! :) Maybe next time, feed her without bedding!!!

[ellangirl]

I think dogs are sociable animals that like to eat together! I don't mind standing in the kitchen while mine eat- it's gone in about 30 seconds anyway. I add nice things into my dogs bowls too as they eat to make sure they don't mind their food being touched. If she doesn't eat a meal after half an hour, personally I would take it away and offer the next meal as normal. I can't have food around on the floor because my DS would prob eat it!

[CoffeeIsMyFriend]

a lab who doesnt scoff food in a nanosecond.



Are you feeding puppy too much? Giving too many treats?

How often are you feeding and how much over a day?

[Happymm]

She's on pro plan. This was what the breeder had her on and was really positive it was fab, so I haven't changed her, as she was having so much other change as it was leaving home and coming to us. Have read here that this may be crap food though, so any advice gratefully received! I'm trying to follow their suggestion on the back which seems to be up to 235g a day. She's fed at 7,12,5 and a wee snack at 9. The main meals I'm putting in 60g though she never eats it all and the wee snack is probably less than 20g. She's not really snacking with treats yet,as this week is her first with us, so have been focusing on crate training, toilet training, sleep patterns and socialisation. We started clicker training today and had about 10 coaches treats which she liked.
The problem is that even if I am there with her, she doesn't scoff her food down quickly, but keeps stopping and trying to come for cuddles bless her. But I simply don't have time to sit and watch her eat for 15mins or so when I have 3DC to feed too.