My 7 month old mini schanuzer is now on 2 meals a day, 8am and about 6.30pm.   The thing is that she hardly eats any of it!!  I put the bowl down in the morning an she sniffs at it and might eat a couple of mouthfuls and then I always give her fresh in the evening and the same thing applies.  I don't take the bowl away,should I be doing this?? I just worry that she'll be starving so I leave it just in case!!  She's full of life and energy so she's obviously happy, although the other thing she does is that she keeps sniffing around the kitchen floor looking for crumbs and stuff.

Any advise appriciated as usual.

p.s. shes just coming up for 7 months

Hi

Has there been a change of feeding pattern - ie did she used to eat this food ok and now she doesnt? have you changed the food?  What is the quantity recommended by the food manufacturer and how much are you feeding ?

What are you feeding her for meals? Are you maybe feeding too much?
Take the bowl away. Once she's eaten what she wants, remove the bowl. Same with evening meal.
Do you feed her bits n scraps through the day? I think most puppies go through this when they think they might get something tastier if they don't eat, but as she is eating she won't starve herself so don't worry :)

HI,

Just to say that I haven't changed her food, shes been on the same one since we got her at 8 weeks which is JWB puppy kibble which I mix with a tablespoon of JWB wet mixer.

I never feed her any other tit bits during the day, other than maybe a treat when we're out and she does well with her recalls and sits etc!

Sarah

As she is growing and fit and well she obviously eats enough.

Pick up her food dish after 10 minutes and do not give her anything until next meal time.

Remember that the amounts on the packet are on the generous, sometimes extremely so.

Most dogs I know of various breeds eat no more than 2/3rds of that amount.  Mine eat little more than half the recommended amount.

Has she had her season, it could be that it is on his way and the hormonal surge has curbed her appetite. On the other hand many pups go through a stage when they have more interesting things to do than eat. Don't worry dogs will usually eat what they need if they are fit and well, pick the food up after 10 to 15 minutes and let her wait till the next meal time.

Hi Sarah

Apart from the other helpful replies re quantity fed and lifting uneaten food after 10 minutes, I'd also suggest altering your feeding times.  Personally I've found that as my dogs grow and mature they wont eat in the morning except for a treat.  The ones on 2 meals a day (slower maturing breed so usually 12+ months and adults) get their first meal at around 1-00pm and second at 9-00pm or thereabouts :)

It may be worth delaying breakfast for a couple of hours to see if it makes a difference and then similarly dinner if it has.

Just a thought, Teri

Yes, I did that too. Changed it from 8 am to 10 am - found they were more interested later rather than earlier. And they get dinner around 6 pm :)

My girls are fed twice a day but the first meal is always about 10.30/11 ish after our morning walk. If for some reason I need to feed them earlier (Say a trip out for the day and needing brekkers earliy) they will not be so interested. I find on dog show days Merlot will not eat at all untill we get home at the end of the day! You may find that feeding the first meal would be better after a walk...but do leave a reasonable time for him to settle after the walk, an hour is recomended..but a little less if he is not a charging about sort of walker! My lot are so blummin lazy they hardly ever break sweat!!
Aileen

Hi there - as an owner of 2 minis I would have to say that the belief that schnauzers are greedy is just not true.  My 2 will generally have a bit then go back for a snack a bit later - they never wolf down the whole bowl.  I did try them on JWB once in the past but they didn't like it at all.  It might be worth gradually moving across to a different food to see if your girl prefers that.  My 2 LOVE scrambled egg or tuna as a treat - just a bit on the top of their normal food.  They are both quite lean and I do have to watch they don't get skinny - I can tell when they need feeding up a bit when I pat them on the bottom and can feel too much hip bone!

When I checked your profile to see if you were local to me (you're not cos I'm in Warwickshire!), I was surprised to find you have exactly the same birth date as me, including the year!  How spooky!

My 18 month old patterdale went through a stage of being really fussy and not eating her food.  I changed the brand of food then the type of food on offer and she would just sniff it and not bother despite all sorts of cajoaling.  In the end I put out her bowl of food as usual in the morning and after 5 minutes I made her watch as it went into the bin.  I did the same that evening, it was hard to throw it in the bin as it was obvious that she was starving, but I still did it.  Come the following morning she ate the lot down in one go.  So now when she shows any sign of being fussy I show her that the food will be thrown away by lifting the bowl towards the bin, and she eats it straight away.  So as long as your dog is looking well, don't worry as she is just trying it on with you just like a toddler does.