[spidey]

AngelBunny, you DO realize that that article you linked is written from the point of view that Science Diet is "premium food" (ick), and that grocery store brands are just fine (bigger ick), right? I'd take ANYTHING written from that point of view as highly suspect, since it clearly indicates that the author hasn't actually done much research at all. The points it makes about why vets recommend crap like that are reasonable, but the article is written from a standpoint of even greater ignorance about what actually constitutes high quality pet food than that of a vet who thinks Science Diet is something pets should eat, you know?

I don't see why you need to stop feeding the Merrick's, it's a great food. I would also go back to the Canidae (since your dog ate it), but there's no reason not to keep feeding high quality canned at all (it has more meat, no grain and no preservatives when compared to kibble, so it's a great addition to a dog's diet). What you DO need to do is put the food down for 15-20 minutes (set a timer), and then take it up until the next meal time, no matter whether your dog has eaten or not. And what a very dog-knowedgeable friend of mine does makes a lot of sense too, she cuts the amount of food she puts into the dish way down for a few meals (as well as only leaving it down for 20 minutes), which not only mean you might waste less food, but also that the dog doesn't think there's so much food always available, and gets used to cleaning his dish. I don't do this, but it's a good idea. I do not agree with trying to force a dog to eat a food it doesn't like, and that seems to be what you're doing now, when your dog liked the Canidae just fine. Just remember to keep your dog VERY lean and growing slowly (this is what "large breed" foods are supposed to help with, but there's no reason you can't just feed less of the Canidae to achieve the same result).