I give up, Bud wins

[colliehauler]

I tried switching to just dry dog food. Two of my collies this was not a problem, Bud is another story. Bud just flat out refused to eat and would poke me with his snout to get him something to eat several times a day. I would take him to the shed (where I feed the collie's) and give him his bowl of dry food. Bud would walk away and we would repeat several times a day. This has gone on for three weeks. Today I went back to mixing his dry with a third of a can of dog food. Bud ate his food and I admit defeat.

[colliehauler]

buta4 wrote:

Deb and Ed M wrote:

buta4 wrote:

Trackrig wrote:
Bud will eat when he gets hungry.

Bill

X2
After a day or two and an empty stomach he'll start on the dry food alright. Just takes fortitude and patience on your part.

Warning:: Do not look directly at his eyes during this time frame if you choose to do it this way. You'll be dead meat it you do and they darn well know it.
😉

You're not "getting" it - Bud eats. The problem is that he eats so slowly, that the other dogs will eat what he leaves behind. Not all dogs wolf their food down all at once.

Just a thought here. Perhaps he may have molar problems that make it uncomfortable to eat solids easily? Again just a thought.

Last year Bud did have a infected tooth and he did not want to eat. This time Bud will chew on a steak bone so I don't think it's a tooth problem.

Bud is just mad that I quit putting caned food with the dry, he can be very stubborn. It could be worse, he could demand people food.

[buta4]

Deb and Ed M wrote:

buta4 wrote:

Trackrig wrote:
Bud will eat when he gets hungry.

Bill

X2
After a day or two and an empty stomach he'll start on the dry food alright. Just takes fortitude and patience on your part.

Warning:: Do not look directly at his eyes during this time frame if you choose to do it this way. You'll be dead meat it you do and they darn well know it.
😉

You're not "getting" it - Bud eats. The problem is that he eats so slowly, that the other dogs will eat what he leaves behind. Not all dogs wolf their food down all at once.

Just a thought here. Perhaps he may have molar problems that make it uncomfortable to eat solids easily? Again just a thought.

[colliehauler]

buta4 wrote:

Trackrig wrote:
Bud will eat when he gets hungry.

Bill

X2
After a day or two and an empty stomach he'll start on the dry food alright. Just takes fortitude and patience on your part.

Warning:: Do not look directly at his eyes during this time frame if you choose to do it this way. You'll be dead meat it you do and they darn well know it.
😉

That is exactly what Bud does. He will stand 2 feet from you and stare into your eyes. If you look at the TV or tablet he will poke you with a cold nose.

It's just not worth it. I was going to see if they would eat dry food so I did not have to pack the RV with cans of dog food.

They are great Collies that mind well and ask for so little.

[BCSnob]

I generally agree a dog will eat when it gets hungry and you just need to wait it out; however, if the dog has dropped >10% of its healthy body weight I would give into the dog.

[Deb_and_Ed_M]

buta4 wrote:

Trackrig wrote:
Bud will eat when he gets hungry.

Bill

X2
After a day or two and an empty stomach he'll start on the dry food alright. Just takes fortitude and patience on your part.

Warning:: Do not look directly at his eyes during this time frame if you choose to do it this way. You'll be dead meat it you do and they darn well know it.
😉

You're not "getting" it - Bud eats. The problem is that he eats so slowly, that the other dogs will eat what he leaves behind. Not all dogs wolf their food down all at once.

[buta4]

Trackrig wrote:
Bud will eat when he gets hungry.

Bill

X2
After a day or two and an empty stomach he'll start on the dry food alright. Just takes fortitude and patience on your part.

Warning:: Do not look directly at his eyes during this time frame if you choose to do it this way. You'll be dead meat it you do and they darn well know it.
😉

[Deb_and_Ed_M]

colliehauler wrote:
No Bud would nibble on his dry food by the end of the day. If I leave the food out Mikko or Lassie would eat it. This game of going out to the shed several times a day has been going on for three weeks.

I get it, and yes, Bud wins, only because you need to force him to eat a MEAL, not just graze. I'll be doing "yogurt dog food" this weekend, when my brother/sis-in-law come spend the weekend with us. Their elderly Bichon has diabetes and gets special food; but of course, he wants to eat MY dogs' food. They too, are nibblers; unless I put something yummy enough in a bowl of food that will entice them to eat the entire thing.

I LOVE having nibblers - I never worry about "feeding time" - but it's a PITA when there's other gobblers around.

I also discovered, back when I was trying anything to keep weight on my Aussie, that putting the dry food in the microwave for 10 to 15 seconds, just to warm it up and bring out the full "bouquet" of the food (gack), seems to entice them a bit more?

[vic46]

Perhaps a little moisture on the dry food!

Only things the monster in the signature won't eat are uncooked broccoli and uncooked Brussels sprouts. Everything else is "all good."

[colliehauler]

AZPops wrote:
Bud and Calvin should go out and have a picture of beer together. I think they'd get along real well!


Pops

Bud don't like beer but would be more then happy to go out for a burger or pizza.

With this 100 degree weather a cold pitcher of beer sounds pretty good.

[colliehauler]

bdpreece wrote:
As with any training; you gotta be smarter than the dog in order to train them. You loose!

And yes, Daisy has me well trained.

They can be very stubborn.

Like my Sister said I have to think about many things in a day, Bud just has to concentrate on one.

Well maybe a good game of tug of war with his rope.

[Happytraveler]

HaHaHa, dogs always win!!! Same at my house. Don't want to hurt their feellings. :B
I think my dogs got by with it, more than my 2 sons. That's bad, LOL. Thank goodness my dogs can't talk.

[nineoaks2004]

My MS Dixie will not, no way eat dry dog food, it is canned for her, She would starve to death first. the other dogs eat whatever is there, but I baby her and have since he was weaned so I look out for my baby (only SQ dog I have left)

[AZPops]

Bud and Calvin should go out and have a picture of beer together. I think they'd get along real well!


Pops

[bdpreece]

As with any training; you gotta be smarter than the dog in order to train them. You loose!

And yes, Daisy has me well trained.