She used to be so reasonable, eating only what she wanted and leaving the rest for later, but now she keeps asking for more and more, eats grass when we’re outside and even eats garbage if we don’t pay enough attention. She seems really stressed about food, is there anything you know we could do to help her overcome this fear? (2/2)
Hey anon!
First off, this is not an attack on you personally. Please take my advice with a grain of salt.
Breeders don’t have any reason to underfeed dogs. Underfed dogs don’t produce enough milk, don’t produce healthy pups, and are generally just not-fun to be around. When you went to see the breeder and your puppy, would you have been willing to buy a puppy if the mom looked unhealthy? Probably not, right?
These pictures below are ideal, conditioned female JRT:
Cairnbrae Tiff
They do a little bit skinny, especially if you compare them to pets (who are usually unknowingly overfed). But look – they have beautiful muscles (not a thing in underfed dogs), no visible ribs, bright eyes, and lovely coats. These are all characteristics of healthy, happy dogs.
Chances are, you were unknowingly overfeeding your dog and your breeder put her on a diet. Overweight dogs tends to have more difficult pregnancies, and breeders with overweight dogs tend to lose credibility. Very likely, your dog did not appreciate being put on a diet.
Now that she’s home, she’s gorging herself because dieting sucks. Don’t free feed her – feed her a set amount at specific times. Use training or a puzzle toy to have her work for her food. Consider asking your breeder her feeding schedule (but don’t approach it aggressively – try something like “how much/what times did you feed [dog] when she was with you? she seems [antsy/odd] about mealtimes and I think I might have made the transition too suddenly”) and figure out what is different between yours and the breeder’s.
Good luck anon! -C