Feeding habits

[Finsky]

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I'm really envious with those of you who have easy going dogs when it comes to their feeding. I don't know if it is particular thing with terriers, but over the years many of them been fussy eaters or otherwise have some funny habits.
What kind of quirky things have you come across or habits you current pooch might have?
I'll get to tell our 'issues' in the next posts.. it will take a while typing it all down

 

[JoanneF]

Timber won't eat dry food from a bowl. He dances around it, jumping in and out from the bowl area like it's a venomous snake that he wants to attack.

It might be because I usually make him earn his food so he is normally hand fed. I didn't intend to make it ”nothing in life is free” but because he wants to be rewarded for everything, I use his normal food. He is a real ”I'm doing nothing unless there's something in it for me” dog. And now, unless I actually ask for a behaviour, he often won't take his food.

 

[Finsky]

Oh, where to start...?
Well, mine prefer to eat from the same plate and bowls are no-no. I don't know if it is the case that they don't like their faces getting dirty or because plate is so much easily accessible. But even before our younger one came along, older one didn't like bowls even when feeding on her own.
UNLESS they get to lick a deep yoghurt pot clean, then there is no deep enough pot that would not stop them or fear getting their faces dirty...neither 'issue' will not be a obstacle
Mine won't eat same grub day after day or they will point blankly refuse eating it. I tried it and given up trying anymore. It is easier to make odd change to the ingredients on the plate than waste un eaten food.
As for the ingredients..HUH..that took me ages to work out what works and is eaten with good appetite...but the main thing is that there is different textures on the plate. They don't like wet mush (read;mince) on its own, there has to be bits and something crunchy too. Slightly warmed food (even when raw) goes down better than cold or just room temperature..UNLESS it is ice cream (doggy type).
The wetness is issue too...they don't mind licking blood from bottom of the dish where raw meat is kept, but if the whole food is overly soggy, nope..not good..UNLESS they get to have little bit of soup from our dinner..now our food is totally different thing
Younger one is real gannet and a hooverwhen it comes eating and older one is slow, neat and tidy eater who is very orderly with how the food is cleared off. That means that if I don't mix all the 'bits' within the 'mush' evenly, little one gets to pick all the best bits and other one is left without. To give older one equal change I will have to turn the plate around middle of the feeding too.
Little one is very happy eating various raw bits of veg/fruit, where as unless they are very finely chopped and only offered occasionally in the mix...older one won't touch the food OR they get spit on the floor around the plate.
Herbs in the food is no-no..they are both weary of 'funny' smells.
Oh..I could go on and on and no doubt I will discover more as they get older and some rules will change too.
But despite all that, we have now established a feeding routine that is not really that difficult to follow and the main thing is that they eat what is given to them and not only that, they are now getting eager to get their dinners and telling me they are hungry and ready.
Oh yes, that too...I don't feed them anymore until they tell me that they are ready.

 

[Finsky]

Timber won't eat dry food from a bowl. He dances around it, jumping in and out from the bowl area like it's a venomous snake that he wants to attack.

It might be because I usually make him earn his food so he is normally hand fed. I didn't intend to make it ”nothing in life is free” but because he wants to be rewarded for everything, I use his normal food. He is a real ”I'm doing nothing unless there's something in it for me” dog. And now, unless I actually ask for a behaviour, he often won't take his food.

LOL..I can 'see it' how he does it. Do you think it is his way of making you notice that the food should not be there..'come on, pick it up....serve me!'

 

[Rinkydinkydo]

Most of my terriers have always had a varied diet anyway meat wise, but dried food they will only eat bakers. I know it's crap but it's what they will eat. The strange thing is they only eat when im there. If i go out and leave food for them they wont touch it. When i come back they took in. Theres always the ritual of swapping dishes halfway through

 

[JudyN]

There's not a lot Jasper doesn't like. He's not too keen on raw mixes with too much offal in though. Unfortunately, he will still guard them.

I'm wondering if he's not keen on the recent batch of chicken & trout. Sunday morning he wouldn't eat it so we had our usual dance of stairgates and doors till I could safely get to the food to remove it. I then ended up spoonfeeding it to him through a stairgate and he ate it with no problem then

Till we're sure what mix he's turning his nose up at, he'll be eating behind a stairgate from a bowl attached to string that goes under the stairgate so if he doesn't eat it, we can simply pull on the string. #lifewithaguardydog

He'll usually ignore bits of cut-up apple, but has particular times he will eat them - after walks and after his tea. I guess he's extra-hungry after the former, and his brain's in full eating mode after the latter. If there's bits of apple on the worktop when he wants to eat them he knows he's allowed them so will ask for them. But if there's 'human food' on the worktop that he knows he's not allowed, he'll just jump up and nick it.

 

[Buddy1]

I'm really envious with those of you who have easy going dogs when it comes to their feeding

Sometimes it can be a mixed blessing.
Our dog will eat any food he is given, whatever time it is given, whatever temperature it is served at and in whatever dish / plate it is place on.

However, all the above also applies to any food that he has NOT been given. Even when you think there is no way on earth he can... possible reach that far, open that breadbin, be crafty enough to get into that chicken coup…

Yet, despite stealing at will, he won’t touch his dinner until he is told to - OH forgot once and we found him sometime later sitting in a pile of drool still staring at the untouched bowl.

 

[Finsky]

HA!...I'm enjoying reading all your replies...glad to hear it is not just us that are having 'merry go down' with eating...funny that! Hmm...yes, I supposed all these traits are mixed blessing..neither one is ideal in excess.
I can already foresee into future that our 'gannet' will have to be managed to keep her weight in control. At the moment she doesn't have issues, but once she is little older and the activity levels start calming down, I will have to re adjust with her intake. So far both of them control the quantity of the food they eat even if I put too much on the plate.

 

[Ari_RR]

With Baby Miles - any hesitation or fussiness around meals is an indication of him not feeling well.
The only thing that may be a bit unusual is that he expects dessert after each meal. Desserts vary - yogurt, vegetables, fruit, sometimes a couple of sardines.... broccoli... he’ll take anything and everything, but there ought to be some dessert, otherwise the meal is not complete

 

[JoanneF]

With Baby Miles - any hesitation or fussiness around meals is an indication of him not feeling well.
The only thing that may be a bit unusual is that he expects dessert after each meal. Desserts vary - yogurt, vegetables, fruit, sometimes a couple of sardines.... broccoli... he’ll take anything and everything, but there ought to be some dessert, otherwise the meal is not complete

Oh yes, we have that too!

 

[JudyN]

The only thing that may be a bit unusual is that he expects dessert after each meal.

I have a theory which may explain Miles' insistence on a pudding and Jasper going into scavenger mode (even more so than usual) after a meal... 'In the wild', in a family group or pack, dogs/wolves would catch a prey animal and share it as a group. Once Mum, Dad and any other adults have had their fill, there might well be little scraps of meat, fur, bones or whatever left over, and any pup too small to have got their fair share of the main meal could do well by checking around the whole area for these little scraps. This could mean the difference between life & death when there is a lot of competition among the pups for food.

 

[Finsky]

With Baby Miles - any hesitation or fussiness around meals is an indication of him not feeling well.
The only thing that may be a bit unusual is that he expects dessert after each meal. Desserts vary - yogurt, vegetables, fruit, sometimes a couple of sardines.... broccoli... he’ll take anything and everything, but there ought to be some dessert, otherwise the meal is not complete

But of course! Dessert is a must. Mine too has used to it and expect it...usually something chewable that challenge their teeth and jaws. But it is good...clean teeth and all that