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Ripsnorterthe2nd
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Location: Co. Durham, UK
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20-02-2011, 06:56 PM

Is There Really No Such Thing As A Fussy Dog?

I'm interested to get opinions on this as Oscar has always been what I would term "fussy" and also to get some advice.

Oscar has always been a bit faddy, he has in the past gone through phases where he doesn't want to eat certain foods. He's not keen on liver but will happily eat it if it's still relatively frozen with some raw egg mixed in. He will eat most minced meats, but again they have to be partially frozen.

He went through a phase where he didn't want to eat chicken wings, even though he's been fed them since he was only a couple of months old. Eventually after the wings had been reproduced at a couple of consecutive mealtimes he ate them and has continued to since then.

Now then, to the point!

I recently ordered pheasant carcasses and Oscar simply doesn't want to know (Isla loves them but there's nothing Isla doesn't love when it comes to grub!). I've gone through the whole "leave it down for 15 minutes, then remove and reproduce at the next mealtime" etc, which has worked for all other problems with his faddiness, but with the pheasant he just won't eat it. It's gone back into the freezer 3 times consecutively, but in the end I gave in and gave him something differently the next mealtime.

So, could it be a case that Oscar simply doesn't like Pheasant? I've know some people believe that there is no such thing as a fussy dogs, only soft hearted owners who pander to the dog. But is it possible that some dogs might have a preference to certain foods? After all I hate onions, absolutely loath them, but if you offered me nothing but for several days I'd have to eat in the end as I'd be bloody starving! So yes, I think if I left it for several days Oscar would eventually eat the Pheasant out of pure hunger, but that would mean the same battle everytime he was fed it. And do I really want to force my dog to eat something just to make my point?

I just want to make it absolutely clear, when Oscar has refused to eat I've never replaced it with something different to get him to eat, he's always done without until the next mealtime.

As it stands at the moment Oscar was offered the Pheasant for Breakfast and again this evening and it's now back in the freezer for tomorrow! Tbh I'm not keen to push it much further than this as to me it feels like refusing it for three meals is a sign that he genuinely doesn't like it, rather than hoping something better comes along.
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DevilDogz
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20-02-2011, 07:01 PM
I believe there can be fussy dogs where food is concerned. One of mums dogs Dion will not eat a certainly flavoured tripe - yet is fine with all the others - we also tried the leaving it, going with out methods..She refuses point blank to eat it.
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Ripsnorterthe2nd
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20-02-2011, 07:09 PM
Originally Posted by DevilDogz View Post
I believe there can be fussy dogs where food is concerned. One of mums dogs Dion will not eat a certainly flavoured tripe - yet is fine with all the others - we also tried the leaving it, going with out methods..She refuses point blank to eat it.
You make it sound like ice cream! What other flavours are there, just out of interest?

I do feel that some dogs just have preferences and I really don't want to force him to eat it if he doesn't like it. After all, Isla will certainly polish them off eventually!
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DevilDogz
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20-02-2011, 07:14 PM
Didnt make much sense that did it...some of the ones we get are lamb tripe, beef tripe, tripe and veg, tripe and meat mix (which is organ meat), tripe and chicken, tripe and turkey.

I wouldnt force it either, I think you can tell when a dog is just being fussy because wants/has had better.
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ClaireandDaisy
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20-02-2011, 07:17 PM
Daisy is the only one that`s fussy. She is on the lean side, so I just offer her what she likes. Dogs tend to be conservative, I find. Like they won`t eat turkey wings .
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Trouble
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20-02-2011, 07:23 PM
I'd say none of mine are fussy but two of them flatly refuse to eat duck, no matter how I try to hide it in amongst the rest of it. They eat everything else and just leave the duck sitting there. The same two refuse to eat tongue too but that's probably the texture as they gave it a try and gave up.
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3dognight
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20-02-2011, 08:02 PM
its not fussy...its not HUNGRY......most dogs only eat to replenish...if they are lacking the eat...drain there energy.they eat....most dogs are on a schedual so they eat out of repitition.....i fast my dogs for 24 hours often...they will eat stuff i thought they did not like...out of replenishment/energy....not what the feel like that day...and most definatly they do have prefference....thats our falt so to speek!!!!just an angle......imo..oh and i do have a120lbs dogo female who will eat her self to death!!!trash can!!!8cups of something everyday......
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Kerryowner
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20-02-2011, 09:24 PM
I wouldn't say mine were fussy at all (they were fed Bakers before I had them!) but Cherry didn't get along with raw feeding at all when I tried it. Didn't like it although Parker was ok. She just kept taking the chicken wings into her beanbag and I could foresee problems then if Parker went near there so now they are fed either "Barking Heads" or home-cooked.
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krlyr
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20-02-2011, 09:31 PM
I've found certain bits of raw that Kiki won't eat, regardless of how many times it's offered, whether it's minced meat, bone, etc., frozen, defrosted, warm. She won't touch duck, as I discovered after treating them to a whole duck one Christmas, and recently discovered she won't touch venison - again, a Christmas treat, think that's the problem but even when I got given some venison bones recently, she wouldn't touch them either. Nibbled for a few minutes begrudgingly and then abandoned then. I know she wasn't playing games as one morning it was when breakfast was late (sometimes they get a walk before breakfast, other times it's a walk after, but on the walk-before days they're certainly hungry come breakfast time!) so she would definately have been hungry!
She's normally a real greedy guts so I just think it's the taste/texture of certain things she doesn't like.
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lozzibear
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20-02-2011, 11:01 PM
I think some dogs are just fussy Thankfully Jake isnt one of them! I think some dogs will eat things, and maybe begin to like it, if they are repeatedly given it. With Jake, i know he eats most things so if he refuses things (has only ever been pork belly, lung and tongue) then i just try again the next meal, if still no luck then the next day will be back to something different. If i had a dog who was fussy with most things, then i would think i would need to be a bit harder on them with the feeding.
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