We've just adopted a little 2-month-old Australian Shepherd puppy.
We bought the same brand the breeder was using (Eukanuba),
but my puppy isn't eating much at all.
I've tried mixing in a bit of chicken but he just picks through it. I also tried soaking the dry food with some water, but still nothing.
What should I do?
Thanks for your help.
Translated from French
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Your puppy has only just been separated from its mum and littermates and finds himself in a completely unfamiliar environment. He needs time to settle in. 300g seems like a massive amount to me. My dog is 2 years old, weighs 3 stone 2 lbs, and barely eats more than that. I really don't think your puppy would have been eating 300g at the breeder's!
Well, he’s young; lots of puppies prefer their dry food wet as it’s easier to eat, and there’s no harm in adding water to the kibble—it doesn’t take away any of its nutritional value! :) Later on, if he doesn’t grow out of it and it’s a bit of a nuisance for you, you could try testing other brands. They don’t all taste the same; for example, Orijen and Carnilove (which I’m familiar with) have quite a strong smell in my opinion, and my dog absolutely loves them! ^^ As for the food bowl, it’s up to you. With my first two dogs, I used to take the bowl away if they hadn't eaten. However, for my latest pup who is now a year old, I’ve let him free-feed because he was quite underweight and really struggled to put on any weight when I first got him. Nowadays, he isn’t obese at all—not an ounce of fat on him—and he just eats when he’s hungry and that’s it! :)
If you want some advice, just let your puppy free-feed; they’ll eat their fill. If your pup is only 2 months old, focus on their socialisation. If you want a perfectly well-behaved dog with no future behavioural issues, feel free to drop me a PM.
Why contact you via PM? Do you have some advice?
300g (about 11oz) a day is definitely three times too much... Free-feeding worked really well for my dog while he was growing, and even now he’s been neutered, there’s not a bit of fat on him! ;) Otherwise, try giving him three 35g (around 1.2oz) portions to see how he gets on, and then you can adjust it depending on the little guy's appetite.
