Puppy eats slow

[hlopez18]

My four month old pup eats pretty slow, especially compared to other dogs her size. She's a German Shepherd mix at about 27 pounds right now. She'll take about 15-20 minutes to eat a cup of dry kibble each serving. She goes to her bowl, gets a few kibble bits and goes moves off to the side to eat them. She then goes back and repeats that. At about the 1/2 or 2/3 mark she takes a 5ish minute break and then goes back to eating the same way described above. She'll usually finish her serving, it just takes a while. For some time I thought about letting her graze but that idea was quickly shut down by everyone I spoke to so I didn't go that route. I'm not too worried since it makes me feel like (even though I know it's not true) that she's enjoying her food more. However, it is a little annoying because I'm never completely sure if she's done. Sometimes I pick up the food because I think she's done and then she comes back looking for her food and just sniffs the area and looks at me as if asking me where the food is. Has anyone had this kind of an experience? Is there a possibility that it could be an issue beyond the annoyance it currently is?

Also, she doesn't run away with the food as though she's afraid someone else is going to take it, she's very calm throughout. I'll stick my hand in there and mess with the kibble when she's eating and she just shifts to the side to get some kibble from another spot. If I remove the bowl from her she just sits there and stares up at me waiting for it to be put down again. She shows no aggression or fear around food so I don't think it has anything to do with her past experiences, I just think she's a slow eater.

Thanks.

[***Melissa***]

I'm no expert, but if it's not some medical issue (like a sore tooth or something), maybe she's just not that hungry.

Anyway, can you give a run down of her day? Also include what you're feeding her, how much and how often. The more info the better

[Sarah83]

Rupe eats in a similar way. It takes him about 15 minutes to finish a meal. Sometimes he eats from his bowl, sometimes he'll take a mouthful and carry it off somewhere to eat it then go back for another mouthful and do the same. He's been checked out by a vet and we can't find a reason for it and if I feed any less he loses weight. He's been doing this since I got him 6 years ago and I've just accepted it as another Rupert quirk to be honest. He's not overly interested in food at the best of times.

[Nettle]

It's normal for my dogs too. Just let her eat her food in her own time. They aren't all gobblebuckets.

[maximoo]

She might not like that particular brand of kibble. Do you add water or feed it bone dry? What food are you giving her? Also it sounds like you might be giving her too much at once. A whole cup (is it a standard measuring cup?) for a 27 lb dog may be too much. My 43 lb boy gets 3/4 of a cup 2x a day.

There is nothing wrong with her eating slowly. Many dog owners will certainly swap that trait for the food INHALERS that they have.
Free feeding in not advisable as you have learned. It messes up their pottying schedule & it isn't natural.

So tell us more.

[hlopez18]

She might not like that particular brand of kibble. Do you add water or feed it bone dry? What food are you giving her? Also it sounds like you might be giving her too much at once. A whole cup (is it a standard measuring cup?) for a 27 lb dog may be too much. My 43 lb boy gets 3/4 of a cup 2x a day.

There is nothing wrong with her eating slowly. Many dog owners will certainly swap that trait for the food INHALERS that they have.
Free feeding in not advisable as you have learned. It messes up their pottying schedule & it isn't natural.

So tell us more.

I'm feeding her Orijen large breed puppy and the guidelines say to give her, for her weight, three cups a day. We feed her three times a day; once in the morning, once at mid-day and once in the evening a cup each time. We don't add water, we just give it to her straight from the bag but she has plenty of fresh water available. Her potty is fine and she took to this food a lot better than she had been on her old food (Iams large breed which is what her foster had her on). She used to not eat about half of the food from the Iams and when we started transitioning she would eat all the Orijen and what she'd leave would be all Iams. Also, when walking her and training her on difficult issue (e.g. fear of the car, fear of the bathtub) I use the kibble because she'll ignore the other treats and the kibble is the only thing that she gets motivated by. So, I don't think that she doesn't like it. Like I said, she usually finishes her food; never leaves more than a quarter of a cup.

As for her day, she wakes up and we take her out to pee. We play with her for about half an hour then feed her. I take her for a 10-15 walk about 15 minutes after she's done eating. We come back and she plays a little then takes a long nap. When she wakes, I take her out and we play a bit when we come back. After about 30 minutes to an hour she gets fed and then the same thing about going out after 15 mins of finishing. We can't walk then because it's REALLY hot here, high 80s, low 90s and humid. So I just take her to the backyard to do her business and then we come back. We play and do some obedience for a while then I just let her be a dog. She takes naps and plays around. In the evening, we feed her again and take her for a walk afterwards. Then she plays for a while (both with us and on her own) and then she pretty much tells us when she's tired and ready to go into her crate. We take her out for a last time then crate her.

Thanks for all the help. It looks like it's fine that she does this so long as their no medical issue. Since she just went to the vet recently and got a clean bill of health, I'm assuming it's not a medical issue.

[Noobs]

She sounds great, I don't think you need to be concerned. However, I would stop putting hands into her bowl - might develop into resource guarding in the future (happened to mine because I did that on advisement - not from here, of course).

[josie1918]

Due to the breed of your dog, I would be thrilled, you will have much less risk of stomach torsion, GSD's are notorius for being non-food motivated, She is eating, and that is what counts.

[Nettle]

Sounds like a pretty good schedule, and Orijen is a pretty good food.

One important change though - arrange her day so that she is not exercised after feeding. It can lead to bloat even in breeds that are less susceptible, and who needs to look for trouble?

The other reason is that later on when you are training, a hungry dog takes a lot more notice of you, and is much more likely to come when you call.