Suggestions to help 9 week pup eat more?

[sparkymcfly]

New to the forums, so hello all. I'm not new to having a doxie because we had an 8yr old doxie but she passed away in November. We had her since she was 4months old but it's been awhile since I've taken care of an infant puppy. We have a new addition to the family now and it's been a blessing.

We brought home our 9 week old mini doxie last Saturday so he's been home with us for about 6 days now. It took him a couple days to get used to his new home but he is active as ever, however, he doesn't seem to care for his food. I tried giving him Eukanuba puppy food but he doesn't care for it. I also have Authority puppy food as well and he likes it a bit more but doesn't eat his full 1/4 cup that I give him. I did buy him a small container of the Cesar wet food to see if he'd eat it and he ate that up like nothing. Should I just get him some wet food and mix it with his dry food, or something like that?

Also, he bites everything! The breeder I got him from gave some very helpful info about everything in a puppy packet, but I've tried them and they're not really working. I'm currently diverting him to his play toys and his rawhide bones. He goes for them, but he gets bored quickly.

One last thing; any good ideas on training them well on pee pads and going potty outside? He's ok if I'm near his pee pad and i tell him to potty because he'll go on it, but if I'm far away from it and I ask him if he wants to go potty, he'll just "go" wherever he's standing lol. I'd really like to get him to eat and drink more.

Thanks for everyone's help in advanced!

 

[crystalclear1027]

first things first..don't panic. I had the same problem with my doxie when he was an infant. I tried 5 different types of food and he wouldn't eat ANY of it. 1/4 might actually be too much..my doxie was barely 2 lbs and a little handful was enough. a handful 4 times a day..increase the amount as he's older but decrease the amount of times per day. he will eat if he's hungry. dogs don't let themselves starve. Eventually we found a food that he now at 8 months still loves..pro plan puppy chow with the chicken pieces in it. you should try it. if you wanna stick to the food you have..try soaking the hard food til it's soft. this will also prevent bloat (stomach turning) I'd recommend not feeding him the wet food (Caesar) etc it causes teeth rot..bad breath etc if you wanna mix the wet food use a little of the Caesar.

As for the training...put the puppy pad away from his food dish. put him on the pad and let him sniff it. you'll start to see a pattern on where he pees..put the pads there. if he makes an accident quickly put him on the pad. as he gets older and starts to learn to pee outside decrease the number of pads. to train him to pee outside start a schedule. as soon as you wake up. After every meal..randomly just because and before bed.

 

[sherlock]

Welcome!

My tip for biting - puppy Kong with peanut butter in it. First they get to lick out the peanut butter, and then they enjoy the Kong more because it gave them a treat. We would also freeze Watson's kong, so it was nice and cold and soothed his gums more than just chewing.

 

[vizzla]

Our dog is 3 y old and is just eating once a day. We ALWAYS feed hem twice a day but he chooses to eat just once. We checked him at the vets and he is healthy and he is in his right weight. So he doesnt need more obviously.

How much do you feed the puppy? If you see to the recommendations on the food bag - they are not always correct for your dog. See what fits better for your boy. Sometimes its more sometimes its less.

It can take weeks or months for puppys to get used to their environment, so be patient.

 

[Augie/Rusty]

His gums maybe hurting him..since he's going to loose his teeth and this maybe whats the reason for not eatting ..try soaking his dry food is some warm water and let it soak till soft...sometimes mix alittle rice or chicken pieces into the food...just don't over do it..cause we all know that out hounds will get fat fast and we don't want that..

 

[DeafDogs]

Sorry, wet food does not cause tooth rot. Dry food is really no better for teeth than wet food is. that is a totally debunked theory.

Wet food is great. and personally, I feed at least half my dogs meals as wet or dehydrated (rehydrated lol) or raw. (cat is almost exclusively fed wet and raw).

I wouldn't feed Eukanuba, or Authority or Cesar... the ingredients are crap. If you're buying at Petsmart (which is likely as Authority is their house brand) you're better off with Blue Wilderness, Wellness or Halo. Even better, mix it up, feed different canned toppers to his dry meals.

Bloat is also not a concern in Dachshunds, only large breeds, however floating the kibble is a good practice for any breed... they get more water that way. I always float my dogs kibble... it also makes it smellier and more appetizing for the dog.