Has anyone had a Corgi that isn't motivated by food?

[BadKarma]

The two other Corgis I’ve had in my life were rescued as adults. They were food motivated, which made training easy. This is also my first puppy ever.

From what I’ve heard and experienced, Corgis have a big appetite. My puppy, Cricket, doesn’t seem food motivated. I’m curious if anyone else has a Corgi that isn’t food motivated? Or maybe this indifference is something she will grow out of?

I got Cricket two weeks ago. She is 13 weeks old today. She doesn’t seem too excited about food. It’s not making training any easier. She kind of grazes throughout the day. She’s not eating close to the amount the bag of food says she should be eating. A lot of times she eats because I’m moving the food around and making it exciting. I’m not too worried that she’s not getting enough because I can feel a normal amount of ribs, and she poops at about four times a day. She’s seeing the vet Thursday for and check up and her second round of shots.

She came with Royal Canin and was very meh about that. I tried Orijen and she was meh about that as well. She’s been more excited about eating Wellness Core for about a week now.

Luckily she came mostly potty trained. She’s solid on peeing outside, but pooping not so much. I’m not sure how to positively reinforce when she poops outside. She doesn’t get excited about treats. “High pitched happy voice” doesn’t seem to do anything either. She enjoys chewy stuff like rawhides, but I don’t know how that will help me when it comes to other training.

I would love to hear everyone’s experiences.

[Marshfield]

Liverwurst

[Donkaloosa]

Peanut butter or chicken. There aren’t many dogs who can resist either one. Or cheese.

I’ve always had food-motivated dogs and amazed when I come across one that isn’t!

[BadKarma]

Donkaloosa, why didn’t I think of those.

I will be trying those. I also remember someone using warm hotdog.

[Go_Fish]

You’re being tested…it’s what Corgis do.

Stop switching foods and pick one that you’re happy with nutrition-wise. She’s old enough now that she can be fed twice a day. Put it down and give her an hour to eat if. If she doesn’t clean it up, take it away. I would avoid feeding treats or feeding from the table, etc. until you are successful getting her to eat her regular food.

I’ve had Corgis that weren’t big eaters, but it was usually because they were waiting around to see if something better might come along, or they would just sit and guard it so no one else could have it. By and large, Corgis usually have weight problems, so she may get better as she gets older.

Try increasing her exercise…sometimes that will also increase the appetite. I will also say that pooping 4 times a day seems like a lot. Be sure and mention that to your vet.

[HUS2318]

I never thought it was possible to run into another Corgi with the same issue as mine! I have a 6 year old Corgi who is the pickiest eater I have ever met! When he was a puppy I had to literally roll each individual piece to him for him to even get the slight interest in eating it. I figured out that most pet stores have food samples for free or for $1. I tried about every brand of dog food until he would eat Eukanuba (sp?) small breed with probiotics. A year ago he stopped eating again, so I changed his food to 4Health because it seemed like a simple dog food that was healthier anyway. He loved it and now I switch flavors every bag. I make sure I put 1.5 cups out for him a day and eventually it will all be gone by the end of the night. I almost believe he thinks he is human. He only eats his food in meals when everyone sits down for meals, breakfast, lunch, and dinner. My son tells me every morning that Max is eating his cocoa puffs just like him! Lol.

Max is a very active dog who runs 2 miles with me in the AM then plays Frisbee for a few hours, followed by at least an hour of running by the 4wheeler daily. His appetite has not increased with age or with activity. He won’t eat certain treats if they are not made of his favorite flavors-chicken and salmon.

Oh another thing I remembered- if the bag of food has been open for a day and not in an air-sealed container he will not touch his food. Weird, I know.

Max just last week:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v214/number1cowgirl_23/e23e9109-35c2-4de6-94bf-f44baec46a96_zpsa4ad7f05.jpg

Oh I forgot to add, I give him 2 egg whites every day on top of his dry dog food. The only food he seems to crave is egg whites.

[CrowneDragon]

My childhood Corgi wasn’t a big eater. I remember taking him to the vet once, and the vet complemented us on his nice trim weight since Corgis are often overweight/obese, and asked how we managed him. “We just fill the bowl when it’s empty every couple of days.”

[ellevt]

Does she have a favorite toy? You can present her with the toy as a reward. That’s how bomb-sniffing and drug dogs are trained

[bdj]

[QUOTE=Go Fish;7639428]
You’re being tested…it’s what Corgis do.

Stop switching foods and pick one that you’re happy with nutrition-wise. She’s old enough now that she can be fed twice a day. Put it down and give her an hour to eat if. If she doesn’t clean it up, take it away. I would avoid feeding treats or feeding from the table, etc. until you are successful getting her to eat her regular food.

I will also say that pooping 4 times a day seems like a lot. Be sure and mention that to your vet.[/QUOTE]

What Go Fish said - she can afford to be picky because there’s always food available.

My crew (3 of whom are corgis) get breakfast, dinner and training rewards - that’s it. If they don’t eat what they’re given in about 15 minutes, I take it up and they’ll get another shot at the next mealtime. Skipping one meal isn’t going to hurt most dogs. That said, the only times that my dogs have refused a meal have been when they were sick, so for me, if one of my dogs won’t eat, there’s something very wrong.

If you have a truly fussy eater, you can also try limiting the amount of food that you offer. I’ve dealt with a few dogs who would barely touch a “full” food bowl, but would eat the same amount if you dealt it out in several smaller portions (but still within the same mealtime framework). It seems like some dogs need an “appetizer” to jumpstart their appetite, but once they’ve started eating, they’ll go ahead and finish the rest of their meal in good order.

I also suspect that if you quit the free-feeding, and get her on a two meal a day schedule, she’ll probably not poop so many times a day…

[BadKarma]

Thanks guys, I’m glad to hear that mine isn’t the only one. I’m still praying she grows a healthy appetite at some point.

In the past (and still do with my pointer) my dogs have set meal times. I definitely don’t plan on free feeding this one forever. I just felt too much of a mean puppy momma forcing her to skip a meal or two.

I haven’t switched her since she tried the Wellness Core and liked it.