# Boxer puppy refuses to eat. Help!!!



## abur583 (Dec 7, 2011)

Hey guys,
Been a while since I've been on here. My boxer puppy is 7 months old now and is a great dog. Did very well with house training and everything, but seems to be EXTREMELY picky with food. Currently he is only eating about a cup of food a day, and there are some days where he doesn't eat at all. I've tried switching foods (Wellness, Blue wilderness, Natural choice, etc), and i've even tried mixing some wet food into his dry food. His appetite doesn't seem to be the problem, because he constantly begs to try whatever i'm eating, which i've denied him because I do not want him to get into that habit. He does seem to be a bit underweight and his ribs a pretty visible which has me pretty worried. So I guess i'm running out of things to try here and i'm really hoping you guys might have some advice for me. Any tips?? Please let me know!!! Just want my pup to be healthy...


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## momof3 (Nov 24, 2007)

I take it thats a current picture, if so he looks perfectly fine to me I see a little rib but I've seen boxers like that before. I don't see any spine showing so unless something has changed since that picture I wouldn't be worried at all.


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## Willowy (Dec 10, 2007)

Some dogs just aren't good eaters. Since it's hard to get him to eat much, get the highest-calorie meat-based food you can find (EVO is one I know of) so that he doesn't need to eat as much to get the nutrients he needs.

And, it sounds odd, but on way to make a dog a better eater is to only leave the food down for 10 minutes--don't leave it out all the time. If you put it away if he doesn't eat it all at once, he'll learn to eat right when you put it down. Kind of competition, like having another dog who will eat his food if he doesn't. Nothing sparks the appetite like a little competition, LOL!

But, it's also better for a dog to be bit thin than to be too heavy. Especially a large dog. So unless you can hang a hat on his hip bones, it's all good.


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## georgiapeach (Mar 17, 2012)

My heart dog, Duke (RIP!), yanked my chain for nearly a year concerning food, until I FINALLY wized up! He'd eat great guns for awhile, then he'd start turning his nose up at it. I tried toppers, changing foods, etc. I read on another forum for boxers, that doing this will actually train them to be picky. He would start refusing to eat a perfectly good kibble to see what else he could get out of me, the little stinker! I had to apply tough love. I picked a good food, measured it out, laid it down, and waited 15 minutes for him to start eating. If nothing happened, I took it back up and gave it to him at the next feeding [boxers should be fed twice daily (simply divide the ration in half) to avoid the possibility of bloat - an issue with boxers]. It took three days, but after that I didn't have problems. If you wet the food, it sometimes helps bring out the aroma to make it more appealing, or you can add toppers. If you do this, and the dog doesn't eat it, simply cover it and refrigerate until the next meal, so it doesn't go bad. Taste of the Wild was the food I settled on (many boxer owners find that the Pacific Stream or the Sierra Mountain formulas work best, due to lower protein and fat levels). Acana grain free is also popular, as well as Earthborn grain free.


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## abur583 (Dec 7, 2011)

I will try what you guys said for sure! I have been leaving it out until he eats it all but it makes sense to make him eat it before it goes away! Thanks for the advice


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