My puppy refuses dry food and will only eat meat

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Hi everyone,

I have a 2-month-old puppy that we brought home at 1 month old, and she won’t eat anything except meat, fish, and bones. I’ve been trying to give her dry food but she won’t touch it. I even tried leaving her with nothing but dry food for two days, thinking she’d eventually get hungry and eat it, but no joy. Since she doesn’t eat much anyway—barely a quarter of her bowl and she never finishes it—I started adding meat to her dry food, along with a bit of veg, some rice, a little oil, and occasionally eggs (basically half home-cooked, half dry food) just to get her to eat something. But she always manages to pick through it, eating the meat and leaving the rest. I’ve even tried blitzing the dry food and veg in a blender and mixing it with tiny bits of meat, but it makes no difference; she just picks out the meat and leaves the rest.

The strange thing is that for a puppy who supposedly isn't a big eater, as soon as I start cooking or open the fridge, she gets super excited. She’s also very interested when we sit down to dinner and whines for us to give her something. Since we only have coffee tables, if I leave anything out, she’ll try to nick it—I even caught her licking the butter the other day!

Anyway, we’ve just come back from the vet who told us she’s in great health and that she’s gained about 4.4lbs in a month (I’ve no idea how!). She weighs 11lbs at 2 months and should be around 3 stone 2lbs as an adult.

How can I get her used to dry food? I don’t mind her eating meat, but not just meat and bones on their own.

Translated from French
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77 answers
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  • Doudou229
    Doudou229 Icon representing the flag French
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    🙂

    That’s brilliant news for Xena, and it "might make being apart a bit less difficult if she has a little friend around".

    Give your little girl some scratches from me.

    Translated from French
    ?
    Anonymous user Icon representing the flag French
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    Beaujabote, I’d gladly swap some of this sun for a bit of rain... I just wanted to thank Doudou and Lorna for your brilliant advice. To show you just how helpful this forum is, I’ve been thinking a lot about Lorna’s suggestion regarding a second Sloughi... Since we haven’t been able to find any playmates for Xena, my husband and I made a decision today: we’re going to adopt another Sloughi puppy as soon as we can find one. We called the farmer who found Xena for us; all her littermates were given away by the owner and then sold across Europe. Sloughis are incredibly rare, so we’ll just have to wait patiently. But soon she won’t be on her own anymore. I know having two puppies is a real handful, but we’ve got plenty of time, loads of space, and so much love to give... We’re so happy for Xena and for us!
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    Beaujabote
    Beaujabote Icon representing the flag French
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    Hi Jujud, I'm so jealous of the sun! It’s been nothing but rain, rain, rain here for months...
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    Doudou229
    Doudou229 Icon representing the flag French
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    Hi Jujud Thanks for the lovely photos! You’re definitely soaking up the sun there; it’s just rain, rain, rain for us 😌 What great walking spots you have! At 2 months old, a 30-minute walk is good for their joints to develop properly, but try not to do anything too intense for the first 6 months. You’ll need to keep an eye on things like stairs and long runs with adult dogs... If you want to go for longer walks, they’ll definitely need some recovery breaks... ;-) Such a lovely pup to play with Xena 🙂 Give your little one some cuddles from me.
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    ?
    Anonymous user Icon representing the flag French
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    This is a Sloughi near our farm...

    She'll definitely have a playmate soon...

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    ?
    Anonymous user Icon representing the flag French
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    Sending you all a bit of sunshine....

    Quick morning walk, I think I've knackered Xena out, she ended up in my arms!

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    Doudou229
    Doudou229 Icon representing the flag French
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    Regarding parvo, I went through that with Volka when she was 4 months old.

    I switched her over to chicken and rice because she couldn't cope with dry food anymore...

    And I didn't know about essential oils back then like I do now... or colloidal silver... or green clay...

    https://arnaudveto.blogspot.com/2011/09/les-huiles-essentielles.html

    I'll be back this afternoon...

    Translated from French
    ?
    Anonymous user Icon representing the flag French
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    Aby, I know that video. I watched it just an hour before I met my Sloughi! This part especially stuck with me: "The Sloughi is renowned for being incredibly sensitive; a passionate breeder must raise them like their own son. The Sloughi is very proud and sensitive, and they cannot stand being told off..." I never tell Xena off and I’ve never scolded her; it’s just not in my nature anyway, and I think our temperaments are a perfect match. I’m definitely in good hands with Lorna and Doudou...
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    ?
    Anonymous user Icon representing the flag French
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    Evening

    I’ve been following this thread silently, and I think a lovely story is beginning with this big lad. With Lorna, ADB, and doudou, you’re in safe hands – they’ll be able to give you the best advice.

    I wasn’t familiar with this breed, but I stumbled across this video

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=avQZ5W0n2kQ

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    ?
    Anonymous user Icon representing the flag French
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    I’m going to have a word with the vet about parvo, but she should be vaccinated. Although this lady told me the jab doesn't offer much protection around here... she said the parvovirus is more resistant in this area and that she’d just lost a Rottie pup to it.

    I was also quite shocked that she started talking about "tantrums" and "disciplining" my puppy straight away—she’s only 8 weeks old! And she hasn’t even met Xena yet.

    The other weird thing is that when I asked her about training classes, the first thing she said was: "Well, there’s no point taking classes if the owner doesn't do the work at home, you have to work at it every day, my job is to train the owner..." She just assumed I wouldn't do it... Mind you, she doesn’t know me. She also assumed that I’d eventually get bored of cooking for her—well, no, I actually enjoy cooking for her. It’s a pleasure. Today I made a chicken trid for the guests and I kept the liver and a leg for her... it didn't even take five minutes. (Yes @Doudou, I added a few green beans, a bit of rice, a drop of olive oil—no fish oil available here—some ginger, coriander, and tomorrow I’m going to try a bit of yoghurt. She also had a raw chicken neck. She’s not big on fruit; she tried to taste a mandarin but just ended up playing with it...)

    Anyway, each to their own, but my gut tells me it’s not going to be a good fit.

    My husband says I have the same personality as Xena—stubborn but very chilled, with the occasional mad moment. In any case, at 2 months old, her personality isn't set in stone yet.

    To be honest, having a perfectly disciplined dog isn't my top priority; I just want her to be non-aggressive, that’s all. I’m certainly no expert when it comes to dog training—a total novice, actually (which is why I'm here)—but I don't think Xena is likely to become aggressive. It’s not in the nature of Sloughis, and growing up in a calm environment without any aggression towards her, I think we'll be fine. Maybe I'm wrong.

    I do agree with the lady about the nipping, though. I need to stop playing so rough with her, because this evening my guests were greeted by a little crocodile who went straight for their shoes and trousers. (We’d been mid-roughhouse). She’s just really excited when new people arrive. But I don't see any aggression; she’s not biting, just nipping, and probably thinking "Great, new playmates!" I don’t know, maybe I’ve got it all wrong.

    My husband just got back and I told him about the classes. He said absolutely not, no way: "Don't worry, at the farm she'll be with other Sloughis and Sloughi experts, she'll get to run, and the butcher’s my mate..."

    Right, I’d better go serve the guests' dinner!

    Translated from French
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