11-Week GS Puppy; Finicky and Lean - Page 2

Thanks again for questions and input.

It's sort of a struggle at this point, between training Quoia about her food, vs. the People in the home being trained -by- her. Her finicky nature re. food, and our emotion-based reaction to her 'thinnness' tend to lead us to want her to eat more, even if it's on her schedule rather than ours.

She's not getting too much food in her bowl, though I'm going to be more precise in the measurements that comprise her feedings in the future, so I can present more accurate or specific information.

We've ceased hand-feeding, and when we've tried limiting her access to her food, feeding her in the rear entryway with the door closed, or with 'her person' sitting with her with the door closed, we've tried to allow approximately 20 to 40 minutes for her to eat.

Again, her distractability and natural (albeit seemingly acute) curiosity augment her finicky nature.

We've tried the food the owner was feeding (Eagle Pack) which she turns her nose up at. Similar, though slightly less rejecting responses to Diamond puppy formula (lamb meal and rice). We also tried a sample packet of NutriSource puppy chow, though this was met with at least the same level of rejection she expresses toward the Eagle Pack.

Short of harvesting a moose for her year's food consumption, I figure I'll continue with either plain roasted beef added to various suggested menus, or the boiled chicken and condensed plain broth offered in the other threads here.

The scrambled egg might help, too. Esp. in re. to what I think could be a softer coat with better eating.

I've also considered trying some of the higher-quality canned foods, adding a couple tablespoons or so of a small can to the small portion of dry food.

We'll individually/separately try any and all suggestions, and report any successes; short-term or otherwise.

Hopefully the  pics will be up this evening. I'll ask my already-swamped son to get to them as soon as he can

I also wondered if the probiotics in the Iams adult food she is prone to 'stealing' (both here and at the breeders home; different brand, but very similar make-up) isn't a response to craving something in those foods. But again, I tend to think that's more about getting another dog's chow; likewise for the adult m'loot trying to get the puppy's chow.

Outdoors, she chews and eats almost -anything-, which I typically associate with an upset stomach in older dogs, and basic puppy behavior in younger ones. But it's frustrating watching her chew on spruce bark when there's very good puppy chow sitting inside..

If my kids had ever pulled this nonsense, I'd have probably told them to either eat what's on their plates or go hungry..

My wife wondered if the genetic 'need to eat to survive' hadn't been genetically 'morphed' in some way.. Bizarre to consider, but who knows; all the dogs at her birth home were notably thin (by my standards), and the father's reportedly a notorious finicky eater.

Have you tryed feeding her out doors she may eat better give it a try

I've got some pups who were born the day day as your's.  girl is "thin" to most people. but I am very happy with her weight.  most people see puppies as fat, rolly pollies, and they should not be.  she needs to be fed in her room or in a crate with no distractions.  give her 15-20 minutes, then pick it up, she will eventually eat.  She's just playing ya'll at the moment, and unless you nip it in the bud now, she always will.

here's my skinny puppy, she's esiy distracted and very high prey drives. constantly looking for something to do. 

nice pup she looks ok for her age weight wise just a typicel growing baby good luck

Thanks; all of you.

Feeding her outside is one thing we haven't really tried yet, and may be worth a trial effort or two. However, we just got our first snow today, (later this year than normal) and we can get down to -50 or even -60 f. on an extreme winter day, typically between later December and mid-to-late February. My m'loot is accepting of this to some degree, being that he's between the house and his run anyway, but I'm not sure how our german shepherd will like this weather on an extended basis.

The picture posted above isn't of Sequoia (not sure if the other poster thought it was or not), but the pup in the pic doesn't look quite as lanky or lean as our girl.

When I referenced her stature as being similar to that of a wolf pup earlier, I was referring to a wild wolf pup in a natural setting, an example of which might be found on the internet. They're often much 'lankier' than a domesticated wolf-hybrid pup, btw..

She -has- been an entertainer today; taking a liking to my black leather shoes, ink pens, unripened green pear tomatoes (two of which she left for me in my office chair), and much much more. Our hands are full for sure, and she may indeed be 'playing us'. ;^>)

We'll see..

As a side-note, I'm glad to see a supporter of NORML posting proudly..

thats my little beast, lol.  I was looing for a home fo her.  just wasn't ready to keep a puppy, but she can't go to a typical pet home, so unless a good working home comes along, she's staying.  hopefully I can get her somewhere for training after a year.  I can do all her foundation work, but am not physically able to finish her.

A nice looking girl there.

Ours has a more sable colored coat, with silver tips on her sides, the traditional tan/somewhat lighter brown legs, and a bit of a tone of redness to the brown fur on her head.

Her belly isn't as filled out as the one above if viewed from the same angle,either. But when you're only 20+ lbs., a lb. here or there can be very noticeable, too.

same weight as my pup, around 20 lbs.

That's somewhat relieving to read, though the pics, when posted, will hopefully reveal the slight (?) differences I'm referring to.

Of course, as I've heard many times over the years, being on camera adds 10 lbs. to one's appearance too. Or, in the case of a 20 lb. pup, perhaps the appearance of an extra lb. or 2.

Quoia ate all of her lunch; a slightly mounded 1/3 measuring cup of the Diamond brand lamb meal and rice puppy formula, with about 3 TBSP added of the chopped roasted chuck roast, and about 1-1/2 tsp. of plain organic yogurt mixed in.

I almost threw a party, but no one else was home to celebrate with me!! She cleaned her bowl over the course of 20-30 minutes, isolated by herself in the back entryway/freezer room, but refused more of the dry food when offered, instead sitting by the front door, apparently wanting to go outside,
 
Once outside she showed herself to be interested in both the moose excrement in the back yard, and the vole hide-out under the spruce logs. She may well be a better vole hunter than many cats, based on her behavior today! ;^>)

If she cleans up what you have given her, don't offer any more at the same meal, which should make her keener for her next meal.  Try to avoid too many different foods at one meal, like kids she will pick out her favourites and leave what she doesn't particularly like (like kids with vegetables!).  After a few days with her clearing her meals you can maybe increase the amount just a tiny bit, and again  if she clears it don't offer more.  You could try just bringing the next meal forward an hour or so, and that way get another meal into her per day.  This also gives her time to digest the smaller meal and pass it through rather than stuffing her full which means she will just poo out the excess.