Hi any ideas. My 12 wk merle pup was very easily weaned onto Royal Canin Medium Junior. I have a huge sack to use up so want to continue it. I started to introduce her to some raw because I believe it is good for them, which she loves but is now refusing the dry. She will eat some if it is put in a Royal Canin ball feeder, which makes it into a game! I don't mind feeding her all raw but can you do that?? Any suggestions please?

Yes you can feed them all raw,much better for them than dried stuff. Theres loads of info on the web. Why not save the dried food to use as treats.
liz

Raw food is very good for dogs, also if you still want to use the Royal Canin then add some grated cheese, sardines, raw meat to the dried food to make it more interesting to her, she may just be getting bored with the dry food and adding little extras mixed in with it will make it more tasty :)

Are you possibly over feeding her?

It amazes me that so many people feed one brand of dry food all the time and buy huge bags of it.Of course the dog gets bored.their natural instinct is to hunt and scavenge and thus achieve a varied diet,Giving the same diet all the time will result in the dog eating only enough to stave off hunger pangs,and often loosing condition even if it is a balanced food.I was feeding dogs before complete foods were invented,so call me old fashioned if you like,but I know my dogs like their food fresh,be it cooked,raw or just a newly opened tin.They do have a bowl of dry food available alongside the water bowl,and help themselves to it now and then,but because it is always there ,they do not eat greedily.and are not over weight.

> Giving the same diet all the time will result in the dog eating only enough to stave off hunger pangs

I've never had a fussy dog and they always eat the same thing day in day out and they have always enjoyed thier meals.

If my child refused it's dinner, it would go without - if my dog refused it's dinner, it would go without, in both cases they learn quick enough to eat what is given to them.

> Of course the dog gets bored.their natural instinct is to hunt and scavenge

exactly why a dog should be more than happy with what ever is on offer, unless is it ill or has been made fussy by the owner always trying to tempt the dog with something nicer :) They are opportunistic - they should naturally eat what is available to them - fussyness is not a natural thing for a dog.

I do fully respect the fact that people choose the diet they think is best for thier dogs, but that does not mean that every other diet is wrong and complete food does not make a dog fussy - the owner does that.

Agree with mastifflover

>Of course the dog gets bored.their natural instinct is to hunt and scavenge

And that includes POO!   Most dogs will enjoy the poo of other animals - including dogs.

Any complete on the market is likely to be better than Poo ;)

>If my child refused it's dinner, it would go without - if my dog refused it's dinner, it would go without, in both >cases they learn quick enough to eat what is given to them.

Absolutely, the alternative is to keep changing foods more and more often as the dog gets the idea that something new and tastier will be on offer, but sooner or later you run out of new foods and the dog won't eat anything - I've been there once many years ago, never again ;)

It amazes me that so many people feed one brand of dry food all the time and buy huge bags of it.Of course the dog gets bored.their natural instinct is to hunt and scavenge and thus achieve a varied diet, 

They are not hunting and scavenging for a variety though they are doing that to survive.

You will find most of the country do feed the same food quite happily with no problem.  You will probably find half the top dogs in the country that are in peak condition are fed one quality complete food.

The biggest reason for fussy eaters is not choice or variety is the owner allowing the dog to be fussy, over feeding and leaving food down all day.

All but one of mine get a mixture of food but they would happily eat the same thing everyday also.

>now refusing the dry.

I know it's dry food to start with but are you feeding it dry?  Have you tried soaking it? Some dogs simply prefer their food a bit soggy.  For my pup at a similar age I was soaking most of it in warm water and just adding the remainder for crunch.

How many meals a day is she on - could it be time to drop one?  Mine would still have been on 4 meals at this age but when he was ready to move to 3 he made his feelings quite clear!  Conversely when I dropped to 2 meals he used to get outfaced by the volume of food in his bowl.  He obviously needed a certain amount per day but couldn't manage it as two meals - I went back up to 3 for another week or so whilst he made the adjustments.

Giving my dogs a varied diet does not turn them into fussy eaters,competition from the others at feeding time prevents that,they are always checking each others bowls in case they have missed something.Feeding time is the high light of their day and I like to see them enjoying their meals.My children always ate what they were given without question,they had a varied healthy diet,junk food was not invented then..but we always had a sweetie jar within reach,and because it was always there and not regarded as a treat they did not bother with sweets that much.I guess that is a bit like the chocolate factory workers who stop eating the chocs,after a few days of starting work There really is no comparison between children and dogs,though for some owners their dog is a child substitute..I am sure lots of the top dogs are fed complete foods,and I know my ideas are old fashioned,but I do know a lot of people finish up garnishing the dry food with grated cheese,gravy,milk etc because the dog has to be encouraged to empty their bowl.There are so many complete foods on the market I would not know  where to start to choose.I try to wean puppies on to foods that are readily available for their new owners to buy in the supermarkets and local pet stores.Fifty years of breeding,and working as a professional groomer  and unofficial,behaviour consultant has taught me a lot,and I have had a lot of fun along the way with my dogs.Sorry I have woffled on a bit,.!!

> I am sure lots of the top dogs are fed complete foods,and I know my ideas are old fashioned,but I do know a lot of people finish up garnishing the dry food with grated cheese,gravy,milk etc because the dog has to be encouraged to empty their bowl

not in my household, i've fed the same dry food for years and have never had to add any extras to entice them to feed lol

>I do know a lot of people finish up garnishing the dry food with grated cheese,gravy,milk etc because the dog has to be encouraged to empty their bowl.

Then they're possibly feeding their dog too much. The 'clean up your plate' syndrome can lead to overweight in dogs as well as humans.