# Food advice please...



## rsteps (Aug 30, 2009)

Hello everyone,

We have a 10 month old Schnoodle (Schnauzer/Poodle mix), Rocco. We have been feeding him Innova Puppy small bites since we got him. He ate it very well up until a couple of months ago, he became very fussy with it. We added in a little of the Innova puppy wet food to try to make it more appealing, it worked to some degree. Since he's fully grown, we switched him off of the puppy food. It was our intent to keep him on Innova and go to the small bite adult food but feared that the flavor would be similar and he would not be interested. A friend recommended Nature's Variety Prairie so we got some samples and he liked it, so we now have him on the Natures Variety Prairie Chicken Meal & Brown Rice Medley. He has been on this for a couple of weeks and doesnt seem to be excited as much anymore. One thing I have noted is that his poops have been much more solid than on the Innova, so thats a plus, I just fear that he is going to get fussy with this one as well. Since he is showing signs of being fussy, I intend to start rotating monthly to keep interest and add variety and also because I think its a good idea overall. Any suggestions as to what I should rotate with? Should I rotate within the Natures Variety Prairie formulas (Beef. lamb, Venison, Salmon) or use other brands of food? I have looked at Orijen, Acana and some others. THANKS!


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## BabyHusky (Jul 21, 2008)

First off, your pup's adorable. Is that a remote controller in his mouth? haha.

Now to the main subject of your post. Sorry to say this, but you are creating a picky eater. He is being a fussy eater because you are letting him be a fussy eater. We have multiple threads on this forums about people having trouble getting their dog to eat food. At such a young age, the last thing you want to do is create a dog that's going to have you wrapped around his paw.

Stick with one dog food for now. Always give him a set time to eat it. I gave my pup 15 minutes when she was a pup. If he doesn't eat it, take it away (cover it, etc), then give him the exact same bowl with the exact same food at his next meal. He'll get the hint that he's not the boss.

I understand that you want to give him the best, trust me, we all want that for our kids but you're going to have a really hard time if you don't fix it now. :biggrin:


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## ziggy29 (Feb 1, 2010)

rsteps said:


> He ate it very well up until a couple of months ago, he became very fussy with it. We added in a little of the Innova puppy wet food to try to make it more appealing....
> 
> Since he is showing signs of being fussy, I intend to start rotating monthly to keep interest and add variety and also because I think its a good idea overall. Any suggestions as to what I should rotate with? Should I rotate within the Natures Variety Prairie formulas (Beef. lamb, Venison, Salmon) or use other brands of food? I have looked at Orijen, Acana and some others. THANKS!


In the long run, rotating is fine but for now if the pup is being "fussy" it has to learn to eat what's in front of him. As long as you accommodate him by changing to a food he rather eat, he'll be more prone to refusing to eat. If you put food down and they turn their noses up at it for a few minutes, pull the food bowl away and try later. Not a few minutes later, but considerably later. Dogs will not starve themselves. If they are hungry enough, they will eat it, and if the same food keeps coming back after they've refused it, they will eventually learn that this is all they will get until they eat it.

When the dog has learned that and is better about eating it regularly, then you can start working on a rotation, IMO.


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## rsteps (Aug 30, 2009)

Thanks very much! I agree that we are contributing to the problem and need to use some "tough love". We switched his food mainly because we wanted to go off of the puppy food, so we'll keep him on the Natures Variety Chicken until we get him in a better routine. He seems much better on this anyway, solid poop and not gassy, Im not sure if the higher protein food (Innova)was maybe not agreeing with him. Thanks again for the advice!

P.S. - yes, that is a remote control in his mouth, he loves to grab it when we are not looking, I thought it was funny so had to take a picture before taking it


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## BabyHusky (Jul 21, 2008)

does the remote control still work? haha.

i've met a lot of dogs that are overly gassy and unhappy on EVO, Orijen, etc. All pups are different so I'm glad you found one that seems to be agreeing with his digestive system. Dont give in to the fussyness! :tongue:


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## PUNKem733 (Jun 12, 2009)

Just wanted to say he's an awesome looking dog.

And I think the other two forum members covered things quite nicely.


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## rsteps (Aug 30, 2009)

haha, yes the remote still works! 

Update - the tough love is working...he played the fussy game the first night we did it, did not get food til the next morning. Next morning ate half, then picked up after 20 minutes....now he is eating all of it right away, he learned fast! 

What are thoughts around the Natures Variety Prairie foods? I think the lower protein is agreeing with him much more than Innova, I think its a step below quality wise but still a great food.

Thanks very much for the advice and feedback!


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## sal101011 (Jan 17, 2010)

the Prairie is a good food, the main reason for the lower protein is because it contains grains and less meat content. What i sometimes do on the weekends is crumble a freeze dried pattie from Stella & Chewys over the kibbles and mix it in to give an added flavor, I give them the dandy lamb dinner, Stella and Chewys Dandy Lamb Dinner for Dogs 

you can also try salmon oil, your pooch may like fish, and it is a great supplement


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## chelle (Mar 14, 2010)

I was wondering has anyone heard or tried the dog food Fromm?? It seems to get good reviews. I was thinking of switching to this from Blue Buffalo. Although my schnauzer likes the Blue, but the garlic I believe is giving her indigestion. Also, does anyone know how much fat a schnauzer should have??
Thanks,
Michelle


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## poodlelvr (May 24, 2010)

*Also looking for food advice*

I have 2 standard poodles. A male about 3 years and a new female about 18 months. They are both rescues. I changed to Nutri Source adult chicken and rice formula last year after I discovered my old dog food (embarrassed to mention) was horrific. But I have noticed -although I know common in poodles- both dogs now have gross eye boogers at least 3X per day and am wondering if maybe they have allergies which are accentuated by something in the food. We do live in the desert too. I just want to give them a decent food that isn't going to cost me an arm or a leg;0). But I am so overwhelmed; once I started doing research that now, I am seeing stars. To boot, I just opened another new largest sze bag of the nutri source. Maybe the pet store will exchange if I had an idea of something else that might be suitable? Please help!!!!!!!!


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## 3RingCircus (May 24, 2010)

rsteps said:


> Hello everyone,
> 
> We have a 10 month old Schnoodle (Schnauzer/Poodle mix), Rocco. We have been feeding him Innova Puppy small bites since we got him. He ate it very well up until a couple of months ago, he became very fussy with it. We added in a little of the Innova puppy wet food to try to make it more appealing, it worked to some degree. Since he's fully grown, we switched him off of the puppy food. THANKS!


Ah, the 10-month-old-puppy-diet problem. It is quite normal for most dogs to go through a phase around 10 months old where they aren't hungry. While at the dog park, a Berner owner asked if our Leo just suddenly stopped eating for a day around 10 months old. Yes.

At 10 months my puppies are about 2/3 to 3/4 grown. They are giant breeds. For the last 9 months of their lives they've been growing like weeds and suddenly the hunger drops off. Normal. Barnum is going through this right now. Not interested in his kibble. I don't offer him something else. I made that mistake with our first Leo Behr and he became a fussy eater.

At 10 months your puppy is not full grown. Dogs are usually full grown at age two and giant breeds around age three. He's doing what comes natural to his body, not eating here and there. Now, if he didn't eat for several days, I'd take him to a vet for a check up. A missed meal here and there and even an entire day of not eating is normal. The growth spurts are coming to a close.


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## goujon (Feb 10, 2010)

I would bet my last dollar that you are feeding him too much. Every time someone has told me that his dog is a picky eater, after much questioning about the amount being fed, the weight and age of the dog, treats etc. I have discovered that the dog is being fed too much. I think at least 50% of owners feed too much. If you are feeding as much as the bag says, you are almost certainly feeding too much in most cases. Sure signs of overfeeding (if the dog is healthy) are: not eating all of his food every time, loose stools and/or flatulence.


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