Hungry Boy

[Guest KennelMom]

Dogs are designed to eat as much food as is available, when it's available and to then be able to go fairly long periods with no food. If he is maintaining a good weight, he has merely figured out that home life differs from track life in that food is available on demand.

 

 

pretty much. Sounds like he's trying to train you. If you are feeding him sufficient calories, he's maintaining weight, has good activity level and no medical issues then he's not hungry, he's playing you.

[cleptogrey]

I wouldn't continue the "fillers" forever. I did use them with my Sobe when I switched him to a food with about double the calories of his previous food, so he was getting a lot less volume. Maybe 2 weeks. That was it. He loved to eat, and any trick he could pull to make me "think" he was hungry, he'd try. I ignored it, and he eventually gave up.

 

My experience is - most greys will eat anything that doesn't eat them first. Genetically programmed to get food when available.

 

The more you reward the "it's been 30 minutes since I've eaten - I'm STARVING" - the more of that behaviour you'll get.

 

Hand the dog a rawhide, or a marrow bone to keep his mouth busy.

 

Meals are meals here. You eat, you're done. No fuss, no muss. Treats are treats, chews are chews. I don't do "add-ins".

 

That said, I DO give my dogs variety in their diet. Raw bones, raw meat, dinner leftovers, as appropriate in substitution for, or as part of their kibble meals, not all the time - occasionally. My choice for their overall health - not because I feel compelled to "give a little something extra" because one acts finicky.

 

But - I'm also referred to as the "dog feeding Nazi" here.

 

exactly,

another member of the "dog feeding nazi" club

Edited September 22, 2011 by cleptogrey

[Guest tysmom]

Im incline to think dogs are like children or people. Every one has their own special caloric needs. I fed both mine twice a day 2 cups for years and

and it was beginning to just sit there. I made the decision to feed once a day and my male is 85 pounds. He sure knows when its dinner time cause he lets me know

but his weight has been just fine. so has my little 63 pound girl.

deb

[Sambuca]

Lets's recap:

 

Before - 5 cups - always hungry

 

After - 2.5 cups - even more hungry

 

So you're feeding him 50% less and he's acting as if he is starving all the time?

 

Maybe he is playing complex psychological games with you but

my friend OCCAM says that perhaps

 

HE'S STARVING

 

You like your dogs lean -no doubt to reflect your similar body image.

 

 

(try living on 1.5 cups of peanuts a day(1800 calories) and see how you like that)

 

My dog is a healthy weight and getting the necessary calories to be healthy. My body image has nothing to do with me wanting to keep my dog healthy.

 

As I said, I don't give in. I wait until I'm ready to feed him and he's lying down and calm before I feed him. I just wanted to make the transition a little easier on the sweet boy.

[Feisty49]

I think the bottom line is follow your own instincts/desires. We can ask all the questions we want, and it is nice to have the input and stories from others, but we live with our Greys and know them better than anybody.

 

I don't add anything to Annie's food now. I started on green things shortly after I got her because I thought she *needed* 'em. After a couple of days, she'd leave anything green in the bowl and if she couldn't eat around it, she wouldn't eat. I tried green beans for a few days. Next I tried peas. I tried pumpkin (not green I know) for soft stools. She didn't like any of it and refused to eat. Sooo, does she need these additives? Maybe? Yes? No? Makes no diff because she won't eat them.