I have a picky eater...turns out she has Exocrine Pancreatic Insufficiency (EPI) and those phases of extremely picky eating were likely Small Intestine Bacterial Overgrowth (SIBO) flare ups. We've determined that she absolutely cannot eat kibble of any kind and she has been raw-fed for the past year with great success, with the exception of 2 months where she was put back on kibble and lost 6 lbs.

I have been trying to find the ingredients to the foods you mentioned, realizing you are probably in the U.K.

Here is what I found:

Baker's Complete Puppy
"Cereals, Meat and animal derivatives (minimum 4% beef and minimum 4% fresh meat in the soft moist kernel), Vegetable protein extracts, Oils and fats, Various Sugars, Derivatives of vegetable origin (1.1% charcoal in the dark brown kernel), Minerals, Yeasts, Vegetables (minimum 4% vegetables in the green kernel). Contains EC permitted colourants, antioxidants and preservatives."

I couldn't find any information on Breeder's Pack and the Skinners website was not helpful at all...it bothers me when a site doesn't list ingredients like theirs.

From the ingredients listed for the Baker's, I'd say you need to look for a more quality dog food. I realize raw is best, but not practical for all, so you might consider feeding a premium kibble and adding fresh ingredients. There is some good info on that on http://www.dogaware.com under "dog feeding info" and then "adding fresh foods to a commercial diet".

Good luck with your pup...I sure can sympathize as I spent almost four years struggling with my GSD to get her to eat...good thing my new pup is a chow hound lol. It's actually weird to me to see a dog clear the bowl as fast as she does

 Quote: melissa hoyer

.....Here is what I found:

Baker's Complete Puppy
"Cereals, Meat and animal derivatives (minimum 4% beef and minimum 4% fresh meat in the soft moist kernel), Vegetable protein extracts, Oils and fats, Various Sugars, Derivatives of vegetable origin (1.1% charcoal in the dark brown kernel), Minerals, Yeasts, Vegetables (minimum 4% vegetables in the green kernel). Contains EC permitted colourants, antioxidants and preservatives."

I think that's the worst ingredient list I have EVER seen, and I thought I had seen the worst of them.

Cereal and by-products and sugars.

And I'm with you on the ingredients lists that are hard to find.... BAD sign.

Toni, you came to the right place. A dog who didn't want that food would be a smart dog.

Toni, here is a great recap of good ways to feed.

http://www.leerburg.com/feedingdogs.htm

#1: fresh
#2: dehydrated raw
#3: good kibbles

#2 and #3 are listed for reference.

 Quote: melissa hoyer

... you might consider feeding a premium kibble and adding fresh ingredients. There is some good info on that on http://www.dogaware.com under "dog feeding info" and then "adding fresh foods to a commercial diet". ....

Very nice link, Melissa! I bookmarked it.

Jäger has ongoing issues with pancreatitis. We give him a dollop of yogurt mixed in his food nightly and his stools are OK and he's got plenty of drive.

Dinner is always preceded with a vigorous workout and his rendition of the dinner dance. By the time we finish this ritual he's drooling with anticipation.

I too pick up the bowl after 20 minutes. Dogs or people it don't matter; "You'll be surprised at what you'll eat, and, what you'll eat it off of if you're hungry enough."

Connie - I love that site...straight to the point and easy to follow. It's Mary Straus's site...you may have seen some of her articles in the Whole Dog Journal and she's a mod at the Yahoo group, K9 Nutrition.

Red - Have you had your dog tested for EPI? Also, you might want to consider a diet that is designed for dogs that have problems with Pancreatitis...here are some examples

http://b-naturals.com/Jul2004.php
http://b-naturals.com/Jul2002.php

Yogurt is a good idea...and you might want to consider some digestive enzymes and probiotics.

I agree with picking up the food after 20 minutes in most cases, but my GSD literally would have starved to death if I did that. I'm also very careful about exercise prior to eating...usually wait at least an hour to feed after exercise.

 Quote: Melissa Hoyer

Connie - I love that site...straight to the point and easy to follow. It's Mary Straus's site...you may have seen some of her articles in the Whole Dog Journal

Yes, I have. I'd like to insert a lil plug here for Whole Dog Journal. PACKED with info, IMHO, for $20/year.

And now back to regularly-scheduled programming......

I too have had exceptions to the few-minutes eating thing. I have one senior dog who steadily chews through his food. He's just a methodical chewer. If he stopped and acted uninterested, that'd be different. But he just takes a half-hour to eat sometimes, and in that case I won't pick up food that he's working away on. (This probably does not need mentioning. )

You know when I hear "My dog is fussy with his food" it just does not make sense unless the dog has low or none activity through out the day.Dogs that are hungry will dig in garbage ,eat rotten foods, and by the way mine will eat a flippin dirty diaper, so if they were to ever refuse food that I gave them , something would be missing.No one wants to admit that their dogs don't get enough exercise.And I'll be the first to say mine at times don't get the stimulation they deserve but I try and for the poeple with "healthy dogs" that sya nothin is wrong just a fussy eater, is not looking at the big picture.(Sorry Judy, U know I love ya :grin but really , I remember ceasar Millan talking about it on one of his shows.Dogs are meant to go far distances and love to run, walk , miles.Yet our pets at time get to go for a short walk around the block and we think that is enough to stimulate an appetite.But it's not.
I try everymorning to take our dogs for a run in the desert and then later with the kids we play ball at the park(with the dogs)
I can tell you that they don't even smell there food before they eat it , it is gone in seconds.My husband was in the Army for many years and he knows that on many occasions, he would eat things he did not care for in the past but when he was HUNGRY he eat it.Like Red said , when you are hungry enough you'll eat

By the way Red , I love your Sign. photo, the sign is priceless!!

I agree 100%, Angelique.