Messy, Picky Eaters

[Beryl]

Latte is a sloppy eater. He picks up a mouthful of food from his plate, walks away, drops the food on the floor, eats the pieces of interest, and leaves the rest. He goes back to the bowl and begins again. If I leave him to his own devices, my kitchen floor would be covered with kibble attracting rodents and insects.

It has gotten worse since I started him on raw and cooked organ/gizzard feeding. He gets a raw chicken wing at night and a bowl of kibble mixed with boiled organs & gizzards (with the juice). Now he picks the "good stuff" out of the kibble and leave the rest. If the Flint River Ranch kibble is soaked well enough with the organ drippings, he does nibble a little of it. I can't get him to eat any of the other kibble he used to eat like Canidae and Natural Balance.

I think I've resolved this "problem" by (1) feeding him in his crate lined with a washable wee-wee pad and (2) making sure the kibble is soaked through with the meat drippings. At least this contains his mess and he eats more of the kibble. Also, I don't have to worry about raw meat contamination.

Boo (Min Pin) isn't so messy. He just eats everything in his bowl. He only eats his raw food in his crate.

It doesn't look like I'm alone in having a messy eater:
http://www.globalpaw.com/4314-post17.html (Raw Food diets)
http://www.globalpaw.com/4315-post18.html (Raw Food diets)

Has anyone else found a way to handle it?

[Kuchi]

Have you tried a set meal feeding limit? Kuchi used to do that but once I saw him playing with it, I picked it up and he had to wait 20 more minutes then tried again. If he didn't eat it the second time, he would get a larger meal next time. His feeding time limit was 15 min. Now he scarfs his food down. I'm sure I'll have to slow him down when he gets old somehow.
I think his diet has been spoiled. he's getting good stuff and doesn't eat the normal stuff. I would feed raw in one meal and kibble in the second. So if he hungry and he knows he has a time to eat it, he'll eat it. Not sure if you are feeding twice a day, if you are feeding once I would get him to eat the kibble on its own first. I wouldn't add "extras" to get him to eat it.

[Beryl]

I wasn't clear. Feeding twice a day:

Kibble-mix in the AM
Chicken wing in the PM

When he stops eating, the food comes up. Even when only kibble was in the dish, he'd pick up the food, walk away, drop it, and eat from the pile on the floor. So far, eating in the crate keeps him from doing that.

You are right. I could let him starve so he will eat anything put before him to survive. He will still be messy though.

[TinyAlbinoDancer]

I don't know anything about RAW, but I thought it wasn't supposed to be fed along with kibble because it messes up the digestive system or something?

Having him eat in the crate is the only solution I'd recommend. I hate giving dogs a time limit to eat, but that's just me. Missie plays with her food like that alot, too, but she always goes back and cleans up or Ollie does it for her. lol Is Latte bringing the food closer to where you're at? Missie's a social eater, so she brings her food to the livingroom or wherever we are to eat it.

[Beryl]

LOL! Yes, Latte is a social eater too. I didn't mention that but I'm glad to hear that other dogs do that too. You nailed the walking part of the routine because he is bringing the food closer to me. If I stand over him, he will gobble the kibble, drop it on the floor and then eat it bit by bit. For the longest time, I would stand over him while he ate just to keep the food in the kitchen. Boo is like Ollie and will sometimes clean up after Latte.

The RAW folks told me two different things:
1. always feed RAW and kibble in different meals
2. it is a "wives tale" to not mix kibble with RAW and you can mix RAW w/kibble in the same meal.

I decided to just have AM/PM feedings and cook the organs & gizzards before mixing it in the kibble -- just in case.

[Rivsky]

I think it is just in a dog's nature to want to eat their meals in the most "comfortable" place for them.

River also brings over his "meatloaf" bit which he has for breakfast into where we are eating as well instead of eating it over his bowl. He also "has" to eat his bones in the lounge room - no matter how many times we took them out he just kept bringing them back in - now he knows if he stays on a blanket I put down he just eats it there and everyone is happy that way!!

[Kuchi]

I guess the crate is the best bet then. If he's eating it then I'm not sure what else to do.
Why are you cooking the organ meat? If you are cooking it, it doesn't have same raw advantages with not.
Could you just the organ meat and chicken wing in the PM so just kibble could be in the morning?
I'm not sure if there are horrible consequences with feeding raw and kibble together, maybe some indigestion.

[Beryl]

Maybe that is what I'll do, Kuchi. I'll just moisten the FRR so they will want it.

Latte is still a sloppy eater though.

BTW, I love your dog. I am in love with all Spitz dogs.

[TinyAlbinoDancer]

Maybe it would help if you feed him when you eat in the AM and PM so you're in the same room anyway? I love eating my meals and listening to the furry children crunching their kibbles down. lol I wouldn't be able to eat with them if I was feeding raw however, as that grosses me out. LOL!

I noticed Missie brings her food out to the livingroom less since Ollie is in there eating at the same time.

[Cassiepeia]

Both my sister's dog and my own dog do this. My sister's dog Bexley would pick a peice of kibble out of the bowl and walk into the centre of the family room (same room her bowl was in) and eat it there, then walk back and get another piece.

Jesse just picks the pieces off his plate (needs a plate not a bowl because he has no teeth and finds a bowl hard) and plops it on the floor next to the plate to eat it slowly. LOL It is very messy but I don't mind. I have no idea how to stop it either.

Cass.