border collie help

[maclynn]

HI, can anyone help, i have a 15month old border collie puppy, he's adorable, but, really need to sort out his eating, some days he'll have two meals, others 1, the last few days have been dodgy, and he's eaten late at night and last night at at 2.30 am. He gets loads of exercise, he, will eat handfuls of dry dog food, (small, throughout day) rather than food from his dish, have tried changing his dish but makes no difference. Is this typical of a collie or should i be worried??? Any help ideas would be welcome. Thank you in advance

 

[Rigby]

Does he have constant access to his dry food? If so then you might want to put his meal down in front of him, then take it away if it's not gone within a certain length of time, so that he'll get into more of a routine with it. Some dog owners only feed once a day anyway, so it's not necessarily a problem that he's not wanting to eat a second meal (as long as he's eating a suitable quantity at the first meal).

Is he in good condition and of a good weight, or are you worried that he's not eating enough and is looking thin?

 

[maclynn]

Hi, thanks for your reply, he does eat, just some days he doesn't(if that makes sense). We're trying to get him into a rountine, but yesterday never ate at all until after 2am this morning. He does look really healthy, and as i say gets loads of exercise.

 

[*ruby*]

How is he getting on now?

I have collies and have no problems with their eating as a rule. If it's very hot they sometimes leave a bit but that's to be expected I think, same as us really.

When I got my second one, she was an incredibly fussy eater and the older one would eat any food left out for her. She didn't eat a thing for over two days. I was told by the vet that provided she drank plenty of water she would under no circumstances starve herself.

So, the food went down and got taken up around ten minutes later whether or not she'd touched it. Sounds cruel I know, but she soon learned that as it wasn't readily available, she had to eat it while it was there.

Provided there is no medical reason why he's not eating, it's worth a try?

 

[Ronsy]

We have two rescue dogs and at first they did not know what to do around food so i did some research and now the food goes down, then they have to sit (for a few seconds) then I clap my hands and they eat. If they show no interest in it after 10 mins I lift it.

This way they know who the pack leader is and after the first few goes I have never had any more problems with them eating, getting them to come back after they see a rabbit is a whole other matter!! :chores016:

 

[JoeyJoJo]

Mine has been leaving his food some days and eating lots other days..but either way I tend to feed him in the morning and evening and it just stays down - if he leaves some he comes back to it when hes hungry again

I wouldnt worry unless he isnt eating at all or you see a drastic weight change

 

[angiel72]

i have a 19 month old border collie. he eats if he feels like it. sometimes i put his food down and he will sniff it then walk away. its only when the cat starts to eat it that he decides he wants it and even then its a couple of nibbles, then away again.
other times he will wolf the lot down in seconds flat! try not to worry.
xx

 

[Lozzica]

Have you tried different food? I don't have a dog but my two cats are really fussy when it comes to food and will literally not eat if I've brought something they don't like. I had to try a few different brands before I worked out which couple sends them running in the right direction!