Help with feeding

I am having major problems in feeding Oli. He is 5 months now. Right from the off he wouldn't show any interest in the Royal Canin and puppy food his breeder fed him on. I then tried him on chicken which he ate for a small time, he then went off that.
Next I tried him on the frozen chicken mince which he seemed to enjoy for a small time and then went off that. I next started on cooked liver which he has been eating for the last 2-3 weeks and now totally refuses that.
His belly is growling this morning so I offered him some runny redi-brek which he walked away from. He will pick at the cats mixed biscuits when he is allowed to get near and we dont feed him plate scraps. He will pick at a biscuit. I am totally out of ideas now. Really dont know what to do for him now???

I know you dont want to hear this, but I think your over fussing him,

maybe {and I know this sounds harsh} but maybe you should offer him no food for a day, then put down his normal dog biscuit and see what happens, if you get into the habbit of chopping and changing all the time you will make him a fussy fussy dog,

so long as there is no medical reason behind his refusal to eat, I would play hard on him.

if you feel really really bad, you can put a tiny bit of tinned dog meat through his kibble, or a tiny amount of sardines in tomatoe sauce, if he turns his nose up, fine lift it and dont offer anymore food untill the next meal time, then offer the same sort of food again,
it may be worth while only offering half of his normal meal size if you think he will not eat it,

dont start lifting one thing then rushing to make something else then something else,

hes really playing you a merry dance just now lol,. bless him

ETA: it could be worth getting him a quick check up at the vet, and having his mouth checked,
have all his puppy teeth came out yet? are his adult teeth all in?

I agree I am treating him like baby.. but right from the start he wont even look at wet dog food.. I have bought every pack of food there is and he just wont look at it. I tried him with tripe this morning and he just walked away from that.. his belly sounds like a cat miaow noise... its quite upsetting to think he is hungry..
I will go and buy some sardines though.. not thought about that... thanks for that

He has not lost one tooth yet... should he by now? I shall call the vets this morning.

That must be horrid to go through but I must agree with Shona, giving them too many options can make them fussy, Louis was a older but he stayed with the neighbours for a few days (long story and totally OT) well they fed him chunks of meat and chicken wings well when he got home he didn't eat for two days, I was starting to worry, I told the neighbours they had ruined him but he got hungry and ate 'dog' food again.
You must be so worried and as he is still a pup a vet check would be my first stop, to rule out anything other than that and go from there.

he should be starting teething by now, or very soon.

do you give him chews? often very cold things are good, I used to freeze tiny carrots for my pups, a health treat, but nice and cool on the gums as well.

I just googled loosing teeth and it seems the norm for toy breeds to hang on to teeth that little bit longer so Im not going to stress about that just now He has all the chews and bones.. he is even very fussy about what chews he will play with.. he will eat cheese treats though with no troubles... he will be going in for the dreaded boy chop in the new year so any problems there can be dealt with then.
I think/know I have fussed him but ive never known a dog to turn his nose up at everything... he seems to tolerate somthing for a small time then thats that.. no more.
I will try removing food and bringing it back later on and see how that works.
Apart from his eating habits he is very playful and happy.

Shona is right. He may have come from the breeder overfed. Your dog definitely should be narrower at the waist than the hips and chest. You should be able to easily feel the ribs, but not see them. Each dog is different. Standard recommendations are a good place to start, but each dog must have its food and exercise adjusted to its individual needs.

Hi,

Shona is right. I had to do this with a foster dog I have at the moment. He refused to eat for 4 days. Then gave into temptation/hunger. He was obviously used to "human" food and in my house dogs get "dog" food. That's it!

Ar the moment your pup knows that if he fancies somethign different for dinner all he has to do is walk away from his food and you'll give him something else. He#'s effectively wrapped you around his little finger.

I'd take Shona's advice and be quite hard on him. YOU decide what YOU want to feed him. Put his food down at mealtimes that YOU decide upon. If he doesn't eat it inside about 10-15 minutes remove it and give him nothing until next mealtime.

Have him checked at the vet's anyway to ensure there's no underlying condition preventing him from eating normally. Assuming he's healthy, he's playing you.

I hope he starts eating properly soon though. it must be so worrying for you.

Laura xx

It can be so worrying with small dogs and not eating Louis also was a fussy eater, not a dog I could teach with treats as they werent highly interesting to him, he would eat more when he had to than anything (when he got hungry enough) I think I stressed for 12-18mths as he was just that way. I tried everything, to no luck after being checked out by the vet and nothing came of it, he was in good condition, good body weight (on the slim built side) just gave him his food if he ate he ate if he didn't he didn't, now he loves his food and is a little doofa

First of all too much liver is harmful to dogs.

Get him checked by the vets and as long as he is medically ok.. harsh love is the way to go im afraid.

Sound like he has you wrapped around his finger, Choose a food and stick to it, put it down for 15min, 3 times a day. Allow water all the time.

ATD x