# OCD with eating?



## Lizatti (Jan 18, 2009)

Okay, so this is a very odd issue we are having with Charlie. He seems to have some kind of weird OCD thing when it comes to eating. He is not a big eater to start with, but when he does eat, he pushes his bowl around for a few times, then he sticks his face into the bowl, takes it out and repeats this about 6-8 times. Then, he finally eats some of his food.Some days he does not eat at all. He likes his food, so I do not think that is the problem. It is like a weird ritual he does and I am so curious as to why. Anyone else have this issue? Also, we feed him 2 x a day at the same time and take it away after about 20 minutes.


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## mintchip (Apr 19, 2007)

Both of my guys push the bowl before eating


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## Lizatti (Jan 18, 2009)

Hi,

But do they stick their faces in and out like a ritual? lol My husband and I think it is so funny, but wondering what the heck he is doing? It is very strange.


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## HavaneseSoon (Nov 4, 2008)

Dexter is very fussy. He will only eat a few bites, leave and eat it and come back several times and finally finish the food. 

Now if he is really hungry, he will eat all at once. 

Dexter is on a hunger strike right now and will not eat...I imagine he will eat by tomorrow or the next day.


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## Alexa (Jun 17, 2007)

I honestly think a lot of Havs have their quirks when it comes to food. Marley has this ritual with a certain kind of treat that he spends hours hiding and moving etc. before he ever eats it. Some dogs don't like eating out of bowls and only eat from flat mats. It cracks me up to hear all the different stories, but it seems like it's a normal thing in Hav land to NOT be the same as all others when it comes to food...


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## HavaBaloo (Mar 24, 2009)

Oh it must be the Hav quirky thing, as long as he is eating and healthy then no problem. He must like to smell his food a few times LOL!

Baloo will only eat on one of his blankets or a rug and he will try to hide his bowl so you can't see it (digging at the blanket) then finally he will eat...he is a silly boy


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## Scooter's Family (May 23, 2008)

Murphy will eat anything he can get into his mouth but Scooter is a nut, he'll only eat off of a plate, not a bowl. He usually waits for Murphy to eat and then he'll eat his food. We tried all sorts of different bowls before I tried a plate and that's the only thing that works.


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## HavaneseSoon (Nov 4, 2008)

Dexter finally started eating again....I do not think he ate for at least 2-3 days, he would pick at foods. He was healthy and playing and did not look sick, so I waited Dexter to give in....and the food strike ended.


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## davetgabby (Dec 29, 2007)

What are you feeding him?


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## baxterboy (Mar 17, 2009)

Lizatti said:


> Okay, so this is a very odd issue we are having with Charlie. He seems to have some kind of weird OCD thing when it comes to eating. He is not a big eater to start with, but when he does eat, he pushes his bowl around for a few times, then he sticks his face into the bowl, takes it out and repeats this about 6-8 times. Then, he finally eats some of his food.Some days he does not eat at all. He likes his food, so I do not think that is the problem. It is like a weird ritual he does and I am so curious as to why. Anyone else have this issue? Also, we feed him 2 x a day at the same time and take it away after about 20 minutes.


No clue, but Baxter used to do this when he was on Eukanuba. We switched him to a limited diet (Royal Canin venison and potato) and he hasn't done it since. When he was on the Eukanuba he never wanted to eat, would eat a lot some days, and others, hardly at all. He never got excited about eating. He also had soft stools. Since we've changed to the Royal Canin, we offer him less (1/3 cup twice a day) and he eats every single bit. He loves it and hasn't done the push the bowl thing, push the food thing since the switch.


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## HavaneseSoon (Nov 4, 2008)

davetgabby said:


> What are you feeding him?


Dexter is eating "Taste of the Wild" about 2/3 cups 2x times, when he wants to eat.


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## davetgabby (Dec 29, 2007)

Lizzati, what are you feeding your dog.? Linda ,is that kibble or canned? Linda have you tried removing any uneaten food after 10 minutes.


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## HavaneseSoon (Nov 4, 2008)

davetgabby said:


> Lizzati, what are you feeding your dog.? Linda ,is that kibble or canned? Linda have you tried removing any uneaten food after 10 minutes.


Dave, it really doesn't matter if we remove it or not.....Dexter will not eat it, if he does not feel like eating.

Is it a smell thing? To get rid of the food after 30 minutes???? Dexter does not graze on food during the day. The food is Kibble. We have tried mixing a little wet and Dexter really enjoyed the food for about 1 week.


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## Lizatti (Jan 18, 2009)

We feed him Science Diet small bite puppy formula. We were doing dry and wet, then just dry and he stills does it. It is almost ritualistic the way he does it. We went out and got him a different bowl even. A heavier one so he could not knock it over. Now, he scootches the bowl to the end of his play area and hides the bowl behind the crate. Weird! He is healthy and eats his food when I use it for training treats so I know it is not that he does not like it. I think it is just his quirky nature.

It is interesting to read about the other Havs and their eating habits.


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## davetgabby (Dec 29, 2007)

I think that the dogs that are picky eaters are picky because of one main reason. And that is because we let them be picky. I know we were guilty of that with Molly. We would put her kibble down and she would eat some and leave the rest. We would leave the rest sit there until she ate again maybe six to eight hours later. But the mistake we made was giving her some of our food at supper time. Thus she learned to hold off until supper time ,knowing that she was going to get something better down the road. Since we have switched to canned food, she eats the whole thing at 9am and 5pm , nothing left sitting. Gone in one -two minutes each meal. If you want to stick with kibble that is fine, but unless you take away the food that is uneaten after ten minutes or so. and do not feed again until their second feeding time they will be picky. A dog will not starve itself but will hold off for better things. For us , canned changed all that. Canned is just so much more appealing to them. If it is the right canned food that they like. Just look at how appealing canned looks and smells. Big chunks of real meat, veggies and gravy, I find it hard not to indulge myself. LOL. I'd be picky too if I had to eat bland Kibble all the time. When you warm up the canned from the fridge in the microwave , just the smell drives Molly nuts.


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## Lunastar (Feb 9, 2009)

They train us well, don't they?


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## HavaneseSoon (Nov 4, 2008)

I really do think Dexter is holding out for something better! I think I will look into canned foods though.


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