# Feeding 1 time a day?



## Kona (Feb 18, 2011)

I have a 9 month old V puppy, and he's always been picky about his food. When he was 3 months, I was feeding him 3 times a day and moved to two, because he started turning down his food. A few weeks after switching to twice a day, he started turning down his food again. Since he was just a pup, I started giving in to his pickiness and adding yogurt, pumpkin, putting his food in a kong, hand feeding... anything to get him to eat. Obviously I created a monster and at 7 months I cut the nonsense and started picking up his food after 30 minutes. After 1 day of no food, he got the point quickly and everything was great until he hit 9 months. He's been consistently turning down his morning food. I've been picking it up and giving it to him again in the evening, when he eats it fine. So my question is... does anyone out there feed once a day? Any thoughts around it? Is 9 months too young to feed once a day? If you feed once a day, is it better to feed at night or in the morning? 

I'm trying to figure out if he's going through another "picky" phase that I just need to ride out, or if he's telling me he just doesnt need to eat twice a day anymore. I've had him on Orijen large breed, and plan on switching to Evo when he hits 1 year. Input/guidance much appreciated!!


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## vilashayward (Apr 5, 2011)

Vilas is a very picky eater too. When ended up just giving his daily requirements in the morning and he just at when he wanted through out the day. By the end of the day there is usally just 1/8 of his food left. I have had dogs that were grazers and others that were chow hounds. Could he just be a grazer? I was worried and tried all different foods too, when ended up with Evo and now he does better on this, than the rest
Hope this helps


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## Jinx (Apr 6, 2011)

I feed my V twice a day and Mojo does what you describe quite regularly. It took me a while to get used to it but now I don't worry about it. I figure if he's hungry, he'll eat, if he's not he won't. Honestly, I think he get's a bit bored with his food and he's never been a live to eat dog but rather a eat to live pooch. When I change his food he wolfs it down for a week or two and then falls back into his normal picky, meal-skipping self.

I get up in the morning and bring him out first thing, letting him do his business while I satisfy my own guilty pleasure of a cig and some coffee. I put food down when he comes back in but he rarely even touches it because he knows I've got to go to work soon and he wants to hang out with me. When I go to work I put the food with him in his crate and it's always gone when I get home.

Usually what happens with Mojo, is he'll skip his evening meal. Sometimes if I bring him outside after he turns his nose up at it and give him a bit more exercise he'll wolf some of it down when he comes back in. His eating habits definitely fluctuate depending on the amount of excercise he gets. His weight always stays the same whether he is skipping meals or not which is the main reason I don't worry.

Anyway, at night he's got the run of the house, except my bedroom which is always off limits, and if he decides to eat some he can. Sometimes there will be a little food missing in the morning or it will be gone or not touched at all.


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## szalpeter (Apr 3, 2011)

My V was the some till I find a right food for her which is Royal Canine about a year ago.She is 20 month old now.
But sometimes I put a little tuna or salmon in brine into her dry food and she loves it.


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## JillandDan (Sep 8, 2010)

We were having trouble with Holley eating regular meals as well. The vet told us a couple months back to just leave her food out for her and she will eat when she wants. Some days she eats less than I would like but she is healthy and that is what matters. They are a picky breed. We tried several different brands and flavors of puppy food in the process but have relaxed with it.


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## mswhipple (Mar 7, 2011)

Willie has a mysterious history which includes suffering through a period of starvation (he was a stray/lost dog when the dog pound picked him up). He was very, very skinny when I adopted him out of the pound. He is now a very robust chow hound and probably always will be. I think he will always remember when he was starving. That said, the Vet told me to feed Willie twice a day all through his adult life to avoid bloat. Vizslas have that deep chest, which makes them prone to bloat. Vet said "Feed twice daily because you want to avoid one large meal. Also, limit play and exercise right after eating."

But if you have a dog that doesn't want to eat a lot at one time, I don't think bloat would ever be a worry...


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## Kona (Feb 18, 2011)

hmmm very interesting and unexpecting responses, I didnt expect there to be so many people recommending grazing!! When he was very young, and I was desperate for him to eat, i'd leave it out for hours and he'd just ignore it. It also made it difficult for us to get him on a good pee/potty schedule. We are finally on a great schedule, i'm very hesitant to mess with it by letting him graze. 

Very good point that several of you made regarding being healthy... he is 9 months and 53 pounds, so his weight is fine. I do think he gets bored with his food, but if we start adding too much "special stuff" on top of his kibble, he starts getting picky with his food again (getting bored of pumpkin, wanting chicken instead), and I just end up reinforcing the behavior I was trying to avoid! I didn't know about bloat, and really dont want to risk that either. I think i'll just continue to take the food away and hope he snaps out of it... as long as he's healthy it's all good!!

Thanks for your advice


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## Macaroni (Jan 19, 2011)

I've never seen dogs that are so active eat so little - or ate least not appear to have much of an appetite most of the time. I find as long as we feed Mac right after a good run in the park he usually eat most of his food right after. If he hasn't done much excercise before feeding he doesn't touch it..as if he thinks he hasn't earned it or is afraid fo getting fat! They are ridiculous dogs in this way...just another Vizsla quirk.


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