I didn't read every post, but, have you tried free feeding her? I put the dog food down here when we get up in the morning, and then pull it up at 6:00 pm. Mine are all older than yours though, so I woud leave it down 24/7 if you're going to free feed. Your baby is just adorable

I guess I'm doing this all wrong but I have been sooooo worried about her not eating very much. I leave kibble out all the time just as I do her water...I change the water several times a day though but I don't change the kibble during the day.

I have made the rookie mistake of trying to give her something and if that didn't entice her to eat, putting down something else, etc. until she had a buffet! It didn't seem to matter though...she was probably doing what all of you say and waiting to see when I would bring out the very last and best....not wanting to spoil her appetite on the blah.

Today she finally did better on eating the home-cooked concoction that a helpful YT sent me. I also mixed some pumpkin in it to help her digestive track and put a bit of cheese on top to enhance the smell. (She seems to get turned off by the smell of her food...esp. the kibble. I can't blame her because some of that stuff just plain stinks!)

About the time I decide I should pull up the dish, she'll head over to it and take a bite or two. It seems to me that she is using the cooked food the way you all describe how she should be snacking on kibble all day. I did pull up the dish this morning and when I put put it back down at lunch, she was the most eager to eat that I have seen her. I know, I know...I just didn't have the heart to pull it up when I should this afternoon because she was going back for more. Eventually she almost ate the little dish of food I had put down.

I fixed fresh for dinner and she didn't touch it at all. To my eagle eye, she didn't touch the kibble all day either. However, I feel better about her eating because she had several "normal" bowel movements. She even did 2 of the 3 on the wee pads (and had no pee accidents today al all!) She still won't take a treat from my hand but she has decided she likes yogurt drops and the last time she pooed, she came and sat right in front of me as if to say she had merited something!

She still motions to the floor for me to drop the treat. I still don't know what's up with that! At least she will eat the yogurt drops now and of course, she is in love with the bully sticks. I did try to limit the time she spent on them today but I think she must be teething since every toy she touches becomes a chew toy.

You guys are the best with your suggestions and ideas! Thanks so much and as grateful as I am, I can assure you my husband thanks you even more...LOL He was getting pretty tired of my worrying about her lack of eating (but he was a bit concerned, too).

In spite of all the reading I did about feeding, I still had the panic and worry of low blood sugar (frightens me to death!) and resorted to the "what can I try to feed her now" syndrome. I read the posts, even understood them, but when it came to watching her not eat, it all went out the window.

Hopefully, we've turned a major corner. She was still full of energy and mischief today and I didn't feel compelled to do the NutriCal as I have been doing. (Shoot, I was beginning to worry I was going to make her a diabetic!) I'm still totally freaked out that she won't take a treat from my fingers/hand. I've given in and put it on the ground "as she directs" (!) when the behavior was something I really wanted to reward (pee pad) but have tried to make myself put them back up if she won't take them from me when it's not high priority. It doesn't seem to phase her a bit.

I feel like I'm in one of those time warps where the more I learn, the more I realize I don't know. Plus, some of the things I thought I knew well in theory aren't working at all in practice! I suppose such is the life of a new Yorkie owner...LOL

Hehe, I think we have all been there where you realize that you don't know enough - never enough! - but don't worry, if you stick to YT, you will be a pro in no time.

I don't want to offend, but it seems to me that she is challenging you. I realize that you desperately want her to eat, but be careful. You have to establish yourself as the leader and her refusing to take a treat from you and not eating, may be her way of challenging your authority. Please look at the information on Caesar Millan's website. He shares some great information and tips for happy dogs and happy owners.

According to another website, as soon as you say something like "She won't let me do this" or "He won't allow that," you need to step up your leadership game. It is really easy, actually. I had to do it with Cash, so that is why I worry for you.

Here is what you can do: Put her food down for 15 minutes and then take it away - never free feed (unless you aren't home to feed a 3-meals-a-day puppy). Give her the same food at the next meal. I promise you, she will only go hungry once. Also, make sure that you enter a room before she does, you move her to get to the best spot on the couch or on the bed, you start and end games, etc.

As the leader, you must control the resources.

Best of luck for you and your baby!:aimeeyork

Well, I do disagree with not free feeding... especially with Yorkies, because as puppies they need to be fed regulary due to to hypoglcemia problems so common in puppies. Espicially when a pup is very picky and won't eat well.
I wanted to ask you if you had tried a super pre. canned food By Nature, it is rated a 6... What i do is mix a little of the same kibble which are small bites into the canned food and give my pup . She actually was underweight, to my horror:( She was clipped down a few months ago, and could feel her hip bones .. I had no idea she was that thin. That is when I began given her a high protein diet, which she loves. They also have organic kind. this food is very, very top quality, rated. i always take the rest of the food out and you can either freeze it or put it in a air tight container and use it within a few days .... I than leave kibble out for Suzi to eat during the rest of the day to eat, along with fresh / bottled water to drink all the time. We have a water cooler. Maybe buy a couple of cans and see if she likes it ? They have several types. Turkey bacon, beef, Chicken, and the organinc is a little more expensive. I think it is worth every penny though:)

yes i give my fur kids hard boiled egg's it is good for their immune system and their hair growth i have read some where way back when i got Bingo:) scrambled is very greasy with the butter i perfer hard boiled..

Trust me, I am not easily offended especially when I am asking for advice! (I'm a retired teacher of junior high students...that should tell you that I don't offend too easily or I would have disliked my job...LOL... Kids are so honest and refreshing!)

I had to chuckle though about the advice that she not enter a room before me. Generally she is in my arms being carried...LOL Part of this is because I am fat and clumsy and don't want to step on her or fall over her. The house is an open plan anyway so there really isn't much going from room to room.

I don't think it's a case of her not knowing the leader. She is very smart and when I tell her no or to stop something in my "schoolteacher" voice, she stops immediately. It's really amusing to see because she doesn't react by stopping when my husband tells her to! She got in a restricted area yesterday and as I went to get her, she started to scamper away. I just said, "Get back here. I am not going to chase you!" and she came back in a sort of belly crawl. I didn't yell, I didn't make a loud noise, I just simply stated the truth in a serious voice. She is very intuitive, I think.

I use voice tone and inflection alot when dealing with her and she responds very well. As far as the treats go, our breeder told us she didn't give her many and what she did give were homemade. (Should I mention here that in my life I have never rolled out a dough and used cookie cutters...LOL) The only cookies I have ever made were drop by spoon or cut into squares after cooling!

So far I have had no luck with any canned food or kibble. I'm just so glad that she's eating that I'll suck it up and cook if it takes that. I think my husband may be right about my inability to grasp just how little fills up a Yorkie's tummy. I probably am comparing it to the large, outside dogs of my childhood and they were chow hounds to say the least!

You guys just make me feel so much better though when you respond with suggestins and ideas. I do appreciate them all and try those I can and even adapt others. (I also think she sleeps alot but that's another post for another day. Again, my husband thinks she's well within the normal range of puppy sleep habits!)

Thanks again for the responses.

My girls get eggs once in a while. They're good as long as you don't use any fat to cook them;)

If she's pooping, then she's getting enough to eat, Momma;) :laugh:

i have had great success with blue wolf dry food for free feeding.. i also use the prey model diet.. it is very good for them..dont use any food containing animal by products..and dingo bones are a necessity here.. good luck..:)

Luna's Momma, she's pooping several times a day...formed and solid and not watery. She's even doing it on the pads and I've decreased the size of the washable pads to the "unsquare" ones that appear to be made from scraps. She does prefer one for pee and one for poop though...doesn't like to mix her waste products. Last night she moved from one little pad to the other so she could do both jobs in the same time frame.

I am so proud of her for her pad training. We clap and carry on each time like she's won an award or just graduated. If we miss a time, she comes sit in front of us and looks back at the pad. I think she enjoys seeing us act like fools...LOL

By the way, I found this link in a post several months ago and although the shipping is a bit expensive, I like that it is supporting people with disabilities. The products are extremely reasonable; shipping is a bit high but the packages are heavy when you order in bulk. The "unsquare" ones are very, very reasonable and I hope are going to become what we use since they are so much smaller. So far...success!

http://www.odcmerchandise.com/Default.asp?Redirected=Y

So glad she is eating. :)
I really don't want to stress you out further but please be very careful about cooking for her (as a puppy) long term. The amounts of vitamins and minerals needed are different from those of adults and I'm sure there are recipes for pups online but most of them are not put out by qualified nutritionists. Anyone who cooks for a pup long term should talk to a nutritionist to get the recipe balanced or you may risk things like nutritional cataracts, etc.

I have a very picky eater as well. I finally, recently, found something that he likes. It is Natural Balance Rolls. There is turkey, lamb and beef. For the most part he eats this without much to do but occasionally I will have to sprinkle some parmesaen cheese on it. lol. to give you an idea of just how pickey he was/is, I finally donated the bags of food that I had collected that he would not eat.

I finally found a place that had tons of samples of the other foods (kibble) that I was wanting to try such as merrick, wellness and evo. Well, once again I have a collection but at least this time they are sample bags and I didn't spend a small fortune to find out he won't eat it. :)

I too am guilty of having the buffet in front of him and I know that I created a monster. :eek: I am also doing the eat for 15/20 minutes, twice a day and they both are eating much better for me. I was giving them a healthy teaspoon of cottage cheese in the afternoons and I guess they were just not hungry at dinnertime. I don't do this anymore and they seem to be eating better.

Lately, Maggie has been a fantastic eater! :D At one point when I was feeding kibble, I was feeding 1/2 cup at each meal and my vet said to try 1/3 cup and they still were not finishing the kibble. I then cut back to 1/4 cup and they still left a couple of pieces of kibble. Their stomachs are so little that they really don't need much. Now Maggie eats her portion and will polish off whatever Hot Rod leaves in his bowl. lol :D

I was so used to just leaving food out as I had cats. This was and still is a whole new experience for me. :) Mine are 11 months and 19 months.

Also, they get their bully sticks after everyone's dinner is done and we sit down in the family room for the evening. Maggie will go run over to the bookshelf and sit and look at us as to say, "okay, come on, I'm waiting for my bully!" it is so cute and funny. :)

[quote=TOY;2579973]
So far I have had no luck with any canned food or kibble. I'm just so glad that she's eating that I'll suck it up and cook if it takes that. I think my husband may be right about my inability to grasp just how little fills up a Yorkie's tummy. I probably am comparing it to the large, outside dogs of my childhood and they were chow hounds to say the least!
quote]
I don't know if this will help, but imagine a yorkie's tummy being the size of a walnut. In your case, she's still a pup, so a very small walnut.:D

I am pleased to say and I am not bragging but I am very lucky that I dont have a eatting problem with my two I wouldnt know what to do I know thoise of you who do have a problem it must be stressful and god bless u I dont know if I would have the patience or even the money to try every Dog food but Minnie started on wellness hard food and wet but than I didnt find it near me so i switched to Eubakanuba and Cesare canned cuisine for the both of them and they love it altho bingo still barks for table food if my mom has it at hand and he looks at me and give's me his paw for my food i refuse to give it to him one time i gave him a chicken nugget my 3 month old stole it out of his mouth I was so upset he dosnt like when she touch's him he is such a mama's boy lol and she is tuff it's so funny but i realized the cheap dog brands like mighty dog and pedigree stuff Bingo don't like Minnie dosn't seem to notice the difference I guess cause she is so small she hasnt really tried all the foods yet to balance what is her favorite I hope to keep them on this for along time I would love to stack up on Cesare and Euba but Cesare only 12 come in a pack I want like a box pack like 40 atleast lol i need to do some suffering around

Update...update...stop the presses...
 

Oh my....she is eating KIBBLE...hooray!

Tonight totally out-of-the-blue she decided to eat the heretofore "alien" matter in her bowl....known to humans as kibble.

Hooray! We are sooooo happy you'd think we'd won the lottery!

She's actually returned to the bowl several times for more to munch on...this is a wonderful development!

Thanks everyone for your help and advice. As it turns out, I've just left it there after freshing it up each day and finally, finally she did more than sniff and turn away. Hooray! Hooray! I literally held my breath when I saw her pausing over the bowl and then she ate. Whew.....stress relief for sure!

YAY! *dances* Yay for kibble eating parties!