Natural Balance Feeders

If he was getting bored with Fromm then it sounds like he was already getting a little picky. I'm thinking that Iams probably has the tasty unhealthy ingredients like sugar, salt or digest... in which case if he has access to that food then it makes sense that he's going after the tastier food. I would feed him in his crate, give about 15 minutes and try again at the next feeding time (no snacks or treats in between) and make sure he doesn't have access to the Labrador's food.
 
As far as the Natural Balance- I fed Venison & Rice to Gingerbread and he seemed to like it.

He's already fed in his crate.  My mother refuses to feed the Lab in his crate, and the Lab just picks at his food.  It's not fair for Strauss to have to sit in his crate for hours because the blasted Lab won't eat all at once.

I don't consider not wanting to eat the same thing day in and day out being picky.  I wouldn't want to eat whitefish and potato flavored food every single day of my life.  He ate the Fromm's for the better part of a year (10 months).

Yes, I would get tired of the same thing every day. I have fed Trudy Nat. Balance Venison, Duck and now Fish. The fish seems the best for her. I add other foods too. Fruit and Veggies that we are eating etc. Or some meat.
 
I give her two tiny plates. One with kibble, one with a bit of canned. She loves it.

ORIGINAL: Xeph

He's already fed in his crate.  My mother refuses to feed the Lab in his crate, and the Lab just picks at his food.  It's not fair for Strauss to have to sit in his crate for hours because the blasted Lab won't eat all at once.

I don't consider not wanting to eat the same thing day in and day out being picky.  I wouldn't want to eat whitefish and potato flavored food every single day of my life.  He ate the Fromm's for the better part of a year (10 months).

 
No I wouldn't recommend leaving Strauss in his crate for hours. Since your mom won't feed the Lab in his crate, it seems like she probably won't give him an allotted time to eat and then take the food up. [8|] Is there any kind of compromise you can come to- some way of keeping the Lab and Strauss separated until the Lab finishes eating? It just seems like it's going to be a problem if he continues to have access to the other dog's food.
 
Also, it seems like I offended you by saying that Strauss was getting picky; that wasn't my intention.... or I might have misunderstood the tone of your post.

I fed the NB Duck/Potato for 2 months. My boy ate it but started getting bored about the time I switched his foods. I was doing an elimination diet, so I had to feed him this. No other choices...so he either ate it or not. I did add the NB Duck/Potato canned in with the kibble which he liked, but eventually got bored of that too.
 
I can't tell you how many foods my pup has turned his nose up to. I just don't think he really likes any kibble. So I mix in EVO 95% canned and he scarfs it down. Other than that, he turns his nose up to dry kibble. So, basically I just pick whatever kibble I want him to eat and that he does well on, of course...and then add in canned foods, fish, fresh meats, etc. []

No Luvntzus, you didn't offend me.  I'm sorry if I came off that way.  Between school, two jobs, showing Mouse, and getting ready for the nationals (Two weeks! YAY!), I'm just very very very tired, and very stressed over everything.

He's a good boy, Strauss is.  I added the canned food tonight (a brand called Natural Life, anybody hear of it?) and he scarfed it down.  The whole bowl   I think he eats the NB with the canned because the canned food smells meaty, where as the P&D smells very starchy (from the potatoes), and the meat smell entices him more than the veggies.

By the way, I bought the Natural Life from Wal-Mart, but it seems like a higher quality canned food.  Natural Balance quality for a lesser price.

Ingredients: Chicken, Chicken Broth, Chicken Liver, Brown Rice, Pearled Barley, Peas, Flaxseed Meal, Carrots, Calcium Carbonate, Sodium Tripolyphosphate, Potassium Chloride, Cranberry Meal, Minerals (Iron Amino Acid Chelate, Zinc Amino Acid Chelate, Cobalt Amino Acid Chelate, Copper Amino Acid Chelate, Manganese Amino Acid Chelate, Sodium Selenite, Potassium Iodide), Vitamins (Vitamin E, A, B12, D3 Supplements, Thimain Mononitrate, Biotin, Riboflavin Supplement), Choline Chloride, Yuccia Schidigera Extract.
 
Ingredients of the NB Potato and Duck Canned:  Duck, Duck Broth, Potatoes, Dehydrated Potatoes, Canola Oil, Calcium Carbonate, Dicalcium Phosphate, Guar Gum, Kelp, Lecithin, Sodium Chloride, Potassium Chloride, Choline Chloride, Carrageenan, Zinc Sulfate, Iron Sulfate, Rosemary Extract, Vitamin E Supplement, Niacin Supplement, Copper Sulfate, Manganese Sulfate, Thiamine Mononitrate, Abscorbic Acid (Vitamin C), Sodium Selenite, Calcium Pantothenate, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride (vitamin B6), Vitamin A Supplement, Riboflavin, Calcium Iodate, Folic Acid, Vitamin K1 Supplement, Biotin, Vitamin B-12 Supplement, Vitamin D3 Supplement.

Top of the line?  Perhaps not.  Above Pedigree and Ol' Roy...oh good lord yes!

I got some of that natural Life for really cheap because the Walmart I go to stopped carrying it.   I stopped feeding it after two days because it gave every one of my dogs crazy bad gas.  Forewarned is forarmed.  []

Ben ate the NB Duck for quite a while and did terrific on it.  I baited it with tripe and canned food however, plus it was only half his diet - he gets rmbs for dinner.

Oh good, I'm glad I didn't offend you Xeph! Sounds like you're burning the candle at both ends. Hope you have a restful weekend coming up. []
 
The ingredients in Natural Life look really good to me. That's great that Strauss likes it!

I'm beginning to think that my dogs are freaks. They love the NB Potato and Duck. They love anything I put down. Last night, Teenie had a fit over a Greens+ energy bar that I was eating, so I gave her some, and she loved it.

Why can't you take back the NB? They have a guarantee. You could try a different flavor, or a different brand. The Iams certainly isn't helping the allergies or the stools (or the possible slight pickiness, since he's able to fill up on something different). I'd normally never say it (because I do *not* condone picky eaters, and I do not tolerate it, ever), but it'd probably be better for him to use something that he'll scarf down, and be full of.

Of course, there's no food that canned tripe won't fix.

My dog would not touch any of the NB formulas, I was hoping she would like them because she has some allergy issues, but she refused to eat either the Duck, Venison or Fish formulas, she is a GSD also, so maybe it is something about them,  she is what I would say a slightly fussy eater.

I feed my dog Natural Balance Venison and Brown Rice. My dog loves it and eats the kibble plain, but just so she won;t get bored with it, I mix a couple of tablespoons of NB canned with it for her morning 1 cup meal. I vary the NB canned flavor and she devours it...Then when I feed her the plain kibble at night she eats that right up too.....

Strauss hasn't been gassy on the Natural Life canned at all (he's never been a gassy dog really).  I think that after this bag of the Duck formula, I'll try the venison.  If I'm happy with that, I may stick with it, otherwise it's back to Fromm's.  I won't really know how well the NB is working for him til next month, when I bathe him and get him blown out.
 
Right now he's blowing coat, so no matter what food he's on, his coat is going to look like crap.  He hasn't been itching or scratching, and as long as there's a meaty smell on the food, he'll scarf it down   I also did a "Test" with the Labrador, who will also eat absolutely anything.  He snubbed the food too.  I think that the starchy smell of the potatoes just puts the dogs off.  Go figure.  Bobsk8, does the Venison formula smell very strongly?
 
 

I will switch between NB venison nad brown rice and the duck and potato.  Both my guys like it.  That being said, our lab, Lille would eat anything we put in front of her [].  It has helped her itchiness and ear infections all together though.  Dasher is a bit pickier but he seems to like both.  I do mix in yogurt and cottage cheese in their food as well.  I agree that the duck is a bit stinkier than the venision so that may be throwing Strauss off a bit. 

That being said, our lab, Lille would eat anything we put in front of her .

 
Ditto for my labs.  I've been feeding the NB Duck & Potato for a year and a half, and there's definitely no problem with boredom with the food.  I'd switch things around, but when I tried the NB Fish & Sweet Potato last year, there seemed to be an increase in itchiness, so I'm sticking with the Duck & Potato.