Eating or Not Eating?
 

I read somewhere that a puppy is supposed to eat 3 times a day and that each feeding time should be only half hour. This way they eat right away and what's left is taken away. This will put them on a schedule.

Only problem is, my puppy will only nibble in that half hour. I have to leave the food out for THREE HOURS for him to go back and forth to the food (even with no distractions) to completely finish it.

If I let him starve, Im afraid he'd go into hypoglacimeia (sp?). But I actually have tried it and even at the next feeding, he does the same thing ... nibbles for the first half hour. He's never hungry!

What does your puppy do?

I have the same issue with my 4 month old. She is not a good eater to begin with.

I leave her with a wet/dry mix for 1/2 hour. She is also left in the bathroom by herself because she is very easily distracted.

After the 1/2 hour I take the food away and replace it with a bowl of just dry. She is then allowed to pick whenever she wants on it.

I talked to my vet about this and this was what she suggested. Im not sure if it will also work for you but she was getting underweight so I wanted to make sure she was getting all the nutrients she needed.

Good Luck with your Baby!!

A lot of the books say to only leave food down for 30 min, and for some dogs that works. Some dogs will gobble down food anytime they're given any, while some are just "pickers" and only eat when they're hungry. Mine was this way.....if I were to take her food up after 30 min, she'd simply go hungry! So, I just started leaving her dry down all the time for her to eat when she wanted to. That is what you have to do with some. However, it makes it very difficult when at around 4 mo. they are able to be completely potty trained--if you leave food out all the time during that training time, it makes it very difficult for them to learn where they're supposed to potty since they may need to go at very different intervals than if you kept them on a schedule. Once they've got pottying in the appropriate place down, though, I see no reason not to leave food (dry of course) out for them all day. (I would, however, measure out an appropriate amount each morning, so that you can see how much they are eating or not eating...sometimes loss of appetite is the first indication of illness, and measuring out food allows you to notice much more quickly if they are not eating.)

I homecook now, with the help of a vet nutritionist, and Bella eats what she's given right up! She is fed 4 times a day now, but she eats at each sitting, which she never would have done before.

i have the same problem with my puppy and shes only 6 months. she never eats alot, she just takes a few nibbles and then shes done. so i tried mixing cottage cheese with it and she ate a little more than usual. i was really happy about that!! (you can also use toppers for her food and see if that works.):)

Cottage cheese and plain yogurt help...... I would also suggest a little nutrical.

when mine was a little one I only fed twice a day. about 1/2 at each feeding. Now that he is older I only feed twice a day 1/4 cup. He doesn't always eat right away but does shortly after I put the food down. If the food is down all the time he probably will pick through out the day. As long as he is eating I am sure he is okay.
Yorkies can be picky eaters. Good luck :D