Feeding issues - Page 1

I have a 4 month old German shepherd who will only eat after exercise and takes a long time to eat (which is probably the good part). My vet says stomach bloat is not a problem in puppies but I'm worried this habit will continue into adulthood. I'm not sure if this is a real problem or just the way she is. Do I need to worry?

As long as all health problems have been ruled out I would withhold food from your pup for one meal and present food to him/her the next morning at the time you want feeding time to be. If he/she doesn't eat take it away and don't feed him/her until the next feeding time. Generally this will make even the most picky of dogs want to eat their food!

This could be a problem when an adult, especially depending how hard they've worked/played before eating.

Are you taking her food away after 10 minutes or leaving it down?  Around here you have 10 minutes to clean up your bowl or it comes back to you for your evening meal.  I feed raw so the actual feed process takes around 2 seconds. BUT they learn as pups to eat quickly or the food disappears.  Slow eating is unlikely to case bloat.  But feeding after excersise is not a good idea.

Yeah, I've thought about picking up her food but somewhere I read that eating food too fast causes stomach bloat too so I was kind of glad it took her awhile to eat. She plays really hard and yesterday I tried feeding her an hour after playing (this was nine in the morning after getting up at five) and she didn't eat until around 11:30. Then she wants to eat at three and eats it all. I've never had a picky water before but then I've always had than one dog till now. I guess competition works haha.

I agree with others I would put the food down when you want her to eat.  If she doesnt eat it, it goes away until the next feeding time.  While I do pick up the dish if the dog doesnt eat it, I do not care how long it takes them to eat - as long as they are eating.  When I put the food down, if they walk away from it - I pick it up.  I dont care if it is down for 1 min or 10 mins - if they walk away it goes away.  But if they start eating and continue to eat, they can finish.  I will not take the dish away from a dog who is still eating.  Although I never had one that eats slowly.  

Assuming there are no health issues.... a healthy dog will eat and will not starve themselves :)

I NEVER take it for granted that people actually know how to feed their dogs...So if I say something that you already know and do...AS YOU WERE...!

*First of all NEVER feed after exercise...Wait like maybe an hour before feeding (Do you remember your mother telling you not to go back into the Swimming Pool for an hour after eating)...

*If feeding kibble...add water to it...just cover the food and let it stand for a couple minutes before serving (let the kibble soak up some of the water)

*Feed your dog twice a day...Split your total feeding amount in half...

*If your dog is a Super slow eater...Picky eater...etc.. ... ....After 10 minutes pick up their food and give back next feeding time...And/Or give less food the next time...Also...Our dogs are just fine missing a day or two of food (think of the wolves in the wild-they don't eat everyday)...So you can build their "food drive" by using the above suggestions...

***Probably the most important thing to remember about how to feed your dog is to ADJUST their food to how much and how well they eat...
I'm not a proponent of Trying to get your dog to eat fast...but I want them to eat it within a reasonable time period without playing around with it...
Now...with saying that...none of my dogs wait time eating their food...

So many people think that our dogs should be Pleasantly Plump...but in reality they should be on the lean side...

~Bob~

I'll try taking her food up. Like I said I had three dogs til recently but they all got old at the same time and now we have just one. At first I thought she didn't eat well due to airplane flight. Then I thought maybe her stomach was too small to hold much. I'm feeding Fromm (that's what breeder fed) and they show 5 cups at 4 months and 41 lbs and that's 2 1/2 cups per meal. I was also afraid for puppy to skip meals. She's not at all fat, you can feel her ribs, she just "large".

she could be just teething....especially if you are feeding dry dog food....maybe add milk, water, chicken broth to soften it up...

I was adding chicken broth at the start but it seemed to make her stools real soft so then I tried water. Same thing. Switched to wet dog food mixed in. Same thing. Now I give dry. Yeah, I'm sure she is teething. I'll see how taking it up after 10 minutes works. She certainly isn't starving so it should be alright for her to miss a meal. Thank you'll for all the help. It's been a long time since I've had a puppy.

wish you all the best.... :)