Why is she being so fussy?

daphni is now 16 months old. she has only started having a fussy problem with her food since she had her first season at 11 months. this problem goes on and off and i am at a wits end with what to do. she was on pro plan biscuits but went off them so i switched her to royal canin which she likes and will eat. she did have regular dog meat but didnt seem to like it very much so i switched her to raw meat which she was having turkey, lamb and tripe. now she seems to have gone of this she will pick a bit at the biscuits. ive even tried her with some normal dog meat and she wont touch it.
she hadnt eaten her breakfast yesterday so she had the same food at tea but i took it out of the bowl in clumps and put it on the floor. now she ate it off the floor, and cleared it all up. so what is it? is it the bowl or what? im so confused because she is doing it just completely random
i dont want to make a habit of feeding her from my hand because i know that this will only make it worse... someone help please

Before assuming that she doesn't like the food, test the theory that she's just not hungry. At that age, it may just be that her energy requirements have decreased, and you can cut back the amount she eats a bit.

Maybe you've tried this, but if she doesn't eat what you give her within 15-20 minutes, take it away and offer nothing till next meal time. Repeat if necessary (within reason!) If she doesn't eat anything within a couple of days, think again.

We have never left food sitting uneaten here (couldn't now, cos Roly is a little pig, and would gobble the lot!) Occasionally Bongo just has a day when she doesn't want to eat, but it would be a mistake to start offering her things that seem more tempting, and thus making it worth her while to hold out on us. If we worked on that principle, she'd soon be refusing anything but cheese and sardines

well the thing is ive just given it to her in her kong and she is eating it? is this just because its something different?

Aren't they funny A Kong isn't food, it's a game Actually, I do suspect they see it that way - completely different kind of stimulus from gobbling down their dinners. A couple of thoughts: if you use stuffed Kongs regularly, you don't need to feed so much out of bowls anyway - same with training treats, but just make sure that the diet remains nutritionally balanced. And actually, why not just feed out of Kongs if she gets a buzz out of it: it's occupational therapy, and goes with the principle that it's good for them to work for what they get.

as long as she doesnt get bored of this the only thing with this is im going to have to get her a bigger kong, because she only has one of the tiny ones and i have had to refill it 3 times so far, n thats only half the food of what she has in the bowl oh well if it works then im going to have to do it. what we do for a pesky beasts aye.

You could try a Buster Cube too if she's eating kibble....

Likely duboing is right. The Kong could be making it more interesting.

If the dog never did eat very well, and has seen the vet since the problem existed, you may be over feeding it. A vet check still won't hurt. Many dogs will wolf down more than is good for them and look for more. Others refuse to eat more than than they need. Evaluate the dog as illustrated in this link, link removed You may want the vet to confirm your judgment. Adjust the dogs food and exercise as needed to reach its ideal body condition. Some German Shepherds and other breeds may refuse to eat enough to completely hid their ribs. As long as you are feeding a concentrated, meat based chow, the best thing is to accept it.

The worst thing you can do is to bribe a dog with rich foods into eating more than it needs. Instead, Put down the dish with what the dog should eat, and give it 15 minutes to eat. Then take it up. Do not give it anything to eat until its next scheduled meal. In a few days, it should be eating what it needs. Continue to check its ribs and adjust the food as needed. This is not easy. I had a Shepherd go 3 days on a few nibbles. I was a wreck, but she was fine. It is almost unknown for a healthy dog not to eat what it needs. Unfortunately, in too many cases, it is less than the package says, and less than the owner thinks the dog should have. Many dogs are quite good at holding out for tastier chow. Like kids, sometimes it calls for tough love.

Tilly is like this too. She tends to go for about 8 weeks & then gets bored of her food, but continues to scratch the cupboard for food. I've tried giving it to her in her kong & then she eats it!

Don't panic too much. Some dogs just don't eat much. As long as she isn't losing weight and condition try not to worry too much. Rio does this all the time. Yesterday she didn't eat at all, even refused her treat ball which she usually loves. This morning though, she ate a lamb bone so she's back on track. She may refuse to eat again tomorrow. Like Daphni, she changed during her season and is now less food motivated. It could be hormone related, as they are still going through puberty. She may be starting to come into season early. Rio is definitely showing signs of coming into season. She is quieter, eating less, sleeping more and Dan's nose is permanently attached to her bum!