Picky eater

[JoEvans]

Help! My cocker spaniel is a huge picky eater. He’s 7 months old now and he’s always been the same. It’s got to the point where he’ll only eat now if I hand feed him! I can’t carry on like this.
I’ve tried all sorts of different food, on each change he woofs it down for the first two days but then he’ll go back to not eating.
I’ve tried just leaving him to it but he’s not eaten for two days now so I’ve hand fed him this evening...and he likes the food when he eats it, he just won’t eat on his own. Has anyone had this problem?!
TIA

 

[JoanneF]

My dog is 90% hand fed. We found that he likes to earn his food and places higher value on it if he has to work for it, like through training and tricks. We didn't intend to do the 'nothing in life is free' approach but it suits him, and us. So - instead of trying to change the hand feeding, can you harness it and make it work for you by using it as a tool for training etc?

 

[JudyN]

Have you tried raw feeding? Not that every dog likes it, but some dogs turn up their noses at kibble after switching to raw. And a lot of dogs who are unsure about raw can be converted by lightly searing it for a few meals to release the flavours and get them hooked.

 

[excuseme]

Could you possibly be over feeding your chap.
How many feeds are you giving him now? Does he get many treats in between his feeds ? (these all have a food value)
At 7 months 2 feeds a day should be quiet adequate. How much does your chap weigh?

I like the idea of trying a raw diet suggested by @JudyN , there is a lot of variety that can be used quiet safely, to keep your dog interested in what may be in the next feed.

 

[JoEvans]

I’m military and live in the Mess so haven’t got the facilities to feed raw unfortunately. He’s on dry for breakfast and meat for dinner but he’s not bothered about either! He literally gets more excited about a lettuce leaf! lol
That’s interesting about the reward feeding, I’ll have to have a think have I could implement that’s! Thank you!

 

[JoEvans]

Could you possibly be over feeding your chap.
How many feeds are you giving him now? Does he get many treats in between his feeds ? (these all have a food value)
At 7 months 2 feeds a day should be quiet adequate. How much does your chap weigh?

I like the idea of trying a raw diet suggested by @JudyN , there is a lot of variety that can be used quiet safely, to keep your dog interested in what may be in the next feed.

Hes on two feeds a day, 135 g of Royal Canine puppy on a morning and half a try of meat on a night. He’s 14kg so he’s not over fed (and he doesn’t eat that most days!) He gets a good to chew on during the day (1 new one a week) and the only other treats he gets are small chocolate drops for his recall when I walk him.

 

[JudyN]

Could he not like his bowl? You could try spreading his kibble around on the floor or in a snuffle mat and see if he's happier to eat it then. The meat could maybe go inside a Kong.

 

[excuseme]

14kg is quiet heavy for a 7 month old puppy. Royal canin is full of poor quality "fillers".
Maize, corn, beet, wheat, are cheap and not very healthy.
If you are not able to offer a raw diet, of which there are plenty of frozen raw suppliers. Shop suppliers like "Pets at Home" sell a good selection of convenient complete meals.
Could you consider a good quality grain free kibble ?

 

[JoEvans]

Could he not like his bowl? You could try spreading his kibble around on the floor or in a snuffle mat and see if he's happier to eat it then. The meat could maybe go inside a Kong.

That’s what I thought to start with. I’ve tried metal bowls, plastic, ceramic, plates, feeding directly off the floor...every thing lol it doesn’t seem to make a difference.

 

[Ttaylor45]

Help! My cocker spaniel is a huge picky eater. He’s 7 months old now and he’s always been the same. It’s got to the point where he’ll only eat now if I hand feed him! I can’t carry on like this.
I’ve tried all sorts of different food, on each change he woofs it down for the first two days but then he’ll go back to not eating.
I’ve tried just leaving him to it but he’s not eaten for two days now so I’ve hand fed him this evening...and he likes the food when he eats it, he just won’t eat on his own. Has anyone had this problem?!
TIA

I know what it’s like to have a picky eater Rusty the taller one in the photo was awful I did like you try very many different foods and settled on Natures Menu tins the beef and chicken one and also Natures Menu Country Hunter tins and pouches,I would often hand feed him with it as well. I tried kibble but he would only eat a very small amount so that was no use. Pepe my other toy poodle was not a problem he would eat the Natures Menu but wasn’t keen on kibble. I use to worry my self silly when Rusty wouldn’t eat but he lived until he was 13 and a half I lost him last May 2018 followed by Pepe in November 2018 aged 12 and a quarter. I miss them so much.