Can any one tell me how to increase a puppys appitite?we went to a show and was told needs more substinence ,although she looks ok to me .She is having a pound of raw chickrn and tripe sometimes lamb and tripe and all the royal canin she wants during the day ?

What breed is she? How old is she? Puppies traditionally go through a gangly stage, but what you don't want is an over-fat puppy; lean is better for sound development than podge.

Is she lacking substance (I'm guessing that's what you mean) through being generally lightly-built (not a lot you can do about that) or are people used to seeing plump dogs?

She is  a tibetan mastiff 6mths

I believe Jeff on here has TMs - I'm sure he'll be able to give you expert advice when he comes online. :-)

yes i know jeff thank you.

If this was the opinion of just one person I would take no notice, not sure I would anyway unless you have a problem with feeding in which case try a change of food or add something irresistible like pilchards in tomato or quality cat food.

IMO one should not try to pack the food in and the muscle on in a puppy let them develop naturally unless there is a feeding problem or they are very underweight, not every pup is ideal show material at 6 months some only come into their own when mature.

I too was told by judges that my male dachsie was too lean[ they are still weighed at each show] fellow breeder/show folk had been looking at him before going into the ring and they didn't see a problem when I asked them afterwards, I have tried all sorts to get his weight up and stay there[ satin balls and various high calorie kibbles] and nothing has worked, fellow dachsie owners are envious because they have the opposite problem, I have spoken to several nutritionist at dog food companies and they had never come across a dachsie which had his problem.

He was 3 yrs old at Xmas and I keep hoping that as he matures he will gain weight and maintain it, he has been checked out by the vet who has found nothing wrong and tell me better too lean than too fat, doesn't help when he is my first home bred show dog.

I hope you find a solution to your dogs problem as I know how disheartening it can be.

have a 16m old male who I have kept out of the ring as he is a slow mature dog ... he is also imo to lean its not noticable until you  put your hands on on him.
At the moment he is fed naturediet/proplan dry along with my other dogs ..but he has half a pack of beef steak for 1 meal and a chicken fillet with the other meal  plus a few blocks of green tripe . Still needs to gain some weight.
He is a dog who is always on the go. I hope he gains just a little weight and I will be happy.. I have even tried giving biscuits inbetween meals to fatten him up but found that if I did he wouldnt eat him normal meal ....... so can sympathise.

what about these satin balls that ive heard about but not tried them and dont know the recipe or amount you give but just heard they are good for putting weight on?

They put on fat, not substance - unless 'substance' is being used as a euphemism for porkiness.

My dachsie gained weight with  the satin balls, wouldn't say he was fat, but didn't maintain it.

http://www.lowchensaustralia.com/health/diet4.htm

This site has the recipes plus lots of other doggie info

I had a dog like this.  I tried everything I could to 'bulk' him up a bit but the only thing that worked was time.  He matured into a fabulous dog at around 3 yrs old and I started showing him again.  He then beat all the dogs that had beaten him in puppy classes everytime out.  I know that might not be what you want to hear but I think slow maturing lines just need time and a good food.

I can see Lincoln being in the Veteran class before he keeps enough weight on, he may have slowed down by then and not burn off so many calories.

Thanks everyone, this was her first show and an all rounder judge, ive entered her elsewhere so i shall see what a breed specialist says before making any decisions :)