what about free choice and let her eat when she wants? I know its not for everyone but my dog has thrived on free choice, he eats when he is hungry and doesn’t over eat and is not food aggressive because as far as he knows food will always come back, no big deal if another dog eats his food.
saje, my cat likes to be pet in front of his food bowl, that apparently makes food taste better
How’s her health, breeder quality, vet history, etc. in general?
I have heard of feeding by hand to prevent food aggression later in life many times. I think that one of the more well-known dog training books recommends this - can’t remember which one.
If the puppy isn’t loosing weight, I am not sure that I would worry too much. Maybe try soaking the food in water as it does make it more appetizing for some dogs. Some breeders also add extras to the food - a little meat or cottage cheese or yogurt. Some will tell you that it will make the dog picky. Personally, I don’t subscribe to the dog only eating dog food. But again, if she isn’t getting overly skinny, she may be eating all that she needs. Check with your vet, for sure, to make sure that she is doing well.
A crappy eating habit, is what this puppy is doing, not eating his full meal within 15-20 mins of it being offered. Feeding by hand snacks in between prolongs this unsavory habit. It also turns them into food brats by which I mean they get tired of this, then that until the poor owner wants to pull their hair out. Dogs are designed to bolt, and should consume their meals promptly. The habit of good eating starts at weaning time, and should continue for the course of the dogs life. Until such time as the puppy eats what it is given in a timely manner, snacks should be avoided,
I don’t get this at all. I NEVER feed pups, who should be in heavy round-the-clock-training, out of bowls at all. Every bit of food they get they have to work for, and it gets delivered by hand. Once they hit around age 6 months and the training starts to be more about praise they get fed out of toys. Once they hit around a year old they get fed out of bowls. They get 15 minutes to eat, and then it goes away. Never had a problem with dogs raised this way not gobbling their meals; in fact, if dog doesn’t consistently gobble two meals in row we go to the vet.
