My 14 month old Labrador is very fussy with his food. How do I get him to eat?

Hand feed him and try mixing chicken broth into his food. it wont hurt him at all and a lot of time they LOVE the flavor.

Your dog sounds like an atypical Lab. All the ones I have known would eat anything at any time. If not controlled they were dustbins on legs. Yours sounds pretty ideal to me. He is fit, lean and healthy. If the vet is happy why worry yourself? At least you referred him to a vet, many owners wouldn't.

SWITCH FOOD!!Purina is not that good - mediocre at best.First try IamsThen Iams EukanubaThen more top of the line like Solid Gold which can only be purchased from specialty dealers (check their ebsite for your area.)If he hasn't decided to eat better by this point, just buying what he doesn't like won't change it.The better foods are more expensive but the plus side is they are more concentrated so you end up feeding less than with a cheaper food.Additionally a high-energy, active dog needs far better food than a couch potato

If he is energetic and the vet says he is fine, then I wouldn't worry. Offering different brands of food and leaving food down all day will just make him fussier and this problem will become more difficult to manage as he gets older and this trait is more established. When I had a similar problem with my very stubborn and fussy 2 year old golden retriever dog, I used the following system: I Chose 1 dry food brand and 1 wet food brand and resolved to stick to them. I measured out my dog's daily allowance every day, mixing the dry and wet foods when served so that I did not feel guilty over the dull kibble and tempted to supplement and offer snacks during the day. I put half his allowance down for 15 mins in the morning so that he could eat his fill and then removed the bowl even if he had refused his whole meal. I repeated this in the evening. Before long meal times were orderly and the fussy behaviour diminished. Initially he stubbornly refused to eat and walked off but as is typical with dogs, the lesson involved food and by the end of the third day he decided to eat a whole meal. Sometimes a few weeks down the line he did refuse his food when I put it down but because I knew he hadn't been snacking or nibbling away during the day I was more aware of any health problems and more intune with my dogs dietery needs.Another reassuring point is that many dog food manufacturers over state the recommended daily amount for your dog. It is common that your dog will eat far less than stated on the packet.Also, as other answers have said, a hungry dog will eat everything and anything. If he is refusing food he is simply not hungry. When he is, he will eat what you offer. Missing a few meals while establishing the system above will do him no harm and is for his overall benefit.Good luck

Firstly can I say this is not a sales pitch at all. My brother recommended something called Burns dog food. I think the website is Burns Pet Nutrition or something like that.My chocolate lab (3 yrs) just got really bored of food, only eating it when she was really hungry. And she had a few other problems like flaky skin.Anyway I got a bag of this Burns stuff, for £35 delivered to your door, (they don't sell it in big stores, just some specialist pet shops and on the internet. It's holistic dog food.The food is 60% rice, 20% meat (Chicken/Lamb or duck) and seaweed, minerals and vitamins. Where as Bakers complete is about 2% meat 98% processed crap. Read the ingredients for yourself.So because the food is higher quality, you don't have to feed them as much, 1 cup in the morning and 1 in the evening. My dogs poo's are about 1/3 the size that they used to be, she has much more energy, no flaky skin, and she eats the food straight away. You can mix it with warm boiled water or cold water and it bring out a lovely gravy smell that she goes mad for. Which also ensures she is drinking enough fluids.Have a look at the website, maybe order a bag, the service is good (within 2/3 days). I assure you that your dog will be happier and enjoy his/her food more.Good luck. And let me know what you think if you try it.

a lab not interested in food! wow! is it a working type lab? cos the owrkers tend to be taller and skinnier looking than the show types..who just look plain fat. Stick to one food..if he doesn't eat it keep offering it too him. He wont starve himself...by you trying all sorts..you are encouraging him to be picky. So stop. Hehas to learn that what you give him is all he gets. It may take a few days..but seeing as your vet says he's healthy..i wouldn't worry. Just persevere

I had the same problem with my golden retriever when I first got her, I just hand fed her for a while and it worked fine, they are so good at sucking you in cos normally they are like skips on legs and will eat anything you give them, just play the hand feeding game for a week or so and he will get the message and realise there is nothing else, beautiful dogs but cheeky crafty things too.

our Cocker Spaniel went through that stage too. we ended up cooking the dog chicken and liver etc. i think its just a stage that some dogs go through. we gave him dried food as treats, eventually adding them to his meal, and slowly worked up to just giving him the dried biscuits and some of those meaty chunk dried foods (i cant remember the brand sorry) now he seems to be fine.

It looks as though you have done something a lot of owners do. You've made an issue of the food. What he has learned is that if he leaves his food, it gets replaced with something tastier. Next food-time, feed him, then 15min later, take the food away. Give him nothing else to eat until next meal time. Do this for a few days. Trust me, he'll eat.

hi,i own a pet shop in gloucester and i have had alot of customers with this problem. The answer to this problem is stick with one type of feed. Dogs should not have a choice if they are that hungry they will eat and will shortly realise that this will be there regular feed, stick with your choice of good quality food and dont change unless the dog refuses to eat after about 4 or 5 days. DO NOT FEED TIT BITS OR TREATS. ( as this may be your underlying problem.)