[chuckNashley]

Hi Everyone,

As I posted before, my Vizsla puppy (7 months) seems to be incredibly picky with his kibble.

We are currently feeding him Orijen Puppy, but he doesn't seem to like it all all now. He did like it a month ago.

Foods we are trying and have tried during the past 2 months:

Acana - Wild Prairie: It's our newest dog food attempt; he won't really eat this either.

Instinct - Duck & Turkey: Likes it better than Orijen, but still not his favorite.

Natures Balance - Potato and Duck: He likes this almost the best, but the quality according to all of you isn't great.

Taste of the Wild - High Prairie: This seems to be his favorite food, but again, people here don't seem to like this food either.

Blue - Chicken and Brown Rice Puppy: Likes this about as much as Natures Balance. Again, not the best quality.

Orijen Fish: HATES This food and has thrown up 4 times after eating it.

Stella and Chewy's - Duck, Duck Goose: LOVES THIS FOOD, but we mix it with Orijen puppy and now he is licking the RAW food off the Orijen kibbles and leaving the kibbles around the bowl.

Questions:

1) Is it a common thing that dogs don't like the taste of the "better" foods?

2) We don't free feed. Should we just leave the Orijen out for the 30 minutes and wait for him to eventually eat it out of hunger?

3) Should we feed the lower quality of foods and hope it works just as well?

4) Should we be mixing kibble and raw? Is he holding out for something different?

5) How do people rotate their foods/kibble choices?

Thanks!!!

 

[RawFedDogs]

1) Is it a common thing that dogs don't like the taste of the "better" foods?

What is a common thing is for dogs to learn that if they hold out, they might get something better. Once they learn this they will always hold out for something better. It's called being a picky eater. Picky eaters are made, not born. You have created a picky eater by catering to his whims.

2) We don't free feed. Should we just leave the Orijen out for the 30 minutes and wait for him to eventually eat it out of hunger?

I wouldn't even leave it out 30 minutes. After 15 minutes, if he is not eating, put the food back in the bag and don't offer anything else until the next meal time. Don't do anything to get him to eat. Don't beg, cajole, bribe or anything else to tempt him to eat. Just put the food in his bowl, stand back and let him decide if he wants to eat or not. Don't hover over him.

He may miss a few meals but don't let this worry you. No dog will starve himself in the presence of food. You are not starving him, you are offering him food at each mealtime. He is deciding whether to eat or not. Once he sees you are not going to cater to him, he will start eating again.

3) Should we feed the lower quality of foods and hope it works just as well?

Absolutely not. You are the human. It's your responsibility to feed him the highest quality food you can. You take charge of his life and you control the menu. He has no choice. Would you allow a 2 yo child determine what his menu is?

4) Should we be mixing kibble and raw? Is he holding out for something different?

Of course you should feed him raw and never offer him another ounce of processed food again in his life but that is a whole different subject. Yes he is holding out for something different. He will continue doing this his entire life as long as it works for him and so far it has worked wonderfully. He has done a great job of training you and you have just rolled over and let him.

5) How do people rotate their foods/kibble choices?

They generally don't do it at the dog's whim. People usually rotate foods in order to feed different nutrients and its actually the human who decides what is rotated and when.

 

[luvMyBRT]

I agree with RFD ^^^

You pick what you want to feed and stick with it. You will drive yourself crazy if you keep letting your pup try and decide for you. I would keep with the Orijen/Acana or go completly raw. :smile:

 

[chowder]

RFD is completely right. My dog eats Orijen LB Puppy. He gets offered 2 cups per day. Some days he just isn't hungry and doesn't eat it. That's doesn't mean I panick and try feeding him something else. It just means he wasn't hungry that day. Maybe it was hot outside or maybe he didn't do as much as usual. Usually the next day he eats it all and looks for more. I just give him the same two cups the next day.

I rotate foods by giving him different varieties of grain free canned foods. He gets about 1/4 can every morning. Sometimes I mix it with some of his Orijen, sometimes I put it in his pan by itself. I try to get different proteins like chicken, turkey, beef, pork, bison, duck, etc so he gets a variety of meats in addition to what is in the Orijen. Other people rotate foods by changing the dry kibble brands. I haven't found a lot of kibble that I like so I stick with Orijen (or Evo for my other dog).

 

[chuckNashley]

Thanks RFD!

That is what I assumed is happening. However, he keeps throwing up the food he does eat and I can't tell why. My best guess is that he is drinking water WAY TOO FAST and it causes his stomach to be upset.

On this site, a lot of people always say "my dog didn't take or do well on X-brand, but liked Y-brand." If the dog has no choice, then why so people keep saying that and what do they mean?

Thanks for the info. I will try and stick to the 15 minute thing and if he doesn't eat then he will wait until next feeding. This Vizsla is TOO SMART! LOL

I caught him cooking bacon and eggs until I told him to turn off the stove and go lay down.

He really does like Taste of the Wild though. It's his favorite

Thanks!

 

[RawFedDogs]

On this site, a lot of people always say "my dog didn't take or do well on X-brand, but liked Y-brand." If the dog has no choice, then why so people keep saying that and what do they mean?

They mean various things like coat didn't look as good as other brands or they had less energy on a particular brand or had goopy eyes on a particular brand. I means many things EXCEPT that the dog didn't like it.

I caught him cooking bacon and eggs until I told him to turn off the stove and go lay down.

:biggrin::biggrin:

 

[3feathers]

However, he keeps throwing up the food he does eat and I can't tell why. My best guess is that he is drinking water WAY TOO FAST and it causes his stomach to be upset.

Have you had him to the vet to rule out any health issues that could be causing him to vomit? If so...then I completely agree with RFD.

 

[chuckNashley]

Ya,

We just made an appointment with our vet. I hope nothing is wrong.

:smile:

 

[stajbs]

Having lived with 7 siberians, 6 of whom were rescued, I learned the hard way how tyrannical(lol) dogs can be about dog food if we allow it. You need to pick his food based on which ones are best for him that you can possibly afford, whether you choose kibble or raw. Then stick with giving him 15 minutes or so to eat it. If he chooses not to, take it away and try again the next scheduled meal time. He will not starve himself as long as he is physically and mentally healthy. I had one siberian refuse food and trust me we tried everything we could think of. What it came down to and what did not register with us was our state of mind and the dogs. We had just lost our two senior girls in one months time. We were an emotional mess, she picked up those vibes from us, plus she was feeling her own sense of loss. We went to the vet, ruled out physical problems with bloodwork and then realized we needed to change our attitudes and kick start her appetite a bit. That was when we began cooking for our dogs. Within one day she began eating well, and was very interested in eating her meals twice a day again.

Once you have gotten vet results and know all is well as I would suspect it would be, then pick what you want to feed him and stick with it. You will feel better yourself once you have ruled out problems and can take a tougher approach as well. Be matter of fact and calm about it, don't panic(know this is hard) if he chooses to test you for a few more meals. Currently we alternate premium quality kibble every 3 or 4 months with the addition of either lightly cooked meats or premium quality canned for the occasional variety. It works for us, and our dogs.

We feed kibble and lightly cooked meats due to my paranoia about feeding raw, although I highly respect folks who do feed raw.

 

[chuckNashley]

Canned Foods? Any good brands?

What canned foods are good? Are canned foods better than Kibble (Orijen)?

I have been feeding him, Stella and Chewy's duck duck goose mixed in with Orijen puppy, Acana Prairie, or TOTW.

He loves TOTW. Weird....

He loves Raw too.

I would love to mix canned foods in once in a while, but which ones? Merrick?
Instinct? are there good ones for puppies?

Thanks!

 

[luvMyBRT]

If he loves raw (and you are able to feed it) I would switch in a heartbeat!:biggrin:

 

[chowder]

What canned foods are good? Are canned foods better than Kibble (Orijen)?

I have been feeding him, Stella and Chewy's duck duck goose mixed in with Orijen puppy, Acana Prairie, or TOTW.

He loves TOTW. Weird....

He loves Raw too.

I would love to mix canned foods in once in a while, but which ones? Merrick?
Instinct? are there good ones for puppies?

Thanks!

You don't need a puppy specific canned food. That is just a gimmick. I recommend any of the grain free, high meat content brands. My dogs love

Back to basics - pork especially but also chicken
Evo 95% meats
By Nature 95% meats
Wellness grain free versions
Before Grain
Evangers

If you want canned brands iwith some grain, then I would go for

Merrick
Pinnacle
Natures Variety
Innova
Evolve
Chicken Soup
Taste of the Wild
Eagle Pack Holistic (not the top of the line but I have a breeder friend who does really well with it and I have used it on one dog with success)

If you can't find any of these locally, you can always order them online. Various people use different ones with success. Try a few and see how your dog does. I wait for them to go on big sale and get a case at a time and it comes out pretty economical. I rarely pay more then $1 a can.

 

[whiteleo]

I haven't really looked at the stella and chewys raw patty ingredient list but alot of them are not balanced meaning they are either too bone heavy or too veggie heavy which is just inappropriate.
If all issues are ruled out and things are fine with your pup, I would stick with the Orijen and try to break up the feedings into 3 smaller feedings a day once you get past the "tough love" part and limit his water intake immediately before and after his feedings. Just a thought.