We have had one of these dogs for about 5 weeks now and having had a cocker spaniel before who ate at the drop of an hat i get very worried when she turns her nose up at her food,sometimes she will go all day without eating and then i am sat at the side of her dish trying to coaz her to eat,once she starts she usually finishes the dishful its just the getting her started thats the problem,we have tried different flavours and makes,any advice is welcome,thank you,by the way she is 8 months old

I know a couple of people with very fussy cavaliers. However, before taking any of the following advice (if you choose to), see a vet to ensure there's no medical reason.

There are things you can try to get them more interested in it - like feeding from a treat ball (makes meal times more fun OR she could decide it's too much trouble) or scattering kibble across the lawn.

What are you feeding now? Try to stick to one food - if she's just being fussy she'll get even worse if you offer her different foods to entice her.

One of the cavaliers I know has really been spoiled terrible and he's not only fussy but will now sit down and simply howl on walks. Easily sorted really by not pandering but his owner can't stop herself! :lol:

Do you have any other dogs? Try putting the food down - try to encourage her to eat if you want - then leave her to it (don't hand feed her or stand by the whole time - she'll get used to it and you'll become a doormat! :lol: ) after 20 minutes pick up the bowl, regardless of whether she's eaten it or not and only put it down again at the next mealtime (the same food). If she gets obviously hungry before the next meal, then pop it down for her a bit early.

By the way... how often do you feed her? If possible you could try breaking down the meals to smaller and more often. ie, instead of feeding one large meal feed two half portions or even put a third in if you're already feeding two. I've found with my two that if I give them too much in their bowl (particularly Eddy) he'll not eat it whereas if I put a bit less in and either give him another meal or top it up when he's done, then he'll tuck in!

Good advice Lotti. i had a fussy eater and i just ignored her looking at me pleading for something more tasty, she had foods she loved and osme she didnt like so much and when it was one she wasnt so bothered with she would stand looking hoping id swap, i didnt and eventually after missing a meal or two she now never looks back, she will now eat it all and any of the others left overs too.
I know someone who panders to their dogs pleas and their dog is now very very fussy and will hang back till something is added to their food which they prefer. annax

hi, we have no other dogs,at the moment im feeding her twice,but i was thinking of putting more in and feeding her once because once she has got interested in the food she seems to polish it off and then doesnt bother with the second sitting at all,and i am throwing more food away than she is eating,we started her off on the puppy tins because they are smaller tins but even then i was throwing it away,so ive now got some of the foil squares you can buy but then it doesnt seem enough for her but am loath to open a second one and to have to put that in the bin,we mix her food with the bakers puppy complete

Any dog will be a fussy eater if you let it! And the more you pander to it, the worst they get. Lotti's advice is excellent - basically, it'll eat when it's hungry!!

I look after my neighbour's dog when they're on holiday and she always used to refuse to eat her food the first night they were away. I left it down for 20 minutes or so, then took it up and she didn't get it back until the next feeding time - when she yomped the lot.

my cavie will only eat royal canin mini. Tried burns and james wellbeloved with no luck. She did take her time eatin breakfast so now has 1 meal at 6 with the full daily amount.

Oh yes. Zach is a hugely fussy eater and seems to change his mind on a daily basis as to what he'll eat.

I can't get him to eat biscuits at all. He's just not interested and will go hungry for days now and leaving it untouched (whether he'd eat it after two days remains to be seen).

So I've settled on a diet of wet food in pouches and meat and he seems pretty happy now! But I do think it's trial and error.

I might get frowned at here, but there's no point giving them something they don't like or just won't eat.

:)

My dogs get very fussy when they stay over at my mums because they know they get some meat added to their dinners if they hold out enough. Here, they wolf their dried kibble down every time and seem to enjoy it.

It seems that if she eats fine once she gets going then she doesn't have a problem with the actual food. Best of look sorting this out though!

come to think of it, when pip was a pup i used to hide tiny bits of cheese in with the biscuits and gradually cut down as she got older.

I have recently taken on a 5 year old Cavalier who came to me obese and with some tins of winalot and a bag of pedigree mixer. This all went in the bin :gag:

I was told by his previous owner that he was very fussy and wouldnt eat which suprised me as he was like a houseside.:o I now suspect that they "supplemented" with human food. I got him onto Burns, as that is what my other two are fed and he now cries when I get the food dishes out he is so excited and is a lovely weight now. He is a very greedy dog a bit different to the porky fusspot that came to me... he loves his food.

Ours can be picky too and just not be interested in her food when it's put down sometimes. We have stuck with James Wellbeloved, which she was on with the breeder; don't be taken in by the begging eyes as they like to try getting whatever it is you're having rather than the boring stuff in the bowl :hihi:
We've been sticking to meal times, if she doesn't eat it in a certain amount of time it gets taken up til next meal time; though we do find sometimes if she isn't paying it much attention putting a drop of water in or crumbling treats over the top works and she wolfs it down.

hi, we have no other dogs,at the moment im feeding her twice,but i was thinking of putting more in and feeding her once because once she has got interested in the food she seems to polish it off and then doesnt bother with the second sitting at all,and i am throwing more food away than she is eating,we started her off on the puppy tins because they are smaller tins but even then i was throwing it away,so ive now got some of the foil squares you can buy but then it doesnt seem enough for her but am loath to open a second one and to have to put that in the bin,we mix her food with the bakers puppy complete

deelightful,

I'd be tempted to get her onto a good quality dry kibble (such as Burns, James Wellbeloved, Royal Canin, Hills etc). It shouldn't work out much more expensive than 'cheap' dog foods especially if you're currently feeding two types and it will be far better for her in the long run as well as possibly seeing a difference in her now.

At 8 months, she doesn't really need puppy by the way, some foods have a 'junior' version and others, such as Burns say after 6 months move onto adult.

Most of all by feeding dry kibble you don't have to throw it away! Use the same food again next time :)

I'm currently looking after my friends fox haired terrier while there away on holiday.!

When they brought her to my house on the day they left, they brought enough different foods to last a year,you mind the 3 weeks i'm having her...

She's a very fussy eater i was told, and will only eat this and that at certain times.!
Yeah, right...i put her the same food down as my Cavi, in her bowl and she didnt bat an eyelid and devoured it all..

Don't go the hype of tinned food, crap and expensive, stick to decent dried food.

oh..but don't forget to give her a choice...eat or leave it..lol

jt

I'm currently looking after my friends fox haired terrier while there away on holiday.!

When they brought her to my house on the day they left, they brought enough different foods to last a year,you mind the 3 weeks i'm having her...

She's a very fussy eater i was told, and will only eat this and that at certain times.!
Yeah, right...i put her the same food down as my Cavi, in her bowl and she didnt bat an eyelid and devoured it all..

Don't go the hype of tinned food, crap and expensive, stick to decent dried food.

oh..but don't forget to give her a choice...eat or leave it..lol

jt

Yes - there's certainly nothing like a bit of competition to get 'em eating!

When I was swapping my 2 over to JW light kibble (they're both 15 and my first dog was porky from over-feeding of tit-bits by my late ma-in-law), they were both so determined that the other wouldn't get their food, that they wolfed it down. I'm sure it would have taken me longer to get just one dog used to the new food! :hihi:

can you get the kibble from say morrisons or does it have to be a pet shop?

the supermarket stuff tends to be cheap and not as good quality. Fishers in hils have a good variety of premium foods. Pip likes canin mini adult as the pieces are small enough for her mouth.

The good quality ones are from pet shops. If you want to discuss what food would be worth a go, pm me or email me (use the contact form on my website as that inbox is checked most regularly!).

The better quality kibbles seem very expensive but they're actually not due to the amount you need to feed, when you work it out - it's not a lot per meal.