# ADHD puppy and eating



## Cakes (Apr 7, 2016)

Hello Forums!

I'm a new V owner, And hoping I can get some kind of advice, My 18 week girl is pretty slim * last check in she was 15.2lbs * ( vet checked her out, and she's okay ) I cannot get her to eat from her bowl. She'll only eat if I have her sit down for me and I hand feed her, Have you guys ever experienced this? She just seems like she would rather play than eat, And i'm just not sure what else to do, I have her on Taste of the wild currently ( only thing she'll touch ) any advice I would love it!

Thanks!


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## nymeria (Jan 18, 2016)

Maybe try feeding her from a puzzle toy? My puppy likes the Nina ottoson toys and the kong wobble a lot.


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## einspänner (Sep 8, 2012)

At that age I had to feed my girl in her crate or she would take off on more exciting puppy adventures. I think she was also still getting her meals out of a kong at that point with a little pumpkin puree or yogurt mixed in.


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## harrigab (Aug 21, 2011)

I tend to put both dogs bowls on the floor and let them graze, this normally works fine for us, I'm doling out 2 feed bowls twice what could be simpler?.....the Fengelina house guest,,she takes rescource guarding to an extreme, to the point where this "frail 35kg 10 year old matriarch" thinks she is still that,,she's as deaf as a post and not far off being totally blind. butmy two tend to give her a wideberth and go to their own bowls and hoomph it down quite a bit faster than Fengelina "the hoover"can
I guess what I'm trying to say is, if you put your pups bowl down will he not go and self feed when he's hungry~


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## Spy Car (Sep 3, 2014)

I'd suggest offering a small piece of meat and seeing if you get the same response.

Bill


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## Cakes (Apr 7, 2016)

Thank you all for the advice! Kong did work, I did try a piece of chicken that didn't even work. I have tried free feeding her, When I do that I notice she will not even touch her food she's gone all a full two days without eating when I just lay the food out.


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## gingerling (Jun 20, 2015)

This isn't a food issue, it's behavioral. 

Your anxiety here is understandable, but if she's made it this far, she must be getting enough. If you hand feed her or use other tricks, you run the very real risk of creating a real eating problem. Put the food out and either leave it there for 10 minutes or so and remove it...this gets her to focus on it...or just put it out there and let her eat it as she wants.

Dogs like novelty, so you can try to alternate between different protein sources of the same brand.


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## Spy Car (Sep 3, 2014)

Of all natural choices chicken generally has the least appeal for dog. I feed it almost daily, but my chow-hound of a Vizsla invariably eats the chicken piece last.

As an experiment I'd see what happens when you offer a small piece of red meat.

Bill


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## nymeria (Jan 18, 2016)

My visa likes red meat a whole lot better than chicken, too. She eats chicken frequently but beef has more appeal.


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## Zoton (Feb 4, 2014)

Cakes said:


> Hello Forums!
> 
> I'm a new V owner, And hoping I can get some kind of advice, My 18 week girl is pretty slim * last check in she was 15.2lbs * ( vet checked her out, and she's okay ) I cannot get her to eat from her bowl. She'll only eat if I have her sit down for me and I hand feed her, Have you guys ever experienced this? She just seems like she would rather play than eat, And i'm just not sure what else to do, I have her on Taste of the wild currently ( only thing she'll touch ) any advice I would love it!
> 
> Thanks!


What type of bowl is it ? as a puppy our first V had a metal one , we left her collar on once ,it made a clunking noise once against the bowl and would never use it again,scarred her witless.


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