Hi - i changed my shiba inu to Arden Grange (chicken and rice ) after reading advise on how good it is.

He has always been very fussy, picking at his food, but 2 weeks ago i started taking it away from him when he walked off and he had been eating more for every day, but yesterday he turned his nose up at it and again this morning. He ate a bit this evening and then walked away, so i put some warm water on it with a bit of grated cheese and mixed it in.  He ate the majority of it then with quite a lot of encouragement - putting it from the bowl onto the floor ect.

Any ideas ?

Thanks

My sibie doe's the same thing i add either tuna, sardines or a raw egg to hers and she wolves it down.

Jenna

I think he's learnt how to train you to add tasty food to his meal! By the way I was unaware that Arden Grange did Chicken and Rice I thought they did chicken or Lamb and rice is this a new variety?

Jesse

sorry, my mistake it is just chicken

You do not say if he enjoyed his last food and if he looked good on it?

Hi Lisam,

If you dog has always been fussy then I would stick to the Arden Grange, it is a good dry complete.  Fussy dogs will fuss over anything you put in front of them, eventually.  

I do not see a problem in adding something as an extra flavoring to keep your dog interested most of the time.  If you can, why don't you just save a little bit of whatever you had for dinner the evening before and add it? 

Dogs do not starve themselves to death, so I would not focus too much on how much or how often he eats as long as his body weight is good.  

Stacey

Any food is only "good" if it is suitable for your own individual dog and it likes it!  I am always amazed at how much people spend on commercial dog foods which are supposed to be "scientifically researched", hypo-allergenic, "premium" contain everything that any dog could want etc etc and then find that their dogs don't eat it/like it so they have to add stuff to it!  The logic escapes me!  :D

Please do not hijack yet another thread and turn it into a BARF v Complete debate.

Hi Lisa,
You could try putting it in the microwave on high for 10 seconds before giving it to him- the oils will begin to melt and it will have a stronger smell, which often tempts particularly fussy dogs.
Hope this helps,
Liz

eek!
i tried this last night stupidly though forgot dogs bowl was metal.  Good thing it was cheap microwave. :D

oops!
Boyfriend remineded me just before i did that too.  Did not seem to make too much difference, but seems to be eating a bit more than usual - prefers to eat just before he goes to bed - but then not so keen to eat in the morning.  I have been told thought that they do not need to eat quite as much food as recommended on the bag, but i'd still like him to eat the full amount to fatten him up a bit.

Hi there,
I started on Arden Grange a few weeks ago and found that my lot didn't need nearly so much food as the last brand.  Maybe you're feeding too much? 
Just a thought.

Sarah.

Hi all, I have a REALLY fussy Gsd bitch and the only thing I could get her to eat is arden grange I would definetly keep on with it, you wont need to feed as much so bear that in mind and the food is good so it will fatten the dog anyway just be careful they dont get too fat, I feed the salmon and rice and then the other range not the classic they get one feed of arden grange in the morning then at supper 3 or 4 chicken wings or tripe I dont feed both together

Janines

Must be something about gsd's, Sasha was very picky and though her appetite's picked up, even the woman at training (who suggested I feed her leftover curry!) said she was skinny.  Had the vet check her over and there's nothing wrong with her!
She's just one of lifes naturally thin creatures, a bit like myself :D.

Paula

Thanks for the advise - do you feed them less than what Arden Grange reccomend, or the amount that they reccomend ?

I have also been adding a bit of butchers tinned meat to it, just to encourage him, tonight though i also put in 2 tablespoons of sunflower oil and he ate all of it.  This is not really the road that i want to go down by adding things to his food which is already a good complete diet, but if it makes him eat at the moment, especially when it's so cold outside..he could do with a bit of fat on his bones.

We also had a gsd when i was younger who was a very fussy eater,  my dad said thatshe never ate very well until we got my labrador (who has now passed away)  she soon learnt to eat it or lose it !