[joeyjoe9]

I feed my dog 1 cup right when he gets up in the morning. Lately, he's been turning his nose at his food. Sometimes, he'll eat just a little, but only after a bit of coaxing. Sometimes he won't eat anything until after he walks. I can't leave for work until he eats something! I know some people like to rotate foods, but it took me long enough to find the right food for him! Plus, he gobbles it up just fine at dinner.

Any advice?

 

[FourIsCompany]

I think I would get up a little earlier and take him for a walk first thing (It's before 7 on a Saturday and I just got back in with the dogs) While you're getting ready, he can work up an appetite, then feed him right before you go.

Alternatively, you could put his food down for a while (15-20 minutes) and if he doesn't eat it, take it up and give it to him that evening. He will eventually get the idea that if he doesn't eat when it's available, he has to wait all day.

 

[MegaMuttMom]

My dog goes through stretches where he refuses his breakfast. I just put it up after a while and give it to him for supper. After a few days, his hunger comes back and he gobbles up breakfast as well as dinner. I like to think that he just likes staying lean and knows when he needs to cut back. Try not to worry, a missed meal is not such a huge deal for a dog.

 

[StardustInVegas]

JoeyJoe9 - I was just about to post a topic regarding to this issue that I have with my puppy. She's 6 months, and she would only eat a small handful of food in the mornings. She has to poop before she eats. At night, she gobbles it up just fine (with a little coaxing at times).

But - she does exhibit an odd behavior. If I put the food bowl down, I say, "Time to eat!". She won't eat out of the bowl, especially in the mornings. I would put the bowl in front of her paws, and she acts like it's the scariest thing ever. In the begining, I thought perhaps she doesn't like the steel bowl, so I bought a plastic one. She still exhibits the same behavior. I used my cats' old food bowl, and she will eat out of it okay, but I have to put a small handful outside of the bowl to "lead" her to the bowl. There isn't one bowl that she prefers over the other.

For the life of me, why can't she just eat normal? Why can't she just gobble up the food like my cats do? I've been using the "Tough Love" method (removal of food after 30 minutes, after she pees/poops). I hope she grows out of this...

 

[Lil Red Express]

When mine was a pup , there were days he wouldn't even look at food until after lunch . He soon grew out of that phase , if you can call it that. Now he's up at 5 AM !!! and will gobble down his breakfast like he hasn't eaten for a week.