Our puppy (3MO Golden Retriever) seems to be a very picky eater. So far, we've tried 3 different brands of dry dog food and even if he's hungry, he won't touch it unless we mix it with wet dog food, some of that gravy stuff you put in a kong, or a little bit of milk.

This seems bizarre to me - any other puppy we've ever had would eat just about anything that wasn't nailed down, but not this guy. Plus he's definitely a bit underweight. We had him to the vet last week for his shots and the vet confirmed that he's a bit on the skinny side, even though we feed him plenty of food. Of course, we've only had him for a couple of weeks and he was a bit skinny when we got him. The vet suggested adding a little soft boiled egg and some cottage cheese to his diet and he likes that pretty well, but it's only been a couple of days. Should I be concerned that he's not a more robust eater or is this normal for a pup?

Thanks!

Adrian from Salt Lake

It's perfectly normal for some pups. But, what's been happening so far is that the pup has been training you to cater to it's whims. Now, it's time you turned the tables on him and taught him that you and not he will be in charge.

Decide what you want to feed him (your choice, not his). At meal time put the food down for 20 minutes. At the end of this time, pick up whatever's left and put it away (refrigerate if food is wet) until the next meal. At the next meal, give him the food you put up. Don't try and make up for the missed meal.

I have never seen or heard of a healthy dog starving itself, but be prepared for a battle of wits. It may take a few meals or even a few days before he finally decides that you won't give in this time. Remember, if you do give in you'll probably end up catering to this dog for the rest of it's life. <img src="http://www.leerburg.com/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/crazy.gif" alt="" />

Had the same problem with my puppy and I did pick up the food after 20 min. About every third feeding he would pick at the food long enough to actually finish it. His weight was a concern for us because he had parvo and was extreamly thin as a result of the illness.

Switched to Merrick Dry and added some Merrick canned. The result is that he eats the entire portion without stopping and is looking for more. This is the most amazing dog food I have ever used. Now for the best part. I ran out of canned and had to feed the dogs straight dry kibble. Mix with water and it makes a gravy, he ate that without hesitation and again was looking for more.

Here is the big bonus and what is really the most important thing. It is rated as one of the top foods, all the right ingredients with none of the wrong ones like corn, by products and such. Nutritionally balanced and the dogs love it, a winner! Their coats, energy levels are great. They also use Canola oil as opposed to other fats so changing flavors to provide veriety requires no mixing to avoid upsetting the dogs system. I've switched flavors and observed no change in the dogs stools at all.

I couldn't recommend a product more.

Yes, as the mother of 3 boys, all of them picky eaters, I have had to do this once or twice, but I'm a little hesitant to do it with our pup as he's already so underweight and can't really afford to miss any meals. But I think you're right that he's definitely manipulating us to suit his whims - little stinker!

Thanks!

Adrian