# Three Days...



## FireStorm (Nov 9, 2013)

I've always had the philosophy that you don't get more until you clean your plate, but I have to say poodles seem to be more stubborn than any dog I've ever had before. Hans won't always eat breakfast before we leave for work, and I don't feed him at work. He's not the only dog there, and I also don't want to encourage him to skip breakfast because he thinks he'll get fed a snack. It took about a month of him missing breakfast and being hungry until dinner to figure out that when I feed him in the morning he should stop goofing off and eat... I felt bad, but he needed to learn.


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## Countryboy (May 16, 2011)

FireStorm said:


> I've always had the philosophy that you don't get more until you clean your plate, but I have to say poodles seem to be more stubborn than any dog I've ever had before.


The epitome of stubborn, I think. But I've never had a Poodle that wouldn't eat, other than him. In fact, the only time he eats like a normal dog is when there's another dog around to swoop in on his bowl if he doesn't eat it or protect it. Maybe I should relapse to MPS and get him a competitor.


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## Caddy (Nov 23, 2014)

You're tough, lol. Not sure I could outlast him!


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## Countryboy (May 16, 2011)

Haha, Arrow... I'm sure you'd be in favour of the MPS solution. 

Feeling just a tiny bit guilty today... he's got a touch of dire rear. Could it be from a bit of wet food left untouched for three days and then eaten???

Whatever... he had a good run at the park today. A ten year old trying to catch a 4 month old Bouvier pup. Ha! lol 

Sound asleep now.


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## Tiny Poodles (Jun 20, 2013)

Really you left wet food in the bowl for three days for him to eat?
Wouldn't the same behavioral approach be achieved by taking away his food after ten minutes if he didn't eat it, then giving him fresh food at the next feeding time and taking it away after ten minutes if he didn't eat it?
I don't get what you won by waiting until he was hungry enough to eat rotten food - other than diarrhea to clean up?
Maybe he just needs smaller portions divided into more frequent meals?


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## Indiana (Sep 11, 2011)

Tonka is 10 now? WOW the years go by fast! You're a good daddy, I wouldn't be able to hold out. My dogs eat 4 or 5-star dog food but when we have pizza, they each get a slice  Or when I make chicken and dumplings, or when I bake bread.


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## Countryboy (May 16, 2011)

I often put it in the fridge. But a lot of times he'll finish off his bowl overnite too. So I don't know whether to put it away or not. It's only when I see it still there the next morning that we've got issues. I'm not wild about pitching out 1/4 of his food every nite. It doesn't matter how much I give him... 2 cups or one... he'll often leave half a cup in his bowl.

And Dawg help me if I try something new that he may not like. Bacon grease, tuna water. I've seen him turn his nose up at the whole meal and not touch it... ever. 

Smaller portions. Could work... or maybe couldn't. It all depends on him. I wouldn't get too exasperated...  I've tried everything! And really, this little experiment may have taught him that the goal of this training session is an empty bowl. Maybe he understands that now. Who knows.

Mostly he's my buddy.  But sometimes I'd trade him for a cat...


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## Carley's Mom (Oct 30, 2011)

My girls will eat anything. I have never had a picky eater.


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## Tiny Poodles (Jun 20, 2013)

Countryboy said:


> I often put it in the fridge. But a lot of times he'll finish off his bowl overnite too. So I don't know whether to put it away or not. It's only when I see it still there the next morning that we've got issues. I'm not wild about pitching out 1/4 of his food every nite. It doesn't matter how much I give him... 2 cups or one... he'll often leave half a cup in his bowl.
> 
> And Dawg help me if I try something new that he may not like. Bacon grease, tuna water. I've seen him turn his nose up at the whole meal and not touch it... ever.
> 
> ...



I think that in the long run you would do better if you gave him scheduled meal times 2 or 3 times a day, and pick up whatever he has not eaten and store it in the fridge if it is perishable.
Teach him that if he does not eat now, he will have to wait until the next mealtime. 
What you are teaching him now is that the food will always be there when he wants it, he does not have to eat it when served.
Maybe even start out offering it five times a day, and then reduce once he gets the idea that it will be gone in ten minutes?


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## Carley's Mom (Oct 30, 2011)

That is what I do too Tiny Poodle, I pick it up and put it in the frig until the next feeding time. They learn to eat if they want to eat. If something is wrong, I will know by them not eating. Carley is 10 now and every once in awhile she will have a upset tummy, and not want to eat. I will usually add something yummy to it, like yogurt, egg or cottage cheese and try to get her to eat it. If she doesn't it just goes away until the next feeding time. If she refuses the next meal... I know for sure we have a problem.


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## Charmed (Aug 4, 2014)

I, too, have an occasional picky eater. Since I feed twice a day, I will sometimes feed the other dogs the rejected leftovers and just go on with the next meal. It helps that I rotate foods...and that the other dogs are garbage guts, or at least they all take turns being picky... I finally took the pup in and weighed him because he has been eating less and less. His weight is holding at a steady 45 pounds, but he has grown a couple of inches taller which, of course makes him look skinny. Behavior is fine, though; he races around with the other dogs, is attentive for training, his stools are fine (and have been checked for worms) and his coat is thick. He eats Honest Kitchen, Orijen, Stella and Chewys,and raw...so he is getting high quality food. Right before I started to panic, I checked with my daughter who has a pup from the same litter and her pup weighs the same... guess the boys will eat more when they need to eat more.


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## Countryboy (May 16, 2011)

I believe that Tonka was bought and raised by a fairly well-off single mom with at least one little blonde girl. *From his reaction to people. Standoffish except with little blonde girls.* Spoiled? Oh, probably... 

Once a day feeding is good enuf for any adult Standard. For y'all with Toys, maybe not so. All my dogs 'til now have eaten straight kibble. Free fed with no additions... so no problem with spoilage. Tonka won't touch it. Against my will he's forced me to feed him the earlier mix... the most I've ever 'spoiled' any dog. 

I don't spoil much. I spend my time on his regular trips to the dog park... not so much on being his chef. 45 lbs when I got him... 45 lbs to this day. I've tried, and tried conscientiously, to put weight on him... to no avail.

Anyway, he's finished off his 'usual mix' for the last two nites running. So he gets back-to-back trips to the park this weekend.


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## Tiny Poodles (Jun 20, 2013)

My Taylee was a bit like Tonka - she was just going to eat enough calories to say super thin and that was that - the more high calorie food I fed her, the less she would eat - she went from age one to her senior years at the exact same rail thin weight.


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