Dog owners/experts, I have a question

[IrishSteelhead]

We got a one year old pug on Friday night. He is energetic, friendly, and hasn't really showed any signs of anxiety in a new home.

The previous owner gave us his old food, but he has not eaten any of it to this point, so I guess my question is why won't this little butterball eat?

*The previous owner did admit he would get table scraps occasionally, do you think he's being stubborn waiting for better people food?

 

[enrico514]

Probably just needs to settle in a bit!

 

[scUM Hater]

Just the new setting I would imagine. We got a dog a couple months ago that was 2 1/2 and it took her awhile to eat also.

 

[peoriairish]

I agree with Scum and enrico. Even my 3 year old pup that I've had the whole time takes a few days to eat after a move. Once he gets hungry enough, he'll eat.

 

[IrishSteelhead]

Thanks guys!

 

[irishpat183]

The golden rule with dogs is that he will eat when he's hungry enough....and the old owner admitting he gets scraps "occasionally" is a little worrisome.

Don't waiver on the people food. It's so bad for dogs.


Congrats on the new addition man!

 

[BobD]

He's stressed a bit right now even though he might not be showing it.

 

[ShakeDown]

Great advice on here, one other thing I would add is not to leave food laying out. It will help with a lot of different things (obesity, bowel regularity, even obedience and social issues) to have a set feeding schedule. Leave their food out, if they don't touch it for 10-15min, take it away. It's a bit more of a hassle, but it is well worth it. My 90lb Dogo eats two cups twice a day, once at 7am, once at 7pm. She poops like clockwork ten minutes later haha.

Hit me up in a pm if you need anything or have more questions, dog training is a hobby of mine. If I don't have an answer directly I can ask my dogs trainer for ya.

 

[IrishJayhawk]

All of this is true. My two little dogs stop eating when we travel. It takes a day or two before they get comfortable...and that's when my wife and I are still there.

It'll just take time.

 

[Great Lakes Irish]

The golden rule with dogs is that he will eat when he's hungry enough....and the old owner admitting he gets scraps "occasionally" is a little worrisome.

Don't waiver on the people food. It's so bad for dogs.


Congrats on the new addition man!

Dogs are omnivores. There are some foods to avoid giving your dogs (grapes, garlic, etc), but most anything that's good for you is good for your dog. Corn based dry dog food is not so good for dogs.

 

[IrishJayhawk]

Dogs are omnivores. There are some foods to avoid giving your dogs (grapes, garlic, etc), but most anything that's good for you is good for your dog. Corn based dry dog food is not so good for dogs.

Absolutely true. They don't naturally eat grains.

What food do you use Great Lakes?

 

[Great Lakes Irish]

Absolutely true. They don't naturally eat grains.

What food do you use Great Lakes?

It'd be Blue Buffalo if we could afford it. Instead, we feed them Iams proactive. First ingredient is chicken, but there's a lot of corn in it too, so we supplement that with vege scraps mostly. They also get the leftover stuff from when my wife makes chicken stock. Stuff like that. There's a theory that I buy into that dogs evolved on the scrap heap. That worked perfectly for a long time until hamburger helper showed up there. :/

 

[NDdomer2]

take your pup for a nice good walk. dogs are always easier to work with/train when they have expelled some of their energy. especially for a energetic temperament as you have stated. put a lil bacon grease or fish oil on his food after and he will digg right in

 

[JadeBrecks]

The puppy we gave away took awhile to start eating. Then it made up for it. It won't let itself starve to death just keep the food out there for it to eat when it decides. Our dog that we have would only eat at night after we went to bed for a few days.

 

[IrishJayhawk]

It'd be Blue Buffalo if we could afford it. Instead, we feed them Iams proactive. First ingredient is chicken, but there's a lot of corn in it too, so we supplement that with vege scraps mostly. They also get the leftover stuff from when my wife makes chicken stock. Stuff like that. There's a theory that I buy into that dogs evolved on the scrap heap. That worked perfectly for a long time until hamburger helper showed up there. :/

We use Chicken Soup for the Pet Lover's Soul. Stupid name, but very little grain. It's also not nearly as expensive as some. Taste of the Wild is also a bit cheaper than some, but is entirely grain free.

 

[RallySonsOfND]

It is definitely worth buying the better dog food if you can afford it. My pooch is on a prescribed from the vet kind, really expensive but it doesn't take much to fill him up (zero fillers) and he only does number 2 about once a day and it is a lot smaller than for other dogs his size.

 

[dshans]

Our dog that we have would only eat at night after we went to bed for a few days.

So ... what did you do when you were in bed for a few days???

 

[IrishSteelhead]

Well he finally broke down and destroyed his bowl of food, so I think he's warming up.

Now I got to get him to pee and poop outside right away. Its cold as hell, and he will dance around out there for a few minutes, get cold, then wanna come back in. He then "has to go" minutes later and we repeat the process about 3 times before the magic happens.

 

[NOLAIrish]

Well he finally broke down and destroyed his bowl of food, so I think he's warming up.

Now I got to get him to pee and poop outside right away. Its cold as hell, and he will dance around out there for a few minutes, get cold, then wanna come back in. He then "has to go" minutes later and we repeat the process about 3 times before the magic happens.

It sounds like he's already housebroken, just not going right away when you let him out? You can train him by repeating a word like "bathroom" or "potty" in an encouraging tone while he's actually going. Once he finishes, praise him. After a little while, he'll associate the word with the act and you can just open the door, tell him "Go [word]" and he'll go on command, assuming he needs to.

 

[IrishSteelhead]

It sounds like he's already housebroken, just not going right away when you let him out? You can train him by repeating a word like "bathroom" or "potty" in an encouraging tone while he's actually going. Once he finishes, praise him. After a little while, he'll associate the word with the act and you can just open the door, tell him "Go [word]" and he'll go on command, assuming he needs to.

Thanks for the tips. He went from a backyard to an apartment, so I take him out on a leash. I'm sure he's not used to a guy hovering over him while he's trying to squeeze one out.

 

[ShakeDown]

Thanks for the tips. He went from a backyard to an apartment, so I take him out on a leash. I'm sure he's not used to a guy hovering over him while he's trying to squeeze one out.

Yessir, try not to look at him and see if that helps. My command is "hurry hurry."

For all you peeps talking about food, best bang for your buck is Costco's Signiture brand, Kirkland. it is avery good food for around $23 for a 40lb bag. Well worth the $50 a year membership fee for me. Check out the profile, not quite up to a Blue Buffalo, Acana or a Canidae... But really close.

 

[BobD]

Did you know that dogs will yawn or scratch behind their ear if they're nervous.

 

[peoriairish]

Thanks for the tips. He went from a backyard to an apartment, so I take him out on a leash. I'm sure he's not used to a guy hovering over him while he's trying to squeeze one out.

The praising for going potty is what we did. Every time he peed or pooped outside, we would reward him with a small treat. It worked very well.

I also do the only leaving the food out for 10-15 min then taking it away if they don't eat it. It makes them very regular which helps keep our family on our schedule, not the dogs.

I'll have to look into the Kirkland brand. My dog has had a history of food allergies or bad reactions to cheaper treats, so I'd really like to get him some higher quality food.

 

[Irish#1]

I'm a little of a dog expert. We used to raise bluetick coonhounds for years. We have won all of the UKC's major shows. We no longer raise them, but we still have a bloodhound and a redbone.

First remember any animal will not starve itself when food is available. It does sound like it's going thru a little adjustment period. Until it does decide to eat on a regular basis, I would leave the food out. Once they have become adjusted to you and their surroundings I would keep the food away until feeding time.

As far as food, read the label carefully. Cheap dog foods will have flavoring added to get the dof to eat it. The first ingrediant listed is the primary ingrediant in the food. As long as it's chicken, beef, turkey or lamb you will be okay. Not chicken, beef or lamb byproduct. Brewers rice as the second ingrediant is a plus. I feed our dogs ProPlan (Purina), but Aims, Eukanuba or any of the higher end brands will do. Just read the label and you'll be okay.

BTW.....The higher end food cost more, but since they don't have much filler, the stools are a lot smaller so there's less to clean up and that's a plus.

 

[woolybug25]

It'd be Blue Buffalo if we could afford it. Instead, we feed them Iams proactive. First ingredient is chicken, but there's a lot of corn in it too, so we supplement that with vege scraps mostly. They also get the leftover stuff from when my wife makes chicken stock. Stuff like that. There's a theory that I buy into that dogs evolved on the scrap heap. That worked perfectly for a long time until hamburger helper showed up there. :/

Blue Buffalo is great stuff, but man is it expensive. We are a Science Diet house per the advice of our vet.


One thing thing that our vet has had us do when our dog gets an upset stomach or anxiety is to feed him a mix of boiled white rice with lean hamburger (light on the hamburger, and rinse it off after cooking it). It is easy to digest and good for them. It's a good way to get them to start eating when their body isn't feeling well. Then you can slowly introduce their dog food into it.

 

[tko]

We got a one year old pug on Friday night. He is energetic, friendly, and hasn't really showed any signs of anxiety in a new home.

The previous owner gave us his old food, but he has not eaten any of it to this point, so I guess my question is why won't this little butterball eat?

*The previous owner did admit he would get table scraps occasionally, do you think he's being stubborn waiting for better people food?

He probably hates you!

 

[Irish#1]

Blue Buffalo is great stuff, but man is it expensive. We are a Science Diet house per the advice of our vet.


One thing thing that our vet has had us do when our dog gets an upset stomach or anxiety is to feed him a mix of boiled white rice with lean hamburger (light on the hamburger, and rinse it off after cooking it). It is easy to digest and good for them. It's a good way to get them to start eating when their body isn't feeling well. Then you can slowly introduce their dog food into it.

That's why it's an ingrediant in most of the premium foods. It helps prevent upset stomachs.

One other thing. for those who use an electronic invisible fence......If your dog gets loose, turn it off so they will come home. I can't tell you how many people have mentioned their dog got loose but wouldn't return. They forget the signal emits on both sides of the wire. lol

 

[BGIF]

Blue Buffalo is great stuff, but man is it expensive. We are a Science Diet house per the advice of our vet.


One thing thing that our vet has had us do when our dog gets an upset stomach or anxiety is to feed him a mix of boiled white rice with lean hamburger (light on the hamburger, and rinse it off after cooking it). It is easy to digest and good for them. It's a good way to get them to start eating when their body isn't feeling well. Then you can slowly introduce their dog food into it.

Interesting.

Mrs BGIF rescues Scottish Terriers. We'd had three with serious skin problems. The first one came coated in baby oil as the owner had given up after spending $$$ tryinig to find a solution including every dog food sold. Vets were stymied. Mrs BGIF found a post on a scotty board about food allergies specifically rice, a common component in dog food. The dog tested positive. We eliminated the rice and the skin cleared up in a month. When we got the other two with the same problems we simply changed their diet and the again the problem went away. We haven't fed a dog any food with rice since.

 

[woolybug25]

Interesting.

Mrs BGIF rescues Scottish Terriers. We'd had three with serious skin problems. The first one came coated in baby oil as the owner had given up after spending $$$ tryinig to find a solution including every dog food sold. Vets were stymied. Mrs BGIF found a post on a scotty board about food allergies specifically rice, a common component in dog food. The dog tested positive. We eliminated the rice and the skin cleared up in a month. When we got the other two with the same problems we simply changed their diet and the again the problem went away. We haven't fed a dog any food with rice since.

Usually foods with rice are labeled so, it's actually not a common component to most dogs foods but rather an alternative for sensitive or allergic pets use rice instead of wheat and corn as the grain. Dogs can have allergies to all types of things. The alternative to rice in dog food is usually grain, which isn't good for dogs regardless of allergies. I wouldn't assume that all dogs are allergic to rice, in fact, most dogs aren't.

 

[Rack Em]

Interesting.

Mrs BGIF rescues Scottish Terriers. We'd had three with serious skin problems. The first one came coated in baby oil as the owner had given up after spending $$$ tryinig to find a solution including every dog food sold. Vets were stymied. Mrs BGIF found a post on a scotty board about food allergies specifically rice, a common component in dog food. The dog tested positive. We eliminated the rice and the skin cleared up in a month. When we got the other two with the same problems we simply changed their diet and the again the problem went away. We haven't fed a dog any food with rice since.

Good thing they weren't Chinese Terriers