[Tajmahal]

Hi everyone,
I just got a German Shepherd about 8 weeks old. I brought him four days ago to my home. He was initially eating OK and was finishing his meal at least once out of three meals he gets. But now since yesterday he is not finishing the same amount of food that he is getting.
Kindly let me know what should I do to overcome this problem.
Regards

[alejandro2009]

I have a German shepherd as well. What kind of food do give him? Dry food or wet food? It is really not a problem because they tend to be picky at times or shy. When I got mine she was shy that I didn't hear bark like 5 days until I got her. Do not worry about them not eating your going start to see him eat a lot when he gets bigger and the gifts he is going to leave for you. You are going to wish he was eating like now when that time comes lol.

[shazamataz]

Dry or wet is just personal preference. I prefer wet because my dogs seem to like it more. But you can give a combination on both to add variety.

Make sure you are giving your dog a good quilaity food.

Larger breed puppies must have food that is less than 25% protein or it can cause growth problems.
Prefferably don't feed them 'puppy' food unless it has less than 25%

How much are you feeding him each time?
Most dogs won't eat more than their fill so you might be feeding him too much.
I take it you have only just got this puppy seeing as how it's 8 weeks old.
Are you feeding the same food the breeder was?
You need to introduce a new food gradually to avoid contipation and tummy upsets.

[alejandro2009]

I agree with shazamataz on everything except for the part on "But you can give a combination on both to add variety". I understand variety is good but how about variety on treats but not on its regular food. You should keep one dry or wet and I highly recommend dry its better for their teeth makes it stronger and German shepherds teeth are big. Wet food is like kibble rots teeth and dry food fulls them up faster. shazamataz probably has a smaller breed . I know and my veterinarian recommended it to me when mine used to be a pup and now she's almost 1 1/2 and healthy. Good answer though.

[shazamataz]

Alejandro.. I have had great danes and miniature poodles... we put a few cups of dry in the bottom of the bowl then put the wet food on top :)
I agree with you that wet food can be bad for their teeth... if you only feed wet food you should be giving them 'treats' such as dentabones to clean them :)

[mydogquestion]

I also have a German Shepherd. He eats the same dry food every day. I give him 4 cups a day sometimes he eats it all some times he will finish it over the course of the next 24 hours. I leave his bowl down,so he can eat as he pleases but no more than 4 cups everyday. German Shepherds are prone to digestive issues so I am a big believer in the food being routine. His food was in the recall a few years ago and it took months to get a food that he would eat and did not give him runny poop.
I know a lot of people disagree with the bowl left out but it works for us. He will be 11 next week and is at a healthy 86 pounds. And there are days he just is not hungry and will only eat a cup or so,so I would not worry as long as he is drinking and going potty normally

[Catsmine]

Your puppy, Tajmahal, is quite likely a little off his feed because of being in a new place with new people. Gentle him along and he'll probably pick back up. Unlike mydogquestion, I feed and only leave it down for an hour. Mealtimes, playtimes, and exercise times I try to vary as little as possible, especially for a new pup just figuring out the routine.

Shaz has a good point about the protein content of his food. His little liver and kidneys are still developing so don't strain them too much. I too feed dry, but we give table scraps as "flavoring."

Like in Shangri-La, all things in moderation

[Tajmahal]

Hi guys, thanks for all your help.
I love this pup a lot and his name is Romeo. Still I am having the same problem. I feed him Purina Puppy Chow Three time a day and about 50 grams per meal. This is the mark on the glass which I got from the vet. I add a little minced meat because before he came to me he was on rice and mince meat diet.
He finishes only one meal of his a day, the other two he leaves about the half of it.
Guys help me because I think he is getting weak.
Regards to all.

[shazamataz]

Purina puppy chow has 27% protein, this is too high for a puppy of this breed.

[shazamataz]

Please check out this site... it is for Eagle Pack Puppy.
I know we aren't meant to advertise brands but this is the best dog food for larger breed dogs.

Eagle Pack Super Premium Pet Foods

[Catsmine]

How much does Romeo weigh? 100 grams a day is not bad for an eight week old, unless he's a bigger kid. He may also be cutting teeth, although eight weeks is kind of young.