My dog would clearly rather eat something other than his dog food.

Question
Hi, and thank you in advance for your time.

My dog, an eight year old, neutered male, golden retriever, Jordan, has me questioning dog food in general. I feed him a decent brand, Nutro, but it is clear he'd rather be have something else in his bowl. I choose this brand because it has no wheat.

I used to feed him some in the morning and some in the evening, but he was leaving his morning bowl untouched. Now I only feed him in the evenings, and just enough so he leaves behind a few kibble. The veterinarian says his weight is right where it should be.

To the point, if all I got for the day was a bowl of dog kibble, I'd sit and stare at it for a couple of hours before eventually eat it, too.

I read somewhere here to remove the bowl after 15 minutes and not replace it until the next day. I see the logic in that, until I think about myself again. I might sit it out for a couple of days, but eventually I'd start eating when it was "time."

Is my answer a topping of canned food, or am I simply being too sensitive? He is after all, a dog, which is why they call it dog food.

Answer
Well I am no fan of Nutro, but it may be OK.  I don't think it would hurt to change to something else.  I see no problem with wheat unless your dog is one of the few that are allergic to it.  if you are afraid of it developing allergies to it, it is about as likely to develop allergies to what is in the Nutro.  

I am afraid many dogs are over weight and even some vets are slow to recognize it.  If your dog is a little heavy as in http://www.longliveyourdog.com/twoplus/RateYourDog.aspx it would be better if you did cut back to where it would eat.  Even if it ends up with its ribs showing a little, that is OK, rare in Labs, but I once had one like that.