![]() Don’t give in at the first sign of disinterest from your pup – be prepared to function at a stalemate for up to 3 days without giving in. Reach deep down for willpower, patience, and determination. If you want your dog to eat the food, your dog needs to value the food, and by taking away uneaten food you are communicating to your dog that food is a precious resource and sometimes it goes away.īe prepared to wait him out. Put the food down, leave it down for 15 minutes, and whatever is left is picked up and set aside until the next mealtime. Don’t sit on the floor and beg him to take just one bite for mommy, or hand-feed him. Don’t jazz it up with special treats when your dog seems disinterested. Don’t leave the food down all day and refill it “as needed”. When your precious pup turns his nose up at his food and looks at you balefully with an expression that asks “what in the world are you thinking, serving this SLOP”, take a breath.įeed your dog at distinct mealtimes. It’s not easy but trust me, it’s going to be a lot harder on you than your dog. There is only one way to rehabilitate a picky eater (and an enabling pet parent). If you’ve ruled out an underlying health problem and your pup is just acting like a turkey, then buckle in. Often one of the first signs of illness is loss of appetite. Note: If your dog’s finicky behavior has come out of nowhere and his appetite diminishes quickly, please speak to your veterinarian to rule out any underlying health issues. For those of you struggling with a picky pooch and are at your wit’s end…this is for you. If your dog isn’t picky, congratulations and take heed! It can happen at any time if you fall into the “big brown eyed puppy” trap. “He doesn’t like it…I have to make it taste better!” And thus it begins. So when a dog is lackluster about his bowl of food, there is lots of guilt. It makes us feel good when they enjoy their dinner, when they ask for more, when they seem to appreciate the gesture of food. ![]() Sometimes that transfers onto our pets as well. We want our loved ones to LOVE food, to taste our affection in each bite. In our society, food is often an expression of love. ![]() It’s a vicious cycle that usually ends with a pampered pup and a frustrated pet parent…and a long list of foods that have been tried and discarded. They’ve learned to game the system by manipulating well-meaning owners into offering them better and better food options. What we try to explain – in the nicest way possible – is what I’m going to spell out pretty bluntly here. We listen as they recite a long list of things they’ve tried – food toppers, canned food, this brand, that brand and the other brand. We do our best to point pet parents in the direction of foods that are more palatable or that sell well. We are asked to provide better options for picky dogs at least daily, if not multiple times a day. He only eats deli meat if I feed it to him by hand.”
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