my two becoming fussy eaters - help please!

Hi all,
My two 7 month old pups are really getting fussy with there food, they have never really eaten many biscuits, have tried them with most, they are surposed to be on the barff diet, but are even turning there nose up at fresh meat, they will steal food from the other dogs (tin meat and biscuits) but if i give them the same they wont eat it,
one of them is in season and a bit low the other is just so hypo all the time they both look well and are not under weight,

Has anyone any suggestions on what to try

Feed on a schedule at certain times during the day. Take their meals away after around 15 mins, and don't give them any more food until their next dinner time. This way they'll eat what you give them for sure, and they'll learn that if they want all their dinner, they better get it all in one go.

Yep - I have heard & read that leaving the food down for say 30mins is more than enough. If they don't eat it, take it up anyway. And make sure they have set meal times.

Dogs are scavengers, and missing a meal or 2 will not damage them in anyway. They will soon cotton on and eat when they get hungry.

Of course, if they continue to not eat, then this is not working, so ensure they do not begin to lose weight or become unhealthy.

Have you tried making the food more appetising - maybe adding some kind of gravey?

If they continue not to eat after doing this for a while, then there may be a medical problem, and she should go visit the vet.

Bitches in season often go off their food If they are not eating the BARF I would stop it for the moment and feed a good quality food the correct amount for their weight divided by two (because at their age they should be on two meals) if has already been said they don't eat it within a resonable time (and you can tell if they intend to eat it or not) remove the food and feed nothing until the next meal.

Thanks for the advise, i will give it another go.
I am still feeding them 3 meals a day,be it small ones, should they now only have 2 a day ?

Also if i change from the barff diet, do any of you have any suggestions as to what i should feed, they wont eat JWB, Autkery (sp) or burns,

Bodhi, i did used to temped my dogs with adding gravey ect, but after reading about the toxic dog food and how it killed so many dogs in the states im off that idea for the mo (thanks anyway).

The one thing they do scavenge for though is OUR Dinner (and im not that great a cook )

Hi Tracy
Yes they are fine on two meals at 7 months particularly if they are not eating...
Be very careful giving gravy unless it is 'proper gravy' made from stock and meat juices, many stock cubes and granules are full of salt and not good for your dogs.
Yes they will eat the foods you mention, Arden Grange and Burns, they will eat anything when hungry providing no fuss is made, the uneaten food is removed after a short time and they are not fed anything until the next meal .

hi all
as of today im going to start, taking away the food if its not eaten with in 20 mins, and i will cut out one of the meals i give them (maybe lunch),

so fingers crossed for hungrey girls

Hi Tracy it's a goor idea to make sure the two meals you give add up to the correct daily amount, so look at the food manufacturers instructions as to quantity for a dog the age of yours and divide that by two.

For a dog on fresh food the approx amount as a guide is... for an older puppy, an ounce of food per pound body weight falling to three quaters to half an ounce of food for an adult.

I can't tell you the amount for BARF feeding but I expect the BARF sites do.

hey tracey,

Did the advise work? Are your puppies eating again?