Bored

kpwlee

 LOL I just want to say - heck 30-40lb dogs look small to me now cuz my 100+lb'er is my normal size dog.

Haha, people look at me like I have two heads when I talk about my 'little' dog.  Onyx is 45 pounds, but beside Crusher she is little!

 Cocker spaniels,and most spaniel/hunting type breeds are chow hounds,one would be hard pressed to find a finicky cocker.I wouldnt either call them a 'small' breed.To me a small breed are those found in the toy group. Yorkies,maltese,shihtzu's,pugs,paps,chi's etc etc etc

I've met my fair share of picky eaters in my time,and they have ALL been small/toy dogs.There was one who thought nothing of holding out for a week if her owner didn't give her what she wanted.This dog literally did not eat for 5 and a 1/2 days,until the owner gave in and added a topper to her kibble,and then she scarfed it down and was looking for more!! She was starving hungry but would literally starve than eat a bowl of plain kibble!

There is nothing wrong or weak or lapsed with the owners of picky dogs Glenda,as you seem to regularly imply ,and i dont think it's as rare as you like to think.I've had picky dogs in the past,luckily my current ones are good eaters.I have treated each of my dogs the same when it comes to feeding time,but the smaller breeds i have owned, i could never have called them chowhounds. 

I have a picky large breed dog (presumed gsd/lab mix). Ideal weight for him is about 70 lbs, but he is never up that far. He gets plenty of variety (mixture of a variety of kibbles, premade raw, canned, homecooked, rec bones, and sometimes a chicken leg or egg). He likes his food, but he has just never been food motivated. He eats his meals very slowly, leaves food regularly, and sometimes will fast himself through a meal or 2. I don't cater to him. If he wants to fast himself he does, and the meal comes up. Of course if I offered him steak or something he would probably eat, but that wouldn't be sending a good message to him. He gets really good foods, and he does like his food a lot. He just isn't as excited about it as most dogs that I have had. He is in perfect health according to the vet other then being underweight. She said just to leave him be unless he loses too much weight (which he sometimes will when we are really active). If he gets too thin I normally add a 3rd meal for a week or so and that evens him out again.

I could probably free feed Salem if I wanted too, but I can't because Cheza is our little piggy. She loves food, and would just eat until she popped if we let her. She is more like the other dogs I have had. I grew up with cockers and golden retrievers, and they were far from picky. I wouldn't really want to free feed anyway because I would never know who was eating how much.

Salem's pickiness is a total mystery to me.

SalemsMom

She loves food, and would just eat until she popped if we let her.

One of my dogs is like that.I have real trouble figuring out if she is actually hungry or just being a pig! Every time i go into the kitchen she's not far behind,(she licks her bowl clean each and every time and then hassles the others for theirs) and i cant tell if she asking for food because she genuinely is hungry or she's just taking advantage.... She is slightly overweight so i guess that's a big clue that she's getting enough food

Edie

There is nothing wrong with the owners of picky dogs Glenda,as you seem to be implying,

I don't think Glenda was implying that at all.  My dogs could fast for 5 days too, if they thought it was gonna get them something better.  If they did, it would be because I had set the pattern.  Simple.  She never said there was anything wrong with it, just that she would never do it in her house.  Whats wrong with that?  In fact, I believe it was me that said there is something wrong with that, at least as far as I'm concerned.  It would severely limit my ability to know if my dog was sick.  Maybe there are other signs that show up first with little dogs, I don't know, having never owned one.  But with my dogs, the first thing I notice is a lack of appetite.  Thats my heads up.  BTW, if my dogs refused food for 5 1/2 days, they would have already been to the vet to make sure nothing was wrong.  

Emma's bestest buddy in the world, Trouble, is a Doberman. She's picky. And I know plenty of picky Cockers. It's definitely not a behavior limited to toy breeds. The dog this thread was started about, Tootsie, is a Corgi!

The pickiest dog I know is my mom's 15 year old mutt, Toby. There is no question as to why he's picky. He's spoiled rotten! He's her third child. He's the baby of the family. He weighs in at 40 lbs.  

 Huskymom you've obviously missed the pattern that others have picked up on.

No biggie,i've given my experience and disagree with a couple of "opinions" stated here... 

Exactly Jennie! I started this thread about my corgi. I consider her small (22 lbs.) She is a master manipulator, especially when it comes to food, but tough love worked and so did a little variety. I didn't cater to her by adding special toppings. I just switched food.

tiffy

Exactly Jennie! I started this thread about my corgi. I consider her small (22 lbs.) She is a master manipulator, especially when it comes to food, but tough love worked and so did a little variety. I didn't cater to her by adding special toppings. I just switched food.

And that is absolutely fine and the right thing to do.

I'm getting a bit tired of people implying that I'm some sort of food nazi.  I'm not dumping dog chow in their bowls and demanding that they eat it. twice each day for the rest of their lives.  I give my dogs an excellent quality dry and I home cook for them and provide plenty of variety.  I am also not being critical of anyone who does differently.  Yes, I do happen to believe that picky eaters, be they human or canine, are created.  That's my opinion.  I believe I'm still allowed to share it, however, please note that I didn't do so in THIS thread until just now.

Again, as I've said repeatedly, I'm not being critical of anyone who HAS a picky eater, nor am I pointing fingers and saying "well, you made your bed....." I simply said that I don't get picky eaters.  And that I use the willingness to eat, or the lack thereof, as a health indicator.  As do many others.  Perhaps my ATTITUDE and my refusal to become a short order cook are the reasons that my sons and my animals just eat.  Perhaps not.  I don't really know.

I DO know that this thread, or anyplace on the forum is not the place for personal digs or nastiness.

I agree that a  corgi is a small breed.  Without going and looking up size definations, I believe there are FIVE categories...toy, small, medium, large and giant, such as danes.  And I think a dog of any size is capable of being a "master manipulator" if we let them be.  But, then, so can human children.  If we allow it.

That said though, I've never owned a toy breed or had to deal with hypoglycemic episodes so I can't even begin to imagine how to deal with that.

.  Perhaps my ATTITUDE and my refusal to become a short order cook are the reasons that my sons and my animals just eat.  Perhaps not.  I don't really know. I DO know that this thread, or anyplace on the forum is not the place for personal digs or nastiness.I agree that a corgi is a small breed. Without going and looking up size definations, I believe there are FIVE categories...toy, small, medium, large and giant, such as danes. And I think a dog of any size is capable of being a "master manipulator" if we let them be. But, then, so can human children. If we allow it.

Statments like these are what insult people glenda. So again, are you saying you are a superior dog owner because your dogs don't have this problem? It sure looks that way.

I guess if you are looking to be insulted, whatever I say will insult.

Nope, not at all what I was saying, but thanks for pointing out that it could look that way.

Guess I'll just go away and stop bothering folks with toy breeds that don't eat.  After all, it certainly isn't MY problem.

glenmar

I guess if you are looking to be insulted, whatever I say will insult.

Nope, not at all what I was saying, but thanks for pointing out that it could look that way.

Guess I'll just go away and stop bothering folks with toy breeds that don't eat.  After all, it certainly isn't MY problem.

I enjoy your posts.  Please don't go away..   I think a lot of people who have picky dogs can learn from your tactics.

Dogs are very smart. Without even knowing it they can train us...  Instead of us teaching them about meal time and what is acceptable.

I also believe that by breeding down dogs into the toy breeds that their desire to "Chow Down " may have been bread out . If a Toy or for that matter a large breed dog does not eat with vigor that dog should not be breed. It's as much a fault as poor coat, hips, etc.

Mod's Note,

Let's try not to make things personal, and remember to post with respect towards each other even if we have differing opinions.

Thanks... and carry on! :)
 

Glenmar, I haven't read this whole thread, but just wanted to point out that I did not perceive your statements from this morning insulting at all.  I was surprised when someone else did.  Interesting how perception has such a wide range. 

I too enjoy your posts Glenmar.  Keep'em coming girl!

Edie

 Huskymom you've obviously missed the pattern that others have picked up on.

Apparently so.  But that is irrelevant.  I don't believe anyone is implying anything about superiority.

For the Record, I fully 100% believe that if you have a dog that is truly picky, then you have allowed it to become that way somehow.  I can't afford financially for my dogs to be picky.  So I don't allow them to.  Does that make me a better dog owner than someone who does?  Doubt it.  There are many things that go into dog ownership besides how and what you feed your dog.  Does it give me an advantage?  I believe so, but apparently its not something that other owners would care about.  Not a big deal.  That is just what I believe, and until I have a dog myself that is truly picky and starves itself just because it doesn't want to eat what I give it, well you're gonna have a hard time convincing me otherwise.

 That said, I do think dogs can get bored with their food.  I'm sure mind got bored with their kibble when they still got it.  Certainly before I started my research and my dogs ate the same food every single day twice a day, them probably did.  None of them ever refused it though.  Currently I switch food up too much for my dogs to every get bored of any of it.  So the whole thing is a non issue here.

So there, I've said it.  I believe that my dogs are not picky because they eat what I give them or the get nothin.  If you must know, I also believe that my dogs eat what the get when the get it, because otherwise the other will eat it.  In fact I have a whole set of belief systems that others might not agree with.  Yay me!