Quick questions about my puppy..

Rocky101 · 06-25-2009, 12:03 PM

I have a Rottweiler/pitbull mix puppy and he is only 2 months old and i switched his food from Kibbles and bits to Purina One Puppy,but i did his slowly by mixing the foods....and now he wont eat it AT ALL..even when i put just the Purina One Puppy food in his bowl...but when i make boiled chicken and white rice he eats it all....can anyone tell me why this is?....ohh and one more thing haha does anyone know how big my puppy might grow?

cshellenberger · 06-25-2009, 06:49 PM

Not sure how big he'll get, crosses are unpredictable, but watch him carefully for Hip Dysplacia and put him on either a good all stage food or a lower protein puppy food for large breeds to reduce the chances of joint problems in the future.

Purina is a very poor quality food, if you don't have a huge amount to spend, look at Natures Recipe large breed puppy or Nutro Large breed puppy.

Quite 'spoiling' him with the chicken and rice if you're going to give him kibble. That's probably the only problem with his appetite, don't worry, he won't starve himself. Put hte food down for 15 minutes and take it bakc up, then put it down again at the next feeding time (at this age, he should have three small meals a day).

Jumpshorsez · 06-27-2009, 04:33 PM

Agreed with above; your dog is holding out for the good stuff. Go back to plain kibble (if that's your goal) for a while and then once he eats that on a consisten basis then you can give the chicken as a treat.

maybe · 06-28-2009, 06:09 PM

eehhhh Purina...
I feed my puppy Canidae. it's a good all stages dog food.
btw- don't feed a puppy human food. it's not good for them and it makes it tougher to train them.

RedyreRottweilers · 06-28-2009, 06:14 PM

As a longtime raw/home cooked feeder, I will disagree with not feeding real food to your puppy.

I would say it's a smart puppy for holding out for the fresh food.

Things you can try:

Wet the kibble with broth

Mix the kibble with cottage cheese, canned fish, or the above mentioned chicken and rice.

Or if you go to a kibble that has a higher meat content, such as Evo, to name one, your pup might like it better.

A puppy of this cross should be in puppy training class with you no later than 16 weeks, and before that if you can. Stick with the training. Don't let him roam loose. Make sure you have a secure fence with locked gates. Socialize him very well as soon as you can start to all kinds of places and people so that he will be a well adjusted friendly dog when he grows up.

And if this were my puppy I would have him castrated by 9 months of age.

maybe · 06-28-2009, 06:17 PM

I think feeding a dog chicken and rice is riddiculous.

I'd consider that a spoiled dog and one with a bad habit/behavior if it expects to be fed human food and not eat the food it's been given.
that's probably the reason it won't eat the new food. it expects it's going to get something better if it doesn't eat it's food.

RedyreRottweilers · 06-28-2009, 06:20 PM

Here is a question I often pose to people who feel that dogs should eat only processed food made for dogs that comes from a bag or a can.

Do you feel it makes good sense for any animal to have no fresh food in the diet?

JSporty1 · 06-28-2009, 11:59 PM

Purina One is TERRIBLE! My dog, also a pit bull mix, had nothing but digestive problems and chronic diarrhea when she was eating that stuff.
We started her on a higher quality puppy food, and her problems didn't go away completely, but dramatically decreased. Once she got old enough for an adult dog food, we switched her to EVO, and she hasn't had diarrhea once since.

Pit bulls, from what I've been told and read, need a lot of protein in their diets. Even if you want to give the dog kibble as its main diet, if you don't give it a high protein kibble, supplement the diet with meat. Before we switched Gir to EVO we started giving her little bits of ham, chicken, beef, etc, and that helped her a lot.

BellasMommy513 · 06-29-2009, 08:34 PM

For dry food I feed my pits Blue, it is a great high protein/low gluten filler food that also has probiotics.

But I also cook for my dogs. It is not to spoil them, but to make sure they have a balanced diet.

I feed white rice and chicken, boiled duck and sweet potatoes, whitefish and brown rice. I make it once or twice a week and put it up in sandwich bags. When it is time to feed them I steam some frozen mixed veggies (peas, corn, carrots, beans) and mix it in with a table spoon of regular yogurt which again acts as probiotic for a good gut culture.

JMHO.

CorgiKarma · 06-30-2009, 02:27 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by maybe

I think feeding a dog chicken and rice is riddiculous.

I think that statement is ridiculous.

sw_df27 · 06-30-2009, 03:30 PM

It's up to you I do feed my dogs people food aswell as thier kibble I think your dog is just being a brat cause it knows you will give in and give the good stuff I suggest putting just kibble down they will eat trust me it won't starve it's self I have four APBT's Havoc use to do the same thing to me cause every sunday they got fresh meat and veggies she tried to be picky but after a day or so of not eating she ate her kibble right up........... Maybe lay off the chicken and only give it as a every once in a while treat!

MrsJohnnyG · 07-02-2009, 06:19 PM

Quote:

btw- don't feed a puppy human food. it's not good for them and it makes it tougher to train them.

That only applies to human junk food (and certain foods that are specifically harmful to dogs, such as grapes). "Human" food such as fresh beef and poultry is most certainly VERY good for dogs. Chicken and rice is a standard recommendation for a dog with stomach problems... look up bland diet for dogs.

I agree though there are healthier kibble choices than Purina... good suggestions above. We feed Chicken Soup for the Dog Lover's Soul which is nutritious and affordable. We supplement with fresh, whole foods as well... far from "spoiling" them, it keeps them very healthy and happy.

rosemaryninja · 07-02-2009, 11:34 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by maybe

btw- don't feed a puppy human food. it's not good for them and it makes it tougher to train them.

That is absolutely not true. The right human food, in the right quantities, is better for your dog than any kibble you could feed. The difficulty lies in knowing how much of what to feed.

The type of food you give a dog has no effect on how difficult it is to train them. Only when you feed - following which behaviour. If your dog begs at the dinner table and you give him a piece of boiled chicken, then yes, he will be more badly behaved and continue to make a nuisance of himself at the table. If your dog begs at the table and if you give him some kibble, he'll be just as poorly-behaved.

And I do think that feeding a dog nothing but chicken and rice is ridiculous, and absolutely horrible for a dog's health. I would rather have my dogs on Purina than on a diet comprised solely of chicken and rice.

To the OP: If you want to feed your dog "people food", do it right. Read about homecooked or raw diets. Learn about how to balance the different nutritional requirements of your dog's body. It's not just about throwing together a meal... dogs have different needs than humans. They need the right amounts of protein, calcium and numerous other things.

If you don't plan on feeding your dog "people food", that's fine too. The first thing I would do is upgrade your kibble. Purina is a pretty horrible food... very little nutritional value, generally speaking. Look for brands like Wellness, Natural Balance, Solid Gold, Taste of the Wild, Innova, Chicken Soup and Orijen.

Secondly, don't spoil your dog. Put down the food for 15 minutes -- if she doesn't finish it, take it back up. The food should be plain, or however you intend to serve it in the long-term. Put it down again a few hours later for 15 minutes -- if she doesn't finish again, take it back up. She should get NO treats in between meals, nothing to eat at all. A healthy dog will not starve itself... a healthy dog can go several days without any food at all.