You mentioned earlier in this thread adding wet food. Do you mean canned? How often do you do that?

Ha, the split meals musta stressed him, no more shivering this evening..what a suck :O

I add a heaping 2 tbsp, with coconut oil, and make a gravy, but stagger it, I make great days great meals, bad days more water than canned.
He is not much of a canned food eater, never was, changes make him anxious..this may all be stemmed from our summer/fall reno's, added on half a house.

Try adding sardines to his meals.

I put a whole tin in my dog's meal about 3 times a week.

He has no feeding issues but when it has the sardines in it he goes after his food like there's no tomorrow.

A whole can may be to much in the beginning so just try maybe one of half of one.

I use the sardines packed in water, not in oil.

 Quote: Becky Niedbalka

I add a heaping 2 tbsp, with coconut oil, and make a gravy, but stagger it, I make great days great meals, bad days more water than canned.
He is not much of a canned food eater, never was, changes make him anxious..this may all be stemmed from our summer/fall reno's, added on half a house.

I'm still not clear. You're adding two tablespoons of what? Again, canned food? And how much coconut oil? Does he eat better when you've added these things versus just the dry?

"I make great days great meals, bad days more water than canned."

I'm confused by this statement. What constitutes a great day or a bad day? This sounds very much like you are using his meals to punish him for behaviors you didn't like during the day. When he does finally get hungry enough to eat, he is not reflecting on whether he was a good boy or a bad boy, in your view, over the course of the day that is coming to a close. If I'm misunderstanding, please correct me.

The primary reason I asked what you are feeding him is because there was discussion in one of your earlier threads about the fact that he has several broken teeth. I know you had a vet examine him and you were told nothing needed to be done now. But that doesn't mean that those teeth aren't causing him some discomfort occasionally. I have a senior dog with some gum issues, and I ended up having to change the dry portion of her food to a different kind of kibble with smaller, easier-to-crunch bits. What I had been using was just too large and firm. I found I couldn't even break one in half with my fingers, using all my strength. I switched to a brand with smaller, easier-to-break kibbles, and solved the problem. (My dogs don't get just kibble. Both morning and evening meals have various add-ins.)

No, on days we had extra exercise and more fun, I make meals a little extra tasty, otherwise he gets his usual canned food, mixed with water and coconut oil.

I didn't think I was doing anything wrong when giving him a bit extra on good days. Whether it be an extra scoop of wet, or some leftover cooked meat from the day before..
His canned food is Lick your Chops organic dog food. He actually doesn't like it unless its watered down with warm water and coating his food like a gravy. He loves the coconut oil tho, and will lick it off a spoon.
The kirkland food is small. And the only dry food he will eat.

I will try the sardines again Bob!

Oh, and yes Cheri, he does eat he canned more vs dry, but he lays down after and shivers like he is freezing. His prev owners did not give him anything in his food, so the first time 8 months ago that he did that, I thought it was excitement. He only does not get wet food in his meal on days he had diarrhea,( which thankfully hasn't been in a week) I just add psyllium husk mixed with water in his food on those days. Before I got the psyllium it was just water on the food to make it smell tasty.

I think the start of our woodcutting season caused the diarrhea, as now he seems fine, mind you it has only been 3 weeks into our woodcutting weekends.

If he eats just dry food, he does not shiver at all, he just cleans his chops and has a nap. We now Only do sits at doors, and any time he does his show stance I tell him to settle, which is the word they used to tell him to lay down. I have been doing longer sits a bit, so I can get gloves/winter gear on to go out for his potty break, otherwise all formal training has been stopped.

No, you are not doing anything wrong by giving him some extra good stuff. My dogs get good stuff every single day, twice a day. If it makes him more likely to eat his meal, why not give him the good stuff -- or a variety of different kinds of good stuff, canned food, sardines, leftover meat, etc., -- at every meal?

Also, you might consider swapping the coconut oil for liquid fish oil at least part of the time. They are two very different oils and provide different benefits. I'm not saying there is anything wrong with giving him coconut oil occasionally, but it does not contain the essential fatty acids, EPA and DHA found in fish oils.

eta: Becky, we were typing at the same time. The shivering thing has me totally stumped. But from your description in previous posts, it sounds like it doesn't just happen after meals, so I'm not seeing a connection there.

No, he shivers before walks, when the kids are running around, and when outside. I can understand the walks, as we are in winter here, and the temps are -44 with the windchill, I don't think he likes the winters here period, but I have to walk, and we don't go very long on colder days, if the temp goes over -30 with the windchill I just take him on leash with my skidoo and trot him for 30 min rather than walk.
I have fish oil, he hates fish, so I have to sneak it in, with the coconut oil, I forgot about that. I only do a tsp of each. I don't even think he thinks the meals are extra special, as he really doesn't eat the scraps with gusto, he picks up the bits of chicken or beef with curled lips, like he doesn't want to touch them lol.
I give him the extra more for myself, feeling that he burned the extra calories to get the extra fats. I don't see much of a diff when he eats it, he doesn't wolf his food down, and it takes him about 10-15 min to finish his meals, if he is still eating I let him finish, if he walks away, I put the bowl up, by the advice of those on this board. He never goes back to finish the bowl, anyways, after he walks away.

Others have said that it will take time, so I am just wondering if it is just too many changes for him, our house is now twice the size, and his behaviour did start bvack to square one once we started , we did more long walks when they were building and spent more of the time outside doing my summer chores. Than we had to stop out of the yard walks for a month due to the influx of bears in the area, only because I had to wait for my PAL card to come in, now we can go anytime, as I got my gun license.
I really hoped with the morn meals he would perk up. After his evening meals he gets up more greets us more, and seems more interested in what we are doing. In the end, once the warm weather returns, I firmly believe he will get better. I will be using the e-collar so that he can be off leash more, as I trained him with it this fall to proof his recall. I would like to use it outside now, but am not sure if having it on him would cause frostbite where it is near his neck? If it won't, than I would love to use it on the trail too, as he is collar wise, and as soon as it is on, listens very well, to everything I say. I think they prev used one on him, as the change in him was instant as soon as I put it on. Perhaps that is why he does not bark. I find it hard to believe a dog whom was with 9 other dogs in her kennels does not bark.
Do any of you guys use a e-collar in the winter?

"He seems to be more more interested in what we are doing." Becky, thisw sounds awesome. This is one of the little improvements we have to recognize and reinforce with whatever we can. I'd work with him with this awakening interest a lot. It seems to me it means he is gaining confidence. So happy to read this. You are developping this oh so important bond.

About the ecollars I cannot say anything, no experience with them. Others here on board do have. You'll certainly get answers. I myself have ordered a DVD from Ed Frawley about this, but haven't got it yet. I'm not sure if LB sells also one from Michael Ellis. Maybe this could be of help for you too.