new here..some ideas for a 9 month old who is a major finicky eater

IF he is otherwise completely healthy, then try this.

Teaching your dog to eat

You already know you need to make sure he has no access to the cat food.

Good luck!! I have a finicky eater so I do understand. Thankfully, Brianna never skips more then one meal a day. Unless we're nearing the end of the bag, then she won't eat at all. I just buy the new bag a little bit sooner and mix that with the old for her.

You sound pretty frustrated!  But just think of this. You have had him for 3 months. You did not mention that he was losing weight, so I will assume that he is not.  This simple fact tells you that your dog is indeed eating enough food!  If dogs don't eat enough, they lose weight. \

Could you post pictures of him?  I could almost guarantee you that your dog is at a good healthy weight. 

Think about how think some teenagers are. They are like beanpoles, no matter what they eat they don't gain an ounce. (curses upon their heads lol) Dogs can be the same way. Your dog is 9 months old, that is a very adolescent age. Plus, shepherds are notorious for being skinny, that's just they way they are built. If that is his genetics you can't change it.

The sad truth is that the large majority of dogs in this country are overweight. So when we see a dog that is at a lean healthy weight most people think the dog is too thin. Even vets do this.

I would 100% recommend that you stop trying to get your dog to gain weight. If he stays lean like he is he will be less prone to developing arthritis when he is old. He will stay fitter and more active into old age. He will be healthier and probably live longer. When people tell you he is thin, just laugh and say he's built like a marathon runner.

If you want to make him a more consistent eater that is easy to do. He won't eat more, but you can teach him to eat his food when you put it down. Pick a good food, mix up with the canned, and set down his meal for 10 minutes at regular times twice a day. Then pick it up. No more food until the next meal. Your dog has already proved to you that he won't die if he misses a meal, so don't worry.

If he is consistently leaving food in the bowl, reduce the amount of each meal. Find the level where he always finishes his food in a timely manner. Once he's been trained to eat like this, you can try increasing the food just a bit and see if he will eat it. If not, go back to the previous level.

 thanks for the feedback...Just want to add that its he not eating what he gets that is the issue...He was thinner when we got him. he has gained weight and gotten taller....he wont get more then 45lbs when done growing....he was 21lbs when we got him and i took him to my vet... his spine was sticking thru and he was sort of thin in that middle area beyond his ribs. thats why vet said to increase to 2 cups....i am not worried about him gaining weight or anything like that. i just want him to at least eat something, just eat something....if i cut up chicken or steak leftover which i have to admit a cpl of times i did do cause i wanted to really see if he was hungry or just didnt want to eat , period... he indeed ate the meat... i mix in scrambled egg he eats it, i gave him hardboiled egss the other day he wolfed it down, all of it.... so see? he would eat if given people food...but HIS food he gets goofy with... for us its just getting him to at least go over to his bowl and eat...in the morning i have his bowl and say cmon Geno u want to eat... and show him the bowl. he stands in liv rm and looks at me...i put it down and there it sits... he doesnt even go over to it.. at times ill walk over to him with the bowl and let him smell it, he sniffs takes a small lick or bite then walks away.....so if he doesnt go back to eat in 15 minutes i pick it up and give it to him again at lunch time....if still not eating then again at dinner, maybe he eats all or maybe some or maybe nothing again....then it turns into an argument around the house cause he isnt eating.....yet if he is outside , and maybe sees a piece of poop he will eat that, or if i see him with it in his mouth i make him stop running and drop it... its not about him being too thin....Vet just wanted to have him put on a bit more weight cause he was too thin, when bones feel thru the skin, id say so.....but again, this is just getting him to eat and not be afraid or turn away from it or not even show any interest in the food sitting there....

Here's the biggie...a healthy dog will NOT starve himself.  Some of the foods he's eaten, are frankly, crap, but likely pretty tasty crap.  That might be part of the holding out problem, but, if so?  Too bad.

I've fostered a good many pups and still have five german shephards of my own.  The rule here is, you get 15-20 minutes to eat and if you don't eat, too bad.  The food gets picked up and put away until the next meal time.  No discussion, no second chances.  I don't free feed and meal time is meal time.

People food is not bad for dogs, so long as it isn't the stuff that should go in the trash.  I homecooked for my crew for years.  Fairly lean meats and veggies are GOOD for them, and raw is also a nice boon now and then.

I don't think I'd be giving a shepherd mix (altho I don't wanna think about which was the mother in this case) adult or grain free until he is full grown.

Ever had a child who went on eating jags?  Nothing but grilled cheese or whatever for days on end?  Or refused to eat?  All you can do, without making the situation worse, is continue to offer good, healthy foods and no snacks AT MEAL TIME, and take the bowl away if it isn't eaten in a timely manner.

That program that 3girls posted a link for is excellent. It absolutely does work.

Just another word on his weight. You mentioned feeling his bones. Well, you are SUPPOSED to be able to feel his ribs. Also the top of his spine and the tops of his hipbones. There are no muscles that go over the top of the spine or the top of the hipbones. If you can't feel them it's just fat covering them. Sounds like your boy is a very healthy weight.

The more you play games to get him to eat, the worse an eater he will become.

 Thanks 3girls...interesting article...i get that if he isnt hungry he wont eat.. but i know he is...he is part beagle and shepard and other mix...but built more like a beagle with shepard shape body and long legs, but beagle height and probably no heavier then 45 lbs, who knows for sure... he is always siffing ground and smelling for something. digging up to put stuff in his mouth....eat what he can outside....as i said to other poster, he will eat food we have  but only chosen few of what he should eat.  not consistent as i said.  1 day i give him a can of Blue homestyle he eats it, next time he wont. so i dont know if he eats it cause he is just so hungry or cause he likes it.....wish i could find a food he really likes then i give it to him. if he only wants a little ill give him a little. but if he eats it and likes it, thats what im hoping for....the way he walks up to it and smells then walks away....makes me so irritated, but i dont say anything to him, just walk away from him...othwer times he eats the whole bowl of canned... with this dry kibble i have, taste of the wild, lamb....its just here sitting next to his water.. i guess i should pick it up and only put it down at meal time....trouble is like i said, he doesnt like dry and wet mixed together, and he doesnt appear to like or want to eat HIS FOOD in the morning.....

 HI Nancy,

TOTW is a high quality food, I'd say stay with that.  Now, I don't know how active the dog is, but 4 cups per day?!  My bichons walk 2 miles daily, and they only eat 1/4 cup of TOTW!  (The males are 19 and 22 pounds).  I'd say put the bowl down, let him eat, pick it up after 20 minutes, that's it till next feeding.  I feed once a day, at noon, with a small treat in the morning and at bedtime. 

 Check the bag for how much a dog his weight should eat; and remember those numbers are typically higher than most dogs need.

 Looking forward to photos!

 Glenmar, i agree. she gave him slop food when she 1st rescued him...they charge me 250 bucs for him, why i dont know, when she feeds him cheap food..i feed him good food. holistic premium stuff. blue buffalo foods, nutra, instinct those type foods...sometimes he eats them others he walks away from it...i tried pedigree he really walked away from that... pro plan select little cans he liked, it seemed ..the little nutra containers....taste of the wild seemed the only kibble he liked. wouldnt eat anything, but when i got that he did eat it, even if sporadic...says its good for all life stages....they do have a new puppy formula out but not in my feed store yet. i tried the canned taste of the wild, he didnt seem to care for that... its just all goofy at times. But i agree.. im the owner and this is how and when you eat. if you dont like it well i dont know what..  and yes the girl at feed store talked about people foods and good meats and fruits and veges and brown rices etc that are good for him, or even that raw meat diet...  whats funny is why does he like my cats food but not his?  cat eat dry kibble, cat chow for indoor cats, moistened a bit then a spoon of canned food that i mix in, either authority or that TIKI ....i know its not good, and it only happened 2-3x . wasnt much left in the bowl actually...cat eats it all, he just got the leftovers.....he wont eat his food MIXED but he eats the cats

 If he is healthy in every other way and not eating, then he's being finicky.  I, personally, would stop with the wet food and just feed dry using the tough love method.

If he needs to put weight on, but is otherwise healthy - I probably would stop with the wet food and add some low sodium chicken broth to the dry. But only one cup at a time.

He's no more then 45 lbs? My Jackson is 50lbs and only eats 2 cups of dry food a day and he's an ACTIVE, albeit s-p-e-c-i-a-l border collie!!

I can't tell from your post if you're home during the day. What time of day are you feeding breakfast and dinner? That may have something to do with it. 

 thanks Freedom.....actually yes, when animals eat the better foods, they should eat less... so they suggest...in the beginning when i got him, he was eating 1 1/4 2x a day. although i doubt he ate that...vet suggested to bump it up to 2 cups....he should eat 2x a day...but apparently he doesnt need a lot from what im reading and understanding, especially with the better foods....he is very active... we have a huge back yard all fenced and he runs all around all the time. chasing things or chewing or running with the toys or balls. we walk him at parks nonstop for an hr or so...or around the neighborhood here and there. always playing in the house too..

how are you guys posting pics here?

And I think he may be reacting to your frustration as well.  He is now an "only" -- no competition for food.  And he may have eaten what he ate before **because** of competition. 

I home cook for three dogs -- I cook once a week and that's all.  Veggies, meat -- it all gets mulched up together with a potato masher.  you couldn't pick a green bean or a bit of meat out of it if you tried.  I measure it -- if you don't eat it by the time everyone is done it gets picked up, covered and put in the fridge. 

He may not be used to eating the same thing meal after meal -- the other thing I would wonder is if there is a bit of fear or distrust here.  She's mad because I won't eat.  I can't please her --

ALSO REMEMBER - he's 9 months old -- he's that rebellious age (if he was a teenaged boy he'd be about 17 years old =-- get the picture?) -- he's asserting himself to a degree.  I don't want to and she can't make me.  Well -- so remove the "make" from the equation. 

If you're angsty about something the last thing you want IS to eat.  Do you use a crate with him?  Have you tried putting kibble in a Kong, put a plug of something wet at the opening and freeze it.  Then just put it in his crate for him the next meal.  See if removing him from the "feeding scenario" helps.

 You've only had him for a month -- YOU are frustrated beyond belief -- he doesn't know how much you've spent, nor why you are frustrated. 

Try taking half of his kibble ration and toss it down the hall -- see if he'll eat it after chasing it.

Do you know why he was given up?  Usually there is yelling and harsh feelings -- I'm betting he's just ill at ease, knows he can NOT please you and that just makes him uneasy and less apt to eat.  Something "new" helps for a while but he may just be so at odds because this situation is SO different (and she watches ME) that he feels like he can't win.

I'd try to take the pressure off.  You aren't going to find something he just "likes" -- I doubt highly that's the issue.  He's not at ease -- he's not relaxed. 

For some dogs, feeding time may have been horrific.  Other dogs eating your face when they want YOUR food, arguing and yelling in the family around you -- just being in the kitchen may make him worry.

I'm not saying coddle him -- I'm saying just try different locations.

And please -- I hate it when people say "I never feed him people food".  There is NO such thing as "people food".  There is good food, and there are scraps that need to go in the trash.  Dead french fries?  That's trash.  But broccoli and mashed potatos left over from supper?  put in a food chopper and mix in with his kibble.  Nothing at my house EVER goes to waste -- I add it to their food BUT I ADD IT IN -- it's all calculated as part of the whole.  I literally MEASURE everything they get (no fat dogs at my house -- not even the pug is fat!)

You don't need to try to tempt him -- you just need to de-stress this and get him to eat.  I just don't want you to think that "dog food" is magic.  It's not. 

I just read your original post more carefully, and I agree with Nancy, 4 cups is way too much food. With a high quality food like TOTW, 3/4 to 1 cup twice a day is more realistic. He may have been eating more for a while because he was thin and growing.

Number one reason dogs don't eat all their food - they are getting too much food. Dogs getting just enough food to maintain a lean build, they eat it all up quickly. If my dogs don't finish their food their food in 60 seconds they are probably not feeling well.

Red faced to admit that I send my pics to someone else to post......

I'm thinking here....my full sized gsds only eat 4 cups per day and my SMALLEST is 65 lbs. and that's For Health which is not especially high in Kcals

 yes im home in the day.. actually the rescue lady who had him said he wouldnt be any bigger then about 45lbs when full grown....in FEB he was 21lbs.....i havent taken him back to vet again, but we clearly can see he has grown taller and more heavier, still lean  and healthy looking, not fat at all....i feed the cat and the dog same time in morning, say around 730, cat eats it all then goes to sleep all day....him, he sits in liv rm and sees me say come on time to eat, geno, here is your food... and i put it down. he sits in other room looking at me....or he sits in the kitchen waiting and sees me getting the bowls ready , then he runs into the liv rm and sits there. i call him over and he doesnt bother....i show him the bowl , he sniffs it and forget it...yes he is being finicky......wet food was what he seemed to prefer , but its expensive to eat 2x a day....and since he wasnt liking anything in particular i didnt want to waste it.... i want him to like dry and wet mixed in, but he wont eat like that....good quality prem wet food IS good for them and their teeth,  but i wanted to get him onto dry mostly and TOTW he seems to eat when he does eat, when a dog sits in the kitchen when you cook or your eating its clear to see he wants to eat.. i tell him other room, go eat your food, he leaves, maybe nibbles maybe not....if he doesnt eat in the morning, i try again around 12-1 or so... then dinner is 630ish give or take....so its a good stretch in between....and he is active as i said in other posts... loves being outdoors....  i tr adding gravys and he doesnt like them...