I have just got back from two weeks away, my OH has been looking after Fagan (5 month old Irish Setter) and has been having real problems with his food.  Before I went I bagged up each days worth of food and chucked it in the freezer so all he had to do was defrost it and feed it to the dog simple I thought but Fagan has decided he doesnt "do" BARF anymore   At first he started to refuse the bones (chicken wings/parts and turkey necks) then he decided he didnt like tripe now its a stuggle to get any food down him, he actually went on to one meal a day instead of three :(  Last night I got him to eat by mixing in Sardines and pretending to eat it myself (not pleasant as it was tripe ) this morning I gave him some naturediet puppy (run out of the frozen stuff) he refused that so I poured the juice from the cats tuna over it and he ate most of it with some persuasion.  Because of his breed and age it is a struggle to keep weight on him if he doesnt eat it just falls off.  Does anyone have any suggestions on how to make him eat ?

Yeah, remove all food and take all the anxiety and tension out of the situation, neurosis is extremely contagious.

Halve his daily quantity, put down and then remove after 10 minutes repeat at dinner time.

He is at the teething stage so may be feeling uncomfortable and that is when everyone starts rushing around like a demented mother hen having kittens (if that is not a mixed metaphor) :D

And then the dog gets trained to be fussy; remember dogs ebb and flow in all things, training, appetite etc etc.

Hiya

I would do exactly as Tomhe advises. I was in a very similar position with my first Irish. She would eat a food for so long then decide that really she didn't like it any more and  me being the sap that I am would go out and buy something else. It got so bad with my girl I eventually took her to the vet and he told me about the 10/15 min food down rule. I persevered and low and behold she started eating when she realised that she wasn't getting anything else. We still have the odd episode but I don't give in to her pleading eyes, when she decides she doesn't like what she is getting. I know it's difficult especially with a puppy that you intend to show but it will be better in the long run. My baby Irish is 7 months now and I have followed this rule to the letter and have never had a problem getting her to eat.
I hope you get him sorted out. He sounds like a right cheeky wee monkey !!
What age is he now and when is his first show?

Alli

Thank you both for your advice, I will try the ten minute rule.  I have turned a bit manic over his weight since he lost loads of weight before and his breeder wasnt too impressed - although she was very nice about it I feel im letting her down if he loses weight, silly I know :rolleyes: 

Im glad im not the only one Alli who has problems, I know two people who actually hand feed their Irish pups because they wont eat and I refuse to go that far. He used to be such a pig when he was on complete because it wasnt filling him up, now he is content on BARF he thinks he can be picky - ooh I dont think so

Fagan is 5 months at the moment, his first show is Gundog of Wales at the end of September im really looking forward to it but just hope he can learn to stand still for two minutes before hand :D :D

Claire :)

Hiya Claire

You expect him to stand still for two minutes :D  I feel as though I have done a good job if I can get my wee girl to satnd still for 30 seconds. I am the same with my oldest girl, she will be 3 in October and I'm always paranoid if I know I'll be at the same show as her breeder. She normally tells me she is too fat though (hmm too many Ham treats me thinks:D  ). I actually get on really well with my girl's breeder but I am always looking for her approval. My breeder is very much "A Spades a Spade" type of person and I have always found this to be quite refreshing especially as recently my girl has decided she doesn't really like the showring. After much discussion with her breeder I have decided to lay her off for maybe a year and see how she goes just doing a few local open shows. The funny thing is I bred my puppy myself and it was of the utmost importance to me that my breeder thought she was nice. How pleased was I when she said she would happily take her home lol.

Be firm and don't give into the pleading eyes. I know how hard it is :)

Alli

He was a little angel at ring craft last night and stood still for all of about 15 seconds :D :D  He is actually really good, and the trainer describes him as "bomb proof" because he really doesnt care what anyone does to him and never backs off (only when he is bored and wants to get up to some mischief :rolleyes: )  My breeder is really very nice and very approachable she said last night that he is looking good which is a relief :)

Hi Claire

Excellent, your breeder sounds really nice too. It makes all the difference when they tell you that you are doing something good lol. He sounds like a sweetheart, my wee girl puts up with things for so long then decides that she really doesn't want to do it anymore lol. I don't think many judges expect perfection at 6 months tho so she'll maybe get away with it for a wee bit longer :) I hope so anyway.

Alli

Also in agreement with Tohme.
I have been through it with the Boxers too. Got the T-shirt, worn the hat and sunglasses :D
Currently am going thru it with my 7 month pup...but she won't win...

They'll eat when they are hungary...but it doesn't make you feel any better though
Especially when you are trying to show the pup and the breeder is co-owner ;)
When they are 2-3 years old and eat like pigs you'll forget all about it...until your next puppy :D

I've also got friends that fell into the same situation and now have to hand feed their dog
and they feed it anything that it will consent to eat (their own fault they realise now)...:S

We are making progress, I personally think as I was on holiday he had lost his routine and that made him not eat.  Now I am back and he is back into his normal routine he seems to be eating,  I managed to get three meals into him yesterday and he ate his breakfast this morning (apart from his vitamin capsules which I chucked down his throat ;) ) he does seem to be leaving a couple of mouthfulls though which is really frustrating.  Lets see if he eats his bones at lunchtime though .........

Claire :)