Hi, Im new to this so appologies if I have not used it right LOL !!
I have a 6month old female lurcher. I ahd her when she was 14weeks old and she had a big appetite but just one thing !! She would wolf down a certain type of food for about 2 days and then rfuse to eat it, not just that particular flavour but all the tins made by that particular company, so I would have to go and buy totally different ones. I couldnt even go back to the others as she would remember she had already had them. I no that by going out all the time straight away and getting her new stuff has resulted in why she now is refusing anything but I didnt no at the time it would end up like this. I just thought each week I would have to buy single different tins to last the week. But now she is refusing ALL food, and is not even interested in training anymore, its like food dont interest her (this is causing probs on walks as she wont cum back from off the lead for treats). I no that now i have got to be dominant with  her and put her food down and take it away if it is not eaten, everyone has told e that that is what i have to do and i no it is. I put her food down and she will have a few bites and then walks away and I think ill be strong and take it up till next day, but I find myself a few hours later putting some fresh stuff out for her, which she will again have a few bites off. And then silly me does it again few hours later. I no this is making the problem worse and that she is oviously holding out all the time for something better, but I am the type of person that loves to see animals eat and has to stop myself from over feeding lol I a like this with my cats, i no the importance of not over feeding so i dont do it but i would love to (strange i no lol) so to see her not eating much upsets me, especially noing how big her appettite actually is. So please help me with MY problem as an owner and any ideas on how I can become stronger in order to stick to what i no i hae to do. Thanks

And could it be that she is just unhappy, either in general or with being with e, as i love my dog to bits and always get worrid she dont feel the same. Could anything else i may have done made her like this ??

I am exactly the same with my picky princess, she has been wrapping me round her little paw and playing mind games with me since she was first weaned, and she's 15 months now! No real advice other than the advice of picking one food and sticking to it, putting down and picking up in 10 minutes if she's not eating, which I'm rubbish at doing myself! Also check with a vet as to whether she is too thin or if she's ok and perhaps just doesn't need as much food as you are trying to feed her.

You are right.  You have made this an issue and your dog has trained you beautifully!!haha.  What I would do is restrict all food for a day.  It won't kill her to miss a couple of meals but it will...1, make her hungry and 2, make her eat what's there when it's there!  Trust me, I've been in your shoes with my first dog.  I switched foods till he would only eat chicken, potatoes in gravy.  I was making that dog a roast chicken every day!!  Talk about well trained!!lol.  Then a breeder friend helped me by giving me the advice I gave you.  I starved him for a day and then the next morning he got a small amount of dry, complete food which he scoffed.  Then, he would eat whatever I put down.  Just remember this dog is very clever.  She might try this again to out-wit you.  Will you give in??
Outside, you should use another trick to get her back like a ball or whatever.  Food is obviously not her trigger so you need to find something that is.  I know someone who uses a laser pen, someone else takes the dogs teddy and I myself use a squeaky ball.  Find what your dog is enthusiatic about.

Hi. Great advice about the vets, she seems to have been in and out of there loads of times, she had a water infection when I first had her but I thought it was behavoural, playing me so she could stay outside longer and on walks longer, so maybe the same type of thing again. Although saying that my actions from the past with her really do add up to how she is being so yea i think she really is just playing me :( I put some food down this morning that she didnt eat from yesterday and she wouldnt eat it. So me being me I just chucked that and put fresh down for her and she had 3 bites and walked away,so shall I now not feed her again till tomorro ???? I no she has not lost her appetite as every time I walk into the kitchen she jumps up to follow me as if she is expecting something. Maybe should I try moving her food bowl to another room as it may be she noes all the nice things that come from a kitchen (eg my food) that she wants all them in her bowl and thats part of the fussyness?? And my bf is a problem as he is so soft with her and says im cruel when i tell him i need to withold her food (but he is not the one who lives with it or pays for the food or goes through any of the stress, he dont do nothing with her or for her) and when he is eating something he will give her tit bits of her, saying a dog is part of the family and there fore should eat the stuff we are eating when we are eating it. I keep telling him that is causing her to not eat her food aswell as she noes she will get rewarded for it sooner or later. But he wont listen to me aswell as the dog wont listen to me. I just need to be stronger with the both of um and show um I am the boff when it comes to the animals lol

*boss*

> I put some food down this morning that she didnt eat from yesterday and she wouldnt eat it

In your first post you said you were feeding her tins? If I've got that right then she probably won't eat meat from a tin that was opened yesterday as it would be a bit yuck by the next day.
I would firstly switch to dry food because its less expensive than tins if you are throwing a lot away and it won't attract flies and that if its left down. I have no other advice than what others have said, get her checked by the vet and if she's not too thin/theres nothing wrong with her gut have a starve day and start again, feed at the same place and time every day and if the food isn't eaten in 15mins (I know everyone else has said 10 but my lurcher boy takes forever to eat his food so an extra 5 won't hurt) take it up.
If your boyfriend can't tow the line with regards feeding her titbits put the dog in another room while you and he are eating or ban him from visiting for two weeks or so! So much better to have a few weeks of feeling unkind to your dog and boyfriend than struggling for the next 10+ years with a picky eater.
Also in your first post you said you are having trouble with her off lead recall, you should keep her on her lead/longline till you have addressed this because she will carry on ignoring your recall if you carry on letting her off lead at the mo. My lurcher couldn't give two hoots about food if he's stretching his legs but a ball or frisbee and he comes back every time, (he never gets to play with those things unless he recalls).

hi, thanks for your reply. Due to the money i was wasting on the tins i switched to dry food, but ended up wasting more money on that trying to find one she liked, she will not even take a bite of food on offer if its dry food or even is its well mixed in with the wet food. and u cant get little bags so i ended up giving away 3 big bags of diff dry food. when off the lead she can be as good as gold but then the next day she can e a nightmare. And if there are othr dogs around she is terrible. She will run to get to them no matter how far away they are and wont listen to a word i say or if i am offering toys or treats. She is just so into other dogs, so much she would rather go home with them than me, she will follow them for miles and ignore me and as she has already run so far away to get to um i take a while to catch up by which time she is out of sight :( and them when i do get to her even if i offer something she just runs away then runs back to the dog then runs away again :( and the other owners dont help they just keep walking with her. and its embarrasing as I hear people say oh look she dont want to go back with her wounder what she does!!! Is she just unhapy with me ?? and maybe i am not giving her enough exercise. How much should a lurcher have, i take her twice a day and each time for about half an hour, and in tht half hour she is running constantly, its not a gentle walk. Is that enough???

> i switched to dry food, but ended up wasting more money on that trying to find one she liked,

Would you consider feeding raw? Many people think it's a better way of feeding and lots of dogs find it more palatable than dry food. You can, and should, ring the changes too. As well as providing balance over time, changing between tripe, chicken, beef, lamb etc can also stimulate a fussy dog to eat. There's lots of info around about raw feeding, and plenty on this site if you do a search.

Have a read of this
It answers lots of questions you might have.

Good luck with her, you sound very thoughtful about her welfare.

OK breathe...

Don't worry - she's normal, your normal and your boyfriend is normal BUT you've got several issues on the go at once and it's all getting a bit muddled :)

Recall.  You have a lurcher who will always be trickier to train to a reliable recall than say a gundog.  If you start a new thread about that you'll get a lot of really good advice about training a sight hound - incidentally do you know what she has been crossed with?  It might help to get some more specific advice.  Oh and don't think she doesn't come back because she doesn't like you - that really has nothing to do with it - but you will need to make yourself as exciting and interesting as possible AND keep her on a long line in some situations to ensure that she doesn't get away from you.  Otherwise you'll get frustrated, and sound like it, and she'll be even less likely to come back.  Do you take her to training classes?

Exercise.  Watch your timings she still very young and you don't want to over exercise her joints.  5 minutes per month of life up to the age of 12 months is a useful guide.  You also want to get her bonded with you and looking to you for every instruction so you ought to do some heel walking using a special toy (if she isn't keen on tasty treats) to keep her focussed.  Doing this around other dogs and distractions will teach her that she cannot just run off when it suits her.

Scrounging and eating human food.  Your boyfriend does what a lot of people do and is falling for those soppy eyes and a daft expression.  He really isn't helping her though and if he cannot control himself then you'll need to remove her from the room when he has food.  Honestly - some folk need more training than the dogs don't they!!

Eating.   I agree that a day without food is a good idea but then I'd feed her 3 times a day for 2 weeks.  A useful tip is to use an alarm clock.  Set it for the time you wish to feed her and make a big fuss about calling her for her meal.  Put the food down, set the alarm for 10 minutes and stay in the room with her (make a cup of tea, grab a chair and a book).  Do not make eye contact or talk to her when she should be eating.  When the alarm goes off again pick up the food and let her outside for a play.  Instituting a regular feed time and fixed ritual can sometimes help.  The alarm clock also starts to build positive associations with food time.

Food.  Don't forget that tinned food can be frozen so if you want to include some kind of wet food with her complete but can't use a whole tin then those silicone/flexi muffin trays are ideal for small portions.  Warm food is always more tempting to a fussy eater so a splash of warm water on complete can sometimes help to release the smell.  Toppers like wet tinned food, pilchards, cheese, chicken stock etc can also be useful and tripe is also a great food if you have to get something down her.  There's no reason why you can't use them to ring the changes each day but be careful to avoid too much swapping and changing and remember that you are training her - not the other way around :)

Hope this helps

Have you wormed her recently? A dog who is carrying lots of worms can go off their feed. Could she be coming into season and is just feeling a bit "off"

How often are you feeding her, at her age she should be on at least 2 meals per day, I leave my adults on 2 meals per day or free feed.

Have you tried putting her kibble in a treat ball, she then has to work to get the food making it more fun and a challenge.

I went through similar problems with my first dachsie, then found something he would eat and the factory where it was made went on fire so it was back to the drawing board,this time I contacted the various dog food company's and got them to send me samples to avoid the wastage. He remained picky till I got another dachsie and he realised if he didn't eat it she would.

I changed over to free feeding when I realised the dogs didn't all want to eat at the same time of the day and it works well here.

Hope you find something that works for her.

Can't add anything to the already excellent advice you've been given, but I just wanted to say, I've been in your shoes too, and so have many many other owners. I think especially as she's so young it makes you worry twice as much, until you become so fixated on your dog eating it can end up putting her off as there ends up being so much tension involved in feeding times. Just stick to your guns and don't let the little madam get her own way, one of mine went for 4 days without eating, I cracked before she did ! lol and ended up feeding her roast chicken, but I got it under control in the end, it just took a bit of hardening my heart.

Aw don't worry your dog doesn't hate you! My lurcher used to do all the things you say yours does regarding the recall and loving other dogs but he's a sweetheart now, do post another thread about it you really will get good advice and it will be easier for you to absorb all the info if the food/recall thing are kept separate :)

Hi, thanks all for the reply's :) I have tried her on a raw diet and the same happens, she ate it for a few days and then it just went to like she is over the dog food, just a few bites and then refuse. So i figured i would rather her waste dog food than food i have to cook ad prepare lol I think the alarm clock is a very good idea, and i think she would really respond well to that !! And yea you are right about the bf, i wish i could feed her tit bits and treats but at the mo i am tht wound up with her feeding tht i dnt want any little thing to make t worse, he just does not seem to get that (suppose its cuz he dont see the big fuss as he dont live with us) !! deffinatly going to have to train him up lol I think from now on I will walk her where i no dogs will be and keep her on the lead to just get her used to walking with other dogs and when she is calm reward her, then take her somewhere i no there wont be dogs so i can let her off for a run :) do this for a few weeks and see how it turns out :) she is crossed with a greyhound, has loads of greyhound in her !!! Thanks again as that is really good advice :) so glad i joined :)

Thanks pooking :) Im glad you have said you have a lurcher who was like this at first, thats reasuring. Becasue atm she seems the total opposite of what i always known lurchers to be like lol x

I have tried her on a raw diet and the same happens, she ate it for a few days and then it just went to like she is over the dog food, just a few bites and then refuse. So i figured i would rather her waste dog food than food i have to cook ad prepare lol

You don't cook raw food :-) It is fed totally raw :-)

I have one dog who often doesn't eat for a couple of days - sometimes three before he decides he is hungry. I put his food down and follow the "take it away after 10 minutes" regime. Food is offered twice a day and he either eats it or he doesn't but he doesn't get offered anything else. He has been like this ever since we had him as a rescue three and a half years ago. My other dog is also fed raw and he teleports his food so I have come to accept that both dogs eat what they need - in the case of the GR he would eat until he burst if he was given the opportunity.

so feed raw uncooked chicken or other meat ???

> I no that now i have got to be dominant with  her

You have already been given a lot of different advice, but I would like to point out that the statement you have made regarding being dominant with your girl, is totally a big NO NO.  There is no need to dominate any dog. 

To be fair, she is only a pup, and being the breed that she is, I would try all recall training on a long line.  That way, she isn't in a position to run off.  (Set her up to succeed.)

Regarding the raw food feeding, I would advise that you did a lot of studying on the topic, so that you are sure you have the balance right.  It isn't just a case of feeding raw chicken!  :-)

I didnt mean that I would dominate her, I have not got a good way with words, what i meant was that I would have to stop being so soft, in no circumstances do i appear dominant or scary towrds any of my animals. All I want is the best for her, hense all the advice, I just want to get it right. I think the fact I love her to much is why I am to soft on her and why I am having these kinds of problems with her. She is perfect at the recal in the home, in the garden and down fields when there is no one else around, I have done all obedience training with her and a number of tricks that she has even got rossettes for, which she got at the age of 17 weeks old :) so she is a clever pup and a obedient pup, its just she is to excited around other dogs, so yea maybe you are right maybe I should do recall training again from the beginning and make sure there are dogs around when we practice :)

sorry just one more thing, when I did all traing wit her and taught her tricks, it was when she was not a fussy eater, now I seem not to be able to carry on training to another level as she has gone of food, including treats, and cant seem to calm her down anough to get her to listen to me when a toy is on offer lol

so feed raw uncooked chicken or other meat ??

Yes, you need to freeze it first to kill bacteria etc, do not feed it to her if it has not been frozen first. :-) Then take it out of the freezer and defrost and feed raw, she should wolf it down, chicken wings are always a favourite and mince meat is easy to put on mixer foods or as I have done with my in whelp bitch at times, roll in balls and add a dry complete food all over it and pushed into the middle, like a choc chip muffin, that is usually enjoyed by most dogs too.

You don't have to spend a fortune. When it comes to tinned food as already said if not eaten within a few hours it does start to turn and they often won't eat it then, (don't blame them)  Some flavours our animals just don't like, never had a problem with a dog they have always eaten any food put in front of them, but my cats often turn their nose up at some flavours of cat food, you can see the disgust on their face, (which I will also try to avoid afterwards) they'll look at me nose in the air as if to say "What's that? You eat it!"  :-D then walk off only coming back to eat it when they realise that is it, hanging out at the fridge for tit-bits won't work unless the cat bowl is empty. :-)

I guess your dog is doing much the same....................

Mine get a chicken carcase each for breakfast, these are bought from the processing plant where the breasts,legs and wings are removed for human consumption and I get the body that is left. I get boxes of 50 for £5. Raw chicken bones are fine, they only splinter after they have been cooked.
For supper  they have approx 1lb of meat each (this varies according to shape, fitness and energy levels of each dog, but averages a pound each) I buy this from raw to go and they have a lot of different meats available which are about 50p a pound. Mine love the beef and liver and tripe ones.
The difference in my dogs in the year I have been feeding raw is incredible. Their coats are glossy and my hyper dog has calmed down so much. Poos are fir and easier to deal with.
As you can tell I am a fan who would not go back to all kibble although I do sometimes feed them a kibble meal just to keep them used to it in case I ever need it.