Dutch Shepherd Forum

Question for you guys. Do any of you guys have dutchies with low food drive? I have a 2 year old dutch with very low food drive. As far as dry food goes he could really care less most of the time. I've tried many different types(fromm, merrick, blue, and currently orijen) and he never eats it with gusto. When I only use dry he waits till the end of the night and then will usually eat about 3 cups. Is it healthy to just eat once a day vs two or three? He's EXTREMELY active and I'm just worried he'll get malnourished with his high activity level and low food consumption. Any input will be appreciated. Thanks!

eco_reef wrote: Is it healthy to just eat once a day vs two or three?

The short answer is yes, feeding a healthy dog once a day is perfectly fine.

eco_reef wrote:When I only use dry he waits till the end of the night and then will usually eat about 3 cups.

My first question is do you free feed?

eco_reef wrote: He's EXTREMELY active and I'm just worried he'll get malnourished with his high activity level and low food consumption.

I wouldn't over-think it. As long as he is getting a high-quality food that is minimally processed and biologically appropriate (and IMHO, Orijen is the best kibble out there) and he is getting the appropriate amount per day, he should be fine. If you're overly concerned you can add a supplement. I had a LH WGSD who wasn't very food motivated and even less so in the summer.

Thalie is not driven by food at all. Tennis balls and tugs she will do anything for.

I wouldn't worry as long as he's healthy and eating the correct amount. Plenty of dogs get fed only once a day. If you're not using the food as rewards then I really wouldn't worry. Now, that being said... I would also get a clearance from the vet, just to make sure everything is okay. Not being highly food driven isn't necessarily a bad thing but it can also be a sign of pain or any number of things. If you've already run down that road and he has a clear bill of health, is eating a normal amount, then I would either not worry about it and feed him once a day at the time he wishes (no free feeding), or run a test if it really bothered me because I needed his food drive to be higher for training purposes.

You can also feed frozen beed fat in small amounts for high energy snacks in the afternoon if you're worried about low energy.

I disagree with the idea feeding only once a day is a-okay. Not because it's once a day, but because of the volume of food fed necessary if feeding just once a day.

Mals, DSs, etc., have the same diet-related risks when it comes to GDV (gastric dilatation and volvulus) as any other large, active, deep chested breed. Yes it is a multifactorial disease. At the same time, we know dogs fed a larger volume of food per meal are at a significantly increased risk for GDV vs. those who are not, regardless of the number of meals. And the risk of GDV was highest for dogs fed a larger volume of food once daily. Even the military adopted BID feeding for all their MWDs/GOAs ever since this knowledge saw the light of day in the early aughts.

As for being picky? Want to see food motivation develop? Stop feeding from a bowl altogether and start feeding all of a dog's calculated daily ration through training rewards, puzzles, and a train & treat. Or at the very least, if you are going to bowl feed, start timing access to 10-15 minutes per feeding and then it's taken up and dumped back into the food bag/bin until the next feeding is measured out.

It goes without saying, the above is only applicable to clinically healthy dogs.

I was told Thor wasn't food, toy, or reward motivated when I adopted him. That was either incorrect or I really changed that around. He's all three. In big ways.

I feed dogs twice a day for two reasons. To try and keep blood glucose levels more stable, and try to minimize the occurrence of bloat. I slow down Thor's feeding (he's a huge gulper) by putting his dinner in dispensers that slow his eating. He also likes having to work a "gizmo."

When I got him, I hand-fed him, making him work for every handful (though nothing that caused a lot of movement). It helped with focus, OB, etc. I'll still hand-feed to change things up, or reinforce I'm the reason he gets to eat.

I also agree with putting food down for an allotted period of time. If not eaten, it gets pulled until next feeding. Your rules, not theirs.

I also don't like to feed on a set schedule.

My last adopted DS wouldn't eat much, sometimes not at all...until serious training got underway. My rules, not hers.

Some dogs just don't care about food the way most do. As long as they're healthy and getting solid nutrition when they do eat, and there's no underlying issues....

When we first got Radar, he was a slow eater. To help stimulate his mental activity we started using a Kong food dispenser.

He kicked it around the house like crazy to get to his food, and we enjoyed some non-Chewbaca time.

He eventually got bored with that and started leaving his food around the house, so we switched back to the bowl. He resumed his slow eating.

That was until we added Leela. She was a voracious eater and would quickly finish her's and want Radar's. That cured his slow eating immediately.

I am not saying to get another dog, but I'm just sayin'.

Eh. Every dog I've ever had except one has eaten only once per day as an adult and been fine.