This subject has come to mind from reading other threads.

Do humans create picky eaters?

Wild dogs would not necessarily eat every day and may go days or weeks without a large meal but stuff themselves when they catch/find one.

By feeding our domestic dogs twice a day, every day are we really doing the best for them. I am beginning to think the older ways of starving for a day a week (at least) would not do any harm whatsoever to some of these dogs that are picky eaters/have delicate stomachs etc. Always having ruled out any health problems first of course.

Do picky eaters beget picky eaters??

Christine

hi christine......yes to your question.....certain durable dispositions are inherited....many breeds are trained through ''food drive''[i.e.german shepherds.]........so they are selectively bred to desire food high food drive is needed but begets tractability too..............though most eating disorders in healthy dogs are human induced.....i tell people there has never been a confirmed case of a dog starving to death next to a bowl of dry dog food.......

Don't know whether this helps with dogs :) My husband and I eat everything and I was convinced - before I had my children that picky children were the product of picky parents :) My son came along, very healthy and fed very well until he was two - he then refused to eat most things and became a very fussy eater (not just the usual - he wouldn't eat sweets, cakes, fruit, crisps). This puzzled me :) Now at almost 20, he is getting better, but is still a bit fussy. What is very interesting is that as he has got older he has become in lots of way like my F-I-L who is also a fussy eater :) So perhaps ONE of the main reasons IS genetic after all :)

I am convinced that a lot of dogs are overfed tho' and owners don't help matters by changing the food to try to get them to eat, when really they are just not hungry :D

Daisy

Don't know if pickiness is inherited or not, but I do hope it isn't, as our best working pup is picky - most unusual for a flatcoat! I think his other assets would outweigh being picky if we decide to use him at stud one day.

Incidentally, I was told a fool-proof way of getting a picky feeder to eat. You're not going to like this.....

Give him nothing but fresh horse droppings to eat for 48 hours. They say he'll eat anything after that.

Haven't tried it yet............

Jo and the Casblaidd Flatcoats

I hope you haven't tried eating horse droppings, Jo... !!!:D :D

Mine would be ecstatic and think it was a gourmet meal!!

Wendy

I bred a picky eater and she produced no picky eaters.
I bred a dog that is a hoover and my 9 mth old pup is picky.
People stare in amazement when I say my lab won't eat something.

One of my males was bred from 2 very picky & fussy eaters but he eats like a pig & i really have to watch what he eats.
I give him his dish & he's finished before the rest have even eaten half of theirs & he stands hovering over the rest waiting for whats left if he gets the chance!:D

This thread is really interesting.

Occasionally, my dogs will refuse a meal, or become picky about their food.

I've really worried about them, only to find, a couple of days later...they're eating normally again.

Ruling out any health problems, of course....these days, I just leave my dogs to it. They will eat when they're hungry enough.

As i've said, I have worried sick about my dogs...I've cooked Chicken,fish...everything especially for them, just to get them to eat something, but I've just lately given up on this....
I'm sure they've been testing me!!! Who can get 'Mom' to cook a chicken first!!

Seriously though, it was my Mom who told me to stop worrying, and that a dog, who has food there, has never starved to death.

Also, I have a book here, that hubby found in our barn not long ago, and it even recommends missing a day of feeding once per week. I wouldn't go that far....but I don't think even that would hurt.

Take care

Lisa

Hi, I have two lines with my Westies. they all go back to one original bitch but have two "feeding types". Some follow the foundation bitch in as much as they need very little food to keep them in big condition and will eat as much as you give them - til they burst. They seldom lose any condition at all when they have puppies and look after big litters with seldom any special help from me. The other line which must follow a dog I used way back that is common to some of them - these ones are not exactly picky or difficult to feed but they seem to need more food to keep them in the same conditon and need more meat/extras to get their "noses in". Puppies from this line all go straight onto Arden Grange at weaning as no other food will do!!

i have a daughter who is six foot tall very slim and would eat anything i put in front of her from day one. my eldest son was always stocky has a child but had to be literally force fed. my youngest is now 19 and has yet to taste backed beans....spaghetti..ect. yet he is also well built. his diet consists of cheese and tomato pizza.....sausage rolls and burgers. my grandson age five loves salad....broccoli....sprouts...ect. but wont eat chips or meat!. i gave up worrying about food consumption years ago before i went insane lol.:) :). well..with kids anyway....i'm the one with the pregnant bulldog who hasnt eaten for four days....have just sat on the kitchen floor for 15 mins while she licked yoghurt off my fingers....my other dog thinks all his birthdays have come at once as he is getting everything hamble turns her nose up at...and yes...he's a hoover.:O :O.