Which food is best for him?

I would like to put Jamie on a good quality diet that will maybe put some weight on him... he is in good condition, but he tends to drop weight easily and also he is FUSSY!! The 15min trick does not work on him... if he doesn't want it, he just won't eat it!! I also want him and Deacon on the same diet in the future as well...
Deacon, atm is on the diet the breeder gave me, 4 meals a day, that consist of milky food breakfast and supper and tripe and mixer lunch and tea, also has sa37. The breeder gives his adult dogs this diet (except the milk!) also with chicken and eggs... Well I tried Jamie on this, he had a reaction against it... both ends protested!!
Jamie loves cooked chicken, homemade lamb mince and veg, raw lamb chops, tinned fish and turkey... he hates beef, just won't eat it raw or cooked
I would just like some ideas on the best diet... I ideally would like him and Deacon on the same sort of thing too!!

I am currently in the process of switching my lot to a raw diet, so I'm not best placed to give you any advice at the moment, Claire. I'm sure others with less "novice" value than me will be along soon with some brilliant suggestions.

Good luck anyway x

I don't think there is any such thing as a best diet, just whats best for you and your dog. When you tried Jamie on the same food as Deacon did you introduce it slowly or just make the swap? Any food has the potential to cause a Dire rear if given when unaccustomed to it.
You could just try adding a little of whatever Deacon has to Jamie's bowl ( increasing the amounts gradually) while you work out what you eventually want to feed the pair of them.

Are you looking for a dried food or homecooked diet?

At the moment I am toying with the idea of giving them what Deacon has now... or swopping them both onto AG or similar... Jamie is my concern as he is quite sensitive and tends to lose weight easily too, as I said if he doesn't like something he just won't eat it....
I just not happy with the canned food he has now and would like, ideally him and deacon on the same food... I can't handle bones you see, as a veggie and also as J had one last year and left it and when I moved it... full of maggots! If he could have raw without bones... that be easier, but probably not good?

you can have raw without bones if you suppliment calcium - although you loose the teeth cleaning benifit
also raw or tinned fish can give bones
crushed eggshellgood for calcium and chicken bones are easily eaten by the dogs
ben will strip any other bone and eat it after the meat but chicken gets munched down all in one

He loves mackeral and sardines, has a tin of either a week, so his coat is glossy.... He also nicks egg shells too!! So if I gradually wean him onto some raw mince is that the best way? I have tripe here cos of Deacon....

You could try Nature's menu, its all raw with everything you need vitamin wise, you can keep it in the freezer and just defrost and feed.

When i switched to raw feeding this is what i started on, my two loved it and they still get it from time to time.

Personally I'd recommend a raw diet. My two are fed the "prey mode" diet and are doing wonderfully on it. There are quite a few posts on here with regards to raw feeding if you do a search. Here's a few links you might also find of use if this way of feeding is of interest to you;
http://www.geocities.com/havens_home/feedraw.htm
http://www.rawfeddogs.net/FAQlist
http://www.rawfed.com/myths/
http://www.ukrmb.co.uk/showcontent.toy?contentnid=7379
There is also a yahoo group called "rawfeeding" that are an invaluable source of information. Also quiet a few vegetarians raw feeders on there.

Maggot infested bones should not be part of the diet! If you are feeding fresh portions of meat with edible bone included they will munch down and eat the lot. (Eg: Portions of chicken, rabbit etc.)

Hope that is of some help. If you want more info/help with regards to a raw diet I'm happy to be of help, as are the many other raw feeders on here.

EDIT: Tom Londsdales books are valuable reads also.

My dog was a fussy eater and really skinny before we started the prey model diet. He was on Arden Grange when we got him from Dog's Trust, but he never really ate as much as he should have.

Since going to raw he's the perfect weight for his size, his leg and shoulder muscles have really built up, his coat is great and his breath is non-smelly.

It does take a while for them to get used to handling raw meat, but we've been at it for about 8 months now and he's getting really good at it