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ChicagoSoul · 02-12-2009, 12:31 AM

When I brought my dog from the breeder, my breeder told me, "Be ware, she is a very picky eater." And, my God, she was. My breeder used to free feed her dry kibble Nutro Lamb and Rice formula for puppies. In addition, to make sure that she was getting enough nutrients, she would feed her some Nutrical every day.

I did not like this regimen. So, I decided to schedule her feedings to make sure that I know what her problems might be. If she has allergies or intolerance, or any other problem, I figured that it would be much easier for me to see if she was on a schedule.

So, I started feeding her 3 times a day until she was a year old. With every feeding, we had to come up with some trick to make her eat. Literally, the whole family was on their heads to make this dog eat one kibble. Since the dog was not loosing weight or having any visible medical issues, we decided that her refusal to eat must be behavioral more than anything else. She wanted 1) yummy food and 2) she wanted everybody around to entertain her.

I wanted to change that but I was afraid of hypoglycimia if I deny her food. So, I waited for her to turn 1 and to gain more fat before I decided to not feed her and dance around her like we used to do before.

Before, if she was not eating, I would put a bit of dry liver powder on top or hand feed her, or do other crazy things. So, the dog clearly figured it out that if she refuses to eat, she would get whatever she wants to.

So, one day, I placed food in front of her and left. She did not eat it. I waited 10 min and got rid of the food completely. I only left her water to drink. In the evening, I gave her another portion of food and she did not eat. Again, I waited 10 min and removed it.

So, technically, the dog was without food for the whole day. The following day, it was a different dog. Never again did she refuse food. Instead, the moment I told her "Let's go eat", she would run to the kitchen and wait for me to put it in front. It's been amazing.

Yorkies are incredibly intelligent and they know how to manipulate their owners any way they choose. I grew up with dogs. I owned three different breeds. Never before did I experience the same intelligence as I experienced with yorkies.

I firmly believe that most of their digestive issues are 99 % behavioral and emotional.

02-12-2009, 12:31 AM	#29
ChicagoSoul Senior Yorkie Talker Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: Chicago Posts: 130	When I brought my dog from the breeder, my breeder told me, "Be ware, she is a very picky eater." And, my God, she was. My breeder used to free feed her dry kibble Nutro Lamb and Rice formula for puppies. In addition, to make sure that she was getting enough nutrients, she would feed her some Nutrical every day. I did not like this regimen. So, I decided to schedule her feedings to make sure that I know what her problems might be. If she has allergies or intolerance, or any other problem, I figured that it would be much easier for me to see if she was on a schedule. So, I started feeding her 3 times a day until she was a year old. With every feeding, we had to come up with some trick to make her eat. Literally, the whole family was on their heads to make this dog eat one kibble. Since the dog was not loosing weight or having any visible medical issues, we decided that her refusal to eat must be behavioral more than anything else. She wanted 1) yummy food and 2) she wanted everybody around to entertain her. I wanted to change that but I was afraid of hypoglycimia if I deny her food. So, I waited for her to turn 1 and to gain more fat before I decided to not feed her and dance around her like we used to do before. Before, if she was not eating, I would put a bit of dry liver powder on top or hand feed her, or do other crazy things. So, the dog clearly figured it out that if she refuses to eat, she would get whatever she wants to. So, one day, I placed food in front of her and left. She did not eat it. I waited 10 min and got rid of the food completely. I only left her water to drink. In the evening, I gave her another portion of food and she did not eat. Again, I waited 10 min and removed it. So, technically, the dog was without food for the whole day. The following day, it was a different dog. Never again did she refuse food. Instead, the moment I told her "Let's go eat", she would run to the kitchen and wait for me to put it in front. It's been amazing. Yorkies are incredibly intelligent and they know how to manipulate their owners any way they choose. I grew up with dogs. I owned three different breeds. Never before did I experience the same intelligence as I experienced with yorkies. I firmly believe that most of their digestive issues are 99 % behavioral and emotional.