Interesting Eating Behavior - Any thoughts?

[Eric Vecc]

Hello All, Just wanted to describe Bailey's newest eating behavior and see if anyone has any experience with it. He is a 6 month old Shepherd / Lab mix. We feed Bailey 2 cups at 7:00 am every morning and 2 cups at 5:00 pm every evening. He has always gobbled up his meal in one quick session and moved on to play time. Recently (just last week), he started eating little bits at a time and spreading out his meal time. He will still sit, anxious as ever, when he knows its meal time but then he will dive in and only eat about 1/4 of the dish. Then he walks around for a little and goes back periodically throughout the next hour or so. If I begin fetch with him during this hour, he will periodically go into the kitchen (mid-game), take one bite and come running back with his ball.

It's almost like he wants to spread out meal time and not eat it all in one fast swoop. Do dogs think like this? Could he really be extending his beloved eating time over an hour or so, so he has longer to enjoy it? He will always finish his meal and is eliminating fine. Any suggestions? Ever had this happen?

[Summer Magic]

I only give Magic 20 to 30 minutes to eat. If she doesn't finish by that time I pick up her dish. She's usually ready to pay attention to her supper at the next feeding. Although if he does this a lot, not eating two or three meals right away I'd make an appointment with the vet.

[Grace Erick]

Eric, what are you feeding your dog? I've heard people say that their dogs tastes for the same food can change and they don't like to eat it anymore or maybe he really doesn't like the taste of the food.

[Eric Vecc]

He has been on Nutro's Natural Choice Large Puppy Breed since he was 9 weeks old. He seems to enjoy it and I don't mind that he is doing this, it's just weird. His bowl stays down all day (empty), so if he leaves food in it, he can eat it later. It's his problem if he gets put in his cage and he didn't eat very much. He knows our routine. He even goes in his cage when we start turning lights off and the TV off. I just don't know his reasoning behind this (and yes, I do think dogs reason things).

[aussiesmum]

Wierd quesion, but has he been on medication latley? I did see somewhere that sometimes medication can make his food OR his bowl taste funny, so he doesn't like it.

Also, have you tried feeding him from a diffrent bowl. Maybe he acidently hit a tooth on the bowl or whatever and is afraid of his bowl now?

[Eric Vecc]

Excellent idea - I am going to try a different bowl and see what happens. He did eat his entire meal last night in one sitting but not this morning. He was so hungry this morning, I heard his stomach growling and got up a little earlier (20 minutes) to feed the poor guy. But he only ate about 1/4 of it and went off for some stretching, exploring and chewing on his bone. He even fell back asleep! Once we got up and were moving around he periodically went over and took a few bites and kept moving.

[Hee Yung Lee]

I have no idea, but if Bailey's been vet checked and his health is in order then maybe he's just passed his stage where he feels the need to inhale his food. Has his weight been steady since he started doing this?

[Jill Ramsey]

Excellent idea - I am going to try a different bowl and see what happens. He did eat his entire meal last night in one sitting but not this morning. He was so hungry this morning, I heard his stomach growling and got up a little earlier (20 minutes) to feed the poor guy. But he only ate about 1/4 of it and went off for some stretching, exploring and chewing on his bone. He even fell back asleep! Once we got up and were moving around he periodically went over and took a few bites and kept moving.

Eric,
Your Bailey sounds so much like Finnegan! Must be the lab in him. :lol: Finnegan does this, too. I haven't figured out why. Most labs/large dogs will inhale their food. Finnegan will take a mouthful and chew and drop most of it onto the floor. He will either eat whats on the floor or go back to continue at his bowl and finish up the floor later. Sometimes he will walk away, especially if I'm in the kitchen, (to see what I'm doing?). I leave his bowl down for 15 minutes. IF he hasn't finished by then, oh well too bad, and his bowl gets put up. Actually, I dump what's left because he drips water on it, and I don't want to leave wet food all day.
He''s usually hungry at the next feeding and will eat, but he still eats the same way, only stays at his bowl.
This will happen off and on, no set pattern. He may do it once, or 2 - 3 days in a row. I've found it's better (for me :?: ) if I don't coax him to eat or make a big deal out of it.
I've often wondered if it's his way of keeping me home longer in the morning? It seems like he's thinking, "ok, if I eat really slow, then she won't leave because I'm still eating :? " LOL, I know dogs aren't suppose to reason like this, but sometimes I wonder.

[Grace Erick]

Maybe it is a lab thing?

My dog eats canned food and sometimes she will leave a little to follow me around. If I go back and sit with her by her food, she will eat more of it.

You can also try going to one of those natural pet food stores that sell foods like Solid Gold, Chicken Soup for the Dog Lover's Soul, Wellness or Natural Balance and see if you can get samples for him to try. There is Innova too, which people like, but some dogs get diahhrea from it and some dogs do great on it. Petsmart sells Natural Balance, so they probably don't have samples, but natural pet food stores that sell Solid Gold and Wellness might. You have to do a search for Solid Gold and use their store locater to see where it's sold. You would find Natural Balance in Petsmart. :D :D

I got trial pkgs for my chi, and one pkg can last for days. For a lab, it would probably be just one serving. I go to 3 stores for my dog's food. Chicken Soup is sold in a feed store, and Solid Gold and Merrick in a natural pet store.

I used to feed my dog Eukanuba and she left it. I always threw it all the time thinking the same thing, if she isn't hungry she won't eat it, but I found that is was substandard food with by products etc. and when I fed her better canned food, she left nothing in her plate.

[Sherri]

Not sure if it is just a lab thing.. My Beagle/Rat Terrier mix does this as well.. There are some days he gets both meals, some days he doesn't get them at all. When I put his food out, if he is ready for it, I make him sit first, then let him eat.. Some days, he looks at it and walks away. I let it sit there for 30 min., then pick it up and save it for the next meal time. My trainer has told me that a dog can go for a week without eating, so he will be ok with missed meals, but she found it strange that my 1/2 hound dog turns down food!!

[Grace Erick]

With my chihuahua, if she missed a meal, it was a good chance should would throw up bile from having an empty stomach.

I've heard about taking food away if they don't eat it to housebreak a dog, but not to do it for any other reason. You take it away after they eat, because they will poop soon after while you are still home and can take them outside, and the same goes for at night. Otherwise, I don't see a reason to pick up the food, but maybe there are different reasons with other breeds for doing things.