is fumble being picky? or is something wrong??

[Heighway]

These newfies are soooooo smart.... they are teaching us exactly what they want us to know!

[newflvr]

I never pretended to be smarter than the Newfs...and they are FOR SURE cuter!!!

I AM well trained, though!

[chaos270]

Kali has trained the entire family, man she has us all wrapped around her big paw.  She did the I'm not eating my food without the Iams Gravy stuff.  She's so spoiled.  She also barks at or jumps on my dad and just about tortures him to convince him to go play soccer with her. And heaven forbid her dinner not be given to her in a timely fashion.  And she goes into a major sulk when you reprimand her or talks back.  I thinks she's a the doggie teenage years.

[wrknnwfs]

8 cups a day is way too much food for a Newf. 4 cups split into two meals is plenty.

He's telling you he doesn't want that much food. How old is he and how much does he weigh?

[Fumble]

he gets between 3 1/2 to 4 cups in the morning and then again at night.  i am just following what my breeders have instructed me to do.  he weighs about 100 lbs. and is 6 months old.  i know that he's farely large for his age, but he is FAR from overweight.. if you do the rib test you can still feel his ribs easily without pushing in. 

[Winslow 151]

Hi,

We add to Winslow's Kibble. Some yogurt, or some cottage cheese in the AM and he gets fish in the evening, either a few(3) sardines, or some canned salmon, Tuna rarely, the fish is great for his coat.  Maybe a little grated Parmasean.

We also put a rubber (lacrosse) ball and rubber Greenie bone in the bowl with his food. We find this slows him down when eating so he doesn't gobble his food which can upset the stomach also.

Rich

[lins_saving_grace]

if a dog won't eat...don't force him to.  My vet tells me that all the time.  I have to resist the urge to make them.

But Lady is my picky pup.   She gets yogart on her food only at nights and expects it in the morning.  She gives me this look when she gets a bowl of dry food in the morning.  So I put a splash of milk on top and she eats.  She refused to eat for Daddy one morning and looked at him like "Where's my splash of milk there, Dad".  I had forgotten to tell him about the milk. 

[wrknnwfs]

Even if he is a large puppy, overfeeding him will only cause problems in the long run. A normal Newf pup gains aproximately 10 lbs +/- per month up to a year. So that makes your pup nearly double the norm. That's not necessarily something to be happy about as it places a lot of stress on his joints which are not completely formed yet. 

You definitely want a slow growth rate with Newfs due the the joint problems that can occur. Newfs are also believed to have a very low metabolism compared to other large and giant breed dogs.

If he is not hungry, don't force more on him.  I guarantee you that he won't starve. It's not in a dog's nature to starve unless he is very sick, in which case you need to vet him. He will eat when he's hungry again. Look what has happened to this country of obese baby boomers who were told to "clean their plates" as children. It catches up with you eventually. You are better off slightly underfeeding than slightly overfeeding a Newf.

Were the instructions from the breeder specific about adjusting his intake at various stages or just telling you what he was taking in at the time you picked him up? Has the breeder seen him in the flesh recently?

By as late as seven months, all of my dogs decided they weren't THAT hungry so I cut their intake back. My adults eat 1 to 1.5 cups per meal twice a day and I continually adjust the amount to suit each one's activity level and age. Each has grown up to be what he or she was genetically programmed to be and are comparable to their parents. My biggest boy (at 150 lbs) and 30 inches eats the least - 1 cup per meal. Puppies do need more nutrition but not as much as you might guess.

I provide the basic necessary nutrients without extra calories. And I factor in treats. One small Milkbone for example is 30 calories. Snausages and other moist treats are jam packed with calories and very little nutritional value. You want to be able to give your dogs treats but they must be factored into the calorie and nutrient equation.

All most all dogs will relish home cooked meals over commercially packaged kibble if given a choice. They are opportunists by nature and hey, if you're offering, they realize it's a special deal for a limited time. It is NOT a sign that your dog needs to eat more!

Try offering me a couple of Krispy Kreme donuts and I can prove my point! LOL I'm not one to turn down what I consider a special treat! Do I need Krispy Kreme's? Lets not go there.

[newflvr]

It's comforting to read your last post, wrknnwfs.  Our almost year old Brown, Chester is right on target, then.  He's almost 100 pounds and REFUSES to eat more than about a cup of kibble in the morning and a bit more at night.  I've been worried (and had called the breeder who said that most males will walk away from their bowls when they've had enough but the females have more of a problem  ) and he still will just skip a meal (or two).  From what you are saying, this is normal and nothing to worry about.  My big Landseer, who is 3 gets fresh cooked meat and veg (a bit less than a pound at each feeding...morn ing and night) NEVER has food issues.  It's gone in seconds! and he's at about 135 pounds.

thanks....I'm going to TRY not to worry anymore!

[Fumble]

fumble really only  had like 3 or 4 snausages.. and then i got rid of them.. especially because they gave him the runs! ick!  i honestly don't know why he keeps growing so fast!!  i just upped his food like 2 1/2 weeks ago because i emailed the breeder and that's what his brother from the same litter is getting.  i don't wnat him to get hurt in the long run because of his quick growth!  believe me! i give him chron/glucos, vitamin C every day.  his past two meals have been 2 1/2 cups and then i added some hamburger, so he seems to enjoy that.. he did go back and look a little bit like he wanted some more.. but he's a dog! they can eat themselves if they want to!  also, he does get the Iams puppy milk bones throughout the day. 
believe me though when i say i've had myself a mess the past few days that i'm doing everything wrong.. but i feel like maybe now his weight will take a seat back.. especially if he's not as hungry as he used to be...

[wrknnwfs]

This is one of the most common misconceptions among new owners about Newfs and feeding them. We tend to want very large dogs very fast. Every dog is different in it's needs but as nurturing human beings, we see not eating as a problem.

Then we force feed them and when they start to develop joint problems we blame it all on genetics or breeders. Yes, some dogs can be genetically predisposed to certain joint diseases. But joint problems can be delayed or reduced by a slow growth and careful management of food intake along with other factors.

Sounds like Chester and your Landseer are right on the money as far as food intake and growth rates.

Nothing to worry about. We are just human and want our babies to have everything they need. The trouble is that we can literally love them to death if we're not careful!

[wrknnwfs]

Its not a question about doing everything wrong. Its a matter of learning as much as you can and then making informed decisions.
We weren't born with knowledge, we acquire it so don't beat yourself up.

I'm not saying you or anyone is wrong, I'm simply saying it's not the norm so you need to question and observe and make adjustments for your individual case.

Have confidence in yourself. Some things you simply cannot prevent but you can try to control them.

I think anyone who takes the time to ask a question is a real hero! It takes guts to say, "I'm not sure" or "This doesn't look right". Especially in a public forum where you are exposed to criticism.

Believe me, if we didn't care, we wouldn't respond to anyone's questions with our own experience or knowledge.

BUT don't take everything you read or hear as gospel. Do consider every point made. If it fits or sounds logical, try to verify it with another credible source like your breeder or vet. You will get many differing opinions so you have to make the ultimate decision. Not all breeder, vets or owners are experts so remember, you don't have to follow anyone's advice but do listen.

If you ask a question of enough people, you will begin to see a concensus, a general similarity in answers. Those answers are the ones that we most likely believe and that's probably OK. I would tend to be swayed by the majority myself but I also remind myself that 25 or 30 years ago, we all "knew" that saccarin, the sugar substitute, was perfectly safe and that vitamin E had absolutely no value as an additive.
Well guess what! Things changed. Now we are told that saccarin is a carcinogen and vitamin E is good for us.

We originally thought that elevated feeding dishes would prevent bloat. Now we are told they cause bloat. Both theories come from reliable sources, scientists. You can see how it's easy to become confused and feel like you are doing everything wrong.

All you can do is search for the truth in as many places as possible, stay open minded, be prepared to adapt and radically change your ideas and make decisions based on what makes sense to you.

There's a term for this...they call it "life".

[Fumble]

Well Fumble is eating all of his yummy food now! I also emailed my breeders and they said that Fumble's sister is eating 4 cups in the morning and 4 cups at night. They said that due to the fact that fumble's mom and dad are large that his genetic bone structure no matter what he is going to be large. Which just means more cushion for all his lovin!! I want to thank you for everyone's posts and concerns!! But im glad that i was doing everything okay! I guess those trashy treats caused the upset tummy, Take Note: Trashy treats = runny poop!!