Eating

[Diesel pup]

Our 2 month old bullmastiff does not eat on a regular schedule. We
Feed him in the morning and once in the evening but he picks and
chooses if he is actually going to eat. We take away the food if he doesen't eat at those times. Is it normal for them not to be hungry? Any suggestions for him to eat better and more consistently?

 

[Smokeycat]

It could be that he doesn't like the taste of the food. My Irish Setter mix was an incredibly finicky eater. If I didn't add something to his food, he wouldn't eat it. At 2yo I have finally found a food that he actually wants to eat.

 

[DennasMom]

Denna started off that way too.

We'd measure out her breakfast and let her graze... she'd finish around noon... about the time we put another cup in her dish for lunch. If she didn't finish lunch, she got reduced portions for dinner. We didn't worry about it. She seemed to eat enough - especially when you figure in all the training treats - and she grew slow & steady while staying slim.

We started putting a little bit of raw "gravy" on her kibble (defrosted raw mix/food from the pet store)... that got her appetite going.
Now, she gets all raw, and we have to really watch her portion sizes, or she over-eats.