# Need some Support



## Scarlett (Dec 15, 2011)

Hi all, 

As some of you know, we have been having some issues with getting Scarlett to eat, and it is starting to get me down. She just decided one day that she didn't want to eat, so we tried to supplement with tripe, but now she really only wants to eat the tripe, and I'm sure she shouldn't be eating it all of the time (we haven't given it to her all of the time). 

I have spoken to her vet and a couple of people at the local food stores about this, to try and get some advice about what to do. We have tried many different things in order to get her to eat, most of which don't work, and we have heard so many conflicting opinions about what is best. The one thing that everyone has said is that I have spoiled her. 

Some people have been downright nasty about it, and it makes me feel horrible. Everyone seems to have an opinion. "When are you going to get her groomed?" "Don't pick her up" "Don't let her sit on your furniture". It seems relentless and the food issue is really just making it worse. I have never owned a dog before, and I am trying my best to do everything that I can for my puppy but it just doesn't seem to be working. I don't want to be responsible for my dog being "spoiled" or going hungry. I just want her to be happy and healthy. 

So this is really just a vent, but if anyone has any advice or has been in a similar situation, I would love to hear from you. Thank you for reading and for all of the support!


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## CockapooNana (May 21, 2011)

Don't be so hard on yourself; just love your dog and do what you think is best. Most of us cannot have perfect children or perfect puppies. Feed your dog a decent dog food, keep her coat the length you prefer, treat her with patience and kindness, give her exercise, and most of all enjoy her. 
One of my past dogs, a poodle, had a very sensitive stomach and was on boiled hamburg or chicken and rice for months; she eventually got better and lived a long and happy life eating canned dogfood mixed with a little kibble. We all want the best for our pets, but should not feel we are failures when our dogs don't always conform to other peoples' expectations. Little Scarlett will go through many different phases; but, in time, she will adjust to your rules and your expectations and you will wonder how you ever lived without her.


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## ferns mum (Jan 18, 2012)

Hi
You sound as though you love her VERY much and only want the best for her, so well done in asking for some help.
Dogs are like children every one has their own idea on what you should and shouldn't do with them.
There are a couple of basics you might like to think on and then try if they suit you and your life style.
With her food she is still very young and will only have a tiny stomach so she will need a little amount of food up to 4 times a day. If she is very "Poodly" she might be a naturally thin dog, but as long as she is fit and healthy I wouldn't worry to much. Fern who is my cockerpoo is now 2 years old and still only weighs 5.2kg(about 11lb) bit she is full of energy and is fed twice a day on a good quality kibble.
With regards to grooming it is a good idea to get her used to either going to the groomers while she is still so young, not necessarily to be trimmed but maybe just to have a bath and blow dry.Or to be getting her up onto a grooming table at home if you are going to be doing it yourself.It is so much easier in the years to come if she is all ready used to being groomed.
With regards to letting her on to the furniture and picking her up she is your dog and is living in your house so she needs to know what your rules are, so as long as you are consistent with her and every one in family is working to the same rules then she will grow up into a happy and well adjusted dog.
So now just enjoy her and you will learn the rest as you go along.
Love Karen and Fern


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## Nadhak (Jun 4, 2011)

Hi Krysten
Oh I do know how you feel - I have a very fussy cockapoo - and judging from all of the threads on here it is a common thing! It is awful when you are their prime carer and they refuse to eat - all the advice you receive may have worked for their dog but not for yours! 
I have every brand of Kibble - Treacle eats it once then never again! I have tried a raw food diet - she loves raw meat but add vegetables or fruit - it gets refused. Wet food - she hates - I tried adding grated cheese - she ate just the cheese and she can pick it out believe me! Tuna & mackerel were a hit for a few days but then no - Madam Treacle refused it!
So what has worked - leaving her food down at night - she eats the lot when no-one is looking! Variety - never the same meal twice! 
Biggest encouragement - new puppy Clyde who eats anything and everything - eats his food then excitedly goes to take Treacles food - she warns him - he scarpers - she then eats! LOL - it is so funny - she eats kibble - I am gobsmacked.
SO - MAYBE GIVE SCARLETT her meal with a canine friend - or get puppy number 2?
I agree with Ferns mum - she is your puppy - you adore her and care for her very well and it is your choice on house rules and when to groom!
Good luck and have fun!


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## deb (Jun 23, 2011)

i would just like to say how lovely the last three reply's have been and couldn't have put it better myself. Thank's guy's.


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## kendal (Jul 16, 2009)

Gypsy does my head in even on raw she goes thrugh fazes of going off food. For the past tw weeks she has been a pain going off wings and only eating ribs, then going off her mince, then she started recusing anyyting even naughty trears like a bit of cupcake. she is now back eating but only tripe and ribs. will be trying her with normal mince tonight. 

i think some dogs are just fussy for life. i should by now (5years on) be used to her normal 2 or three day food refusal. but this time i made it worse because she wasnot pitting any weight on her back leg. so i started fussing over her. but she would still only nibble off my mum. 

i do beleave that the more you pander the worce they get. however as long as she is not lathergic i wouldnt worry. gypsy is a naturaly skinny dog. any attempt to fatten her up has failed. 


try and relax just let her get on with it.


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## Sezra (May 20, 2011)

Please don't be hard on yourself you are doing a great job. It is true that when you have a new puppy (just like a new baby) eveyone has opinion on what you should be doing whether it is feeding or training. 

When I first got Daisy I got alot of rude comments about feeding her a raw diet especially from my parents. We also had separation issues to deal with so on top of being exhausted from sleeping downstairs it was then very upsetting to have people being very rude about my efforts.

Go with what you think is right. We weren't going to let Daisy on the sofas but she is so cuddly and gorgeous it seemed a shame not to! 

As for feeding I would reccomend trying raw, only because Daist refused to eat the kibble provided by the breeder but she loved the raw minces that I got her. Like Treacle though she refuses to eat anything with vegetables in! Give her chicken wing though or some tripe and she is in heaven! 

I have a RAW food plan that includes tripe and is adapted for young puppies through to adulthood, if you would like me to email it to you let me know.


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## Dylansmum (Oct 29, 2010)

Hi Krysten,
It's my personal opinion that 'poos were put on this earth to be loved and spoilt . I think that as the others have said, the important thing is that you decide and set the rules. Dylan is allowed on the couches and sleeps on the bed sometimes because I am happy for him to do so. But there are other things, like scrounging for food when we are eating etc that he is not allowed to do. As long as you are training Scarlett to obey the house rules that you set, it doesn't really matter what those rules are. But it is important that she knows you are the boss and that you are training her to be an obedient, well-socialised dog. And that will take time.
As regards the food, I'm lucky not to have a fussy eater, but I think that if I did, I'd try to give variety and probably do a BARF diet if it was practical. You could just be tough and stick to one food until she agrees to eat it, but personally I would prefer not to do that when there are alternatives. I can't see any dog refusing BARF food and it can be very varied. You could also give lots of tripe with this as she likes that. There is lots of information on BARF if you search on this forum. If that's not a route you want to take, then some people have found that putting live yoghurt on the food makes it more attractive. Check the can of the tripe you are giving to see if it claims to be a complete food - it may be, in which case you could feed that for a while, or alternate it with something else. If you don't want to do a complete barf diet, you could maybe try a few things - perhaps a raw chicken wing and see if she likes that and give that sometimes. Just a few ideas for you. 
Above all, just enjoy her - that's what's really important. And don't let negative people get you down!


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## JulesB (Mar 6, 2011)

I can't add much more than what others have said. Betty was a very fussy eater and would often pick at (but never finish) 2 meals out of 6. I even saw Betty licking tuna off her kibble or spitting the biscuits out next to her bowl!!! We then found nature diet which works for her and she loves and now will ask for her food. She's been on this food for nearly a year now so fingers crossed this continues! She will now also eat kibble if i've ever given her it so am assuming the fussiness has stopped!

As for how you treat your dog, thats your choice. I only live in a flat and felt to not let Betty in the bedroom would be unfair. As my flat is a second floor she has no concept of upstairs being off limits when she's at my parents but they also don't mind her being in their bedroom at night. Everyone loves to offer their opinion, but she is your dog and its your choice what she is or isn't allowed to do.

x


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## Janev1000 (Oct 4, 2011)

I think there are a lot of us like you!! - you are definitely not alone and your feelings are so normal. Biscuit went through a very fussy stage too for about a month and it became a constant focus that took up a lot of my thoughts. My worst gripe at the moment is that Biscuit is still pretty small - like Kendal's Gypsy he seems to have smaller back legs and people are often commenting - uninvited- on what breed they think he looks like, rather than a cockapoo!! I try not to let it get me down but he's become like one of the children and none of us would appreciate people commenting on the size, shape, etc of our children! Puppies are all consuming and I think I put more worries into Biscuit's development than I have about any of my children. It's usually the last thing I think of at night and the first when I wake! It's crazy!!!


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## Hfd (Aug 19, 2011)

Hi - you have been given some great advice and I don't have anything to add about feeding but just wanted to say that if you are on here asking for help then you already ARE a good puppy mum!
I think everyone has bad days during the puppy months and these pass over so quickly. Do you have someone who is supporting you - partner, family maybe that you can discuss your decisions with and maybe take the pressure off yourself for a while? As others have suggested - make your own rules that you are happy with and remain consistent. Just ignore negative comments and enjoy your puppy. 
H x


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## DONNA (Jan 7, 2011)

You've had great advice it must be hard,Buddy went through a stage of not eatting around 5 mths I feed him Natural instincts and like you i was concerned ,but after talking to the lady at NI i decided to try some different flavours from the adult range and even though he didnt eat for a couple of days it seemed to work and he has now gone back to eatting the puppy food again,she did say not to give him lots of different food as i could create a fussy eater.What im trying to say is stick to one food and wait she will eventually eat something ,im sure someone said dogs in the wild would of natrually gone for days without no food so i wouldnt worry.
Also as far as all the other things people have said i think in your house its your rules so if you dont mind your dog sitting on the sofa then thats fine,as far as grooming goes most pups dont need to go until their about 6-7mths so i wouldnt worry.Must say alot of people said to us Buddy needs grooming but i like the long hair shaggy look so took no notice.


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## Mogdog (Feb 6, 2011)

Hi Krysten,

Please don't feel you are doing anything wrong, it's a steep learning curve when you have your first puppy and it sounds like you are doing a great job. Others have given really good advice - you choose the rules for your puppy, for a lots of things (eg. whether they are allowed on the sofa) there isn't a right or wrong, it's what you feel comfortable with.

Re the feeding, my Maisie was/is a fussy eater. I tried different dry and wet foods and she never ate well as a puppy. The biggest success I have had with her is raw food - I still give her Natural Instinct, a ready made raw food which comes frozen. They do a Turkey & Tripe flavour your puppy might like as well as others. Raw to Go is another one to look at. If Maisie is reluctant I sprinkle a little grated cheese on top.

http://www.naturalinstinct.com/categories/All-Dog-Food/

http://rawtogo.co.uk/default.aspx

Good luck


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## Janev1000 (Oct 4, 2011)

grated cheese can work wonders! - and grated carrot works well for me, stirred all the way through - and is particularly good if you don't want to add too many calories.


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## Lilies (Sep 14, 2011)

Hope you get the food issue sorted, have you tried hand feeding?
We all make mistakes and we all bring up our dogs differently. Whats right for one is not for another.
We had a visit from a behaviourist yesterday who pointed out that Ollie's crate was too small, how bad did i feel!!!


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## Fifi (Aug 11, 2011)

All great advice on previous posts, I just wanted to add that my Mum's Old English Sheepdogs were fed entirely on Unbleached tripe, so its OK on own.


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## Laura(L)Izzie (Sep 9, 2011)

Don't listen to other people!

Izzie was a very fussy pup, barely ever ate any of her puppy food that the breeder fed her on. Although we were told that I dog would never go hungry if they could eat, so we just leave food down all day now & she eats. But Poppy has been great so far. We feed them Hi life moist food now and Izzie seems to really like it, we've been feeding her it for a long time now and Poppy also loves it, she'd much rather eat that than her puppy food 

In regards to the sofa, I think nearly every member lets their pups on the sofa! We couldn't resist, we weren't guna let ours in the bedrooms but that soon went out of the window as well  They happily sleep on blankets on the floor in our rooms now & in the early hours of the morning Izzie gets up and lays next to my legs 

Why get a pet if you're not going to spoil them aye  Just enjoy your dog! Don't worry what others think, especially if they're not pet owners.

In regards to a groom, we didn't take Izzie for a full groom until she was 8/9 months old, Poppy is nearly 6 months and she definitely isn't ready for one yet. x


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## MillieDog (Jun 1, 2011)

I wont repeat what everyone else has said, they've said it perfectly.


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## Scarlett (Dec 15, 2011)

Wow, thank you so much! These replies were just what I needed to hear. I am really trying and I agree that it is a lot like a baby (except I know what I'm doing with babies lol) She has eaten a little today, I'm hoping that we figure this out real soon - for her sake and mine! I'm not sure if a barf diet is something that we would do, but I am definitely going to look into it and see before I decide. It seems like this is a fairly common problem with cockapoos - a lot of you have been in a situation similar to mine. 

She has been to get her nails clipped, and her hair by her eyes has been cut, plus I brush her often. So she is getting used to the idea of people touching her and grooming her, and she is super well behaved. I like her hair long so I don't see a need to give her a full groom yet. 

I think that hearing so many things over the past few days got overwhelming for me. These wonderful replies have really helped me though! I am going to keep on working at getting my pup to eat, and I will give an update soon!

Thanks again!


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## Ali79 (Mar 30, 2011)

Welcome to my world with Beau  I have said on another thread that I have bags and bags of half eaten or some even a quarter eaten of good quality dry food as well as Natures Menu nuggets and Beau will love one of these one day and hate it the next  I have also tried putting yoghurt on her food and grated cheese etc and she sniffs it and walks away  I know I spoil her by keep changing but don't like to think of her being hungry! I am doing what someone else suggested and leaving it down for half an hour and if not eaten by then I take it away but she still just sniffs it  Whilst I am typing this she has just come in with a mouthful of the Barking Heads chicken food she hated last week which I thought I would give another go  Take all the bits of good advice that you think are relevant to you and ignore the rest! Everyone likes to give their tuppence worth so just smile, nod and go on your merry way of looking after your lovely Scarlett the way you want to


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## Rufini (Sep 9, 2011)

Unfortunately we live in a world where everyone and their mum thinks it's ok to tell you what you should and shouldn't be doing! The best thing to do is to do what YOU feel happy doing, sod the rest!
We absolutely SPOIL Vincent rotten, my Facebook is full to the brim with photos of him. I've had people tell that he's 'just' a dog not a person and that I pay far too much attention to him. BUGGER THEM I say! I love Vincent and want to show him off to the world!!
I've had people tell me I am too picky with what I feed him, I absolutely refuse to ever feed him Bakers, Pedigree, Iams or any wet food. At training we give him Bratwursts (Aldi, 60p for 5!) which we've had critisism from other people we apparently feed him too well! Stupid thing to say in my opinion, my Vincent is a Prince so should be fed like one!

Oops rambled on there....

With food just keep trying. Vincent has pain in the arse days where he'll not touch a thing, only eat treats, and then the next day he'll be trying to eat everything and anything (today is one of those days, I found him with him head in the bin!).


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## Scarlett (Dec 15, 2011)

Thank you for the new replies. You have all been so helpful and supportive and I really appreciate it!

We are just going to keep doing what we think is right. I will continue to let her sit on my sofa and groom her when I see fit! The good news is that Scarlett has eaten some food since I last posted. She isn't going at it with gusto, but she is eating, so that is a step in the right direction!


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## Kirsty (Sep 9, 2011)

Hi Scarlett

This week we are on natures harvest and a couple of handfuls of Hills natures best. Im not really sure what number variety we are up to but our local animal shelter does well out of us.

Cara's my little girl and she sits onthe sofa with us and sleeps on our bed between our feet. Enjoy your baby dog and forget about what others say xxx


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