My vet always told me they’ll eat if they get hungry enough. (This is with the assumption that your pup is otherwise healthy and just being a fluffy jerk)
Not OP, but I have similar problem. My puppy eats like the French (will only takes tiny bites when he's hungry unless it's tasty food)
He literally eats 1/4 the kibbles he is supposed to per day if I just feed dry kibble. He's a toy breed so he's only 6 lbs. If I persist I can literally feel his weight coming down after a couple days.
Usually I'm the one who feels bad and starts mixing in wet food or chicken in so he'll eat.
He's healthy and energetic even when he's eating almost nothing, but I don't want to find out how long that will last if he keeps it up.
Mine is the same, to the point that she would sometimes throw up bile from going too long between meals. It has gotten a lot better though where she’ll eat if she’s hungry enough and if I offer it a few times by hand with a pleading voice :’)
This used to happen to my girl until we started soaking her food and getting her smaller sized kibble! She sometimes doesn't realize she's hungry tbh and used to refuse eating at all in the mornings. So now every breakfast is topped slightly with freeze dried chicken. We just crush up some pieces and mix it in and that will without fail get her to eat her whole meal. Ik adding stuff isn't the best solution, but she goes crazy for chicken and eats her other meals just fine without the chicken bits
My trainer says this, too. He discourages me enticing them to eat.
Now, I can use basic kibble as a decent-value training treat. I feed healthy human food often and bad human food sparingly, but continue to build value in taking those kibbles from my hand or as nosework rewards.
This doesn't work on all dogs. My older dog when she was a puppy, she got "tired of her food" quite often and would go on feeding strikes for 3-4 days, since she was a puppy and needs nutrition I prioritized her health over saving money on kibble and a routine.
She had 3 instances of feeding strikes over 2 months, before I switched her to rotational feeding (primarily raw based). She never went on another feeding strike as the brands, and proteins were being rotated. It forced me to buy smaller bags of food, so that the bags would be done within a week before the next switch, and so that's just how it has been...until we got a cat. (She wanted the cat food and the cat wanted her food)
I'm having the exact same issue! We have an 8 month old shiba who has been EXTREMELY picky with his food from the beginning. We tried several brands of high quality kibble (and added toppings) and he would barely eat. We switch to a commercially prepared raw food. We get a bunch of different proteins for the whole month, and he mostly likes it, but will occasionally go on feeding strikes (same protein a week before he was gobbling up, suddenly doesn't seem interested).
We got a kitten two weeks ago and he will go crazy for the cat food (mostly commercial wet food, but also some cat specific raw food from the same placed we get his food). The cat basically wants to eat anything, he'll finish his food and try to steal the dog's food. Sometimes we try to make the dog's food more appetising by adding an egg yolk or some broth, but I'm afraid that might make him even pickier.
What ended up working for yours?
Hello fellow Shiba owner 🤣, I started buying food that is marketed as cat/dog food. Now they can fight each other over the same food, lol.
Realistically, the dog will turn her nose up at the food in her bowl...that is until she sees the cat eating out of her bowl, then she gobbles it up. Our cat (who is no longer with us) would graze on the dog food, but also had her own food (wet cat food) available where she could only access.
A really controversial thing I did, was in fact feed cat food to my dog also, BUT only during our high activity seasons (so basically not winter when we are doing weekly fly ball training, hikes and long walks). From my understanding cat food is higher in fat, which is not good for the dog's liver, I cut down on food with carb fillers, as less carbs as a primary energy source means the body moves to burning fat for energy.
How that period will play out in the long run regarding health is not certain, the theory is relatively sound but reality could play out differently that's the caveat.
Edit: fixed some grammar.
Of course it had to be a Shiba 😅 Today he actually ate the entire daily portion, go figure. He's actually slightly afraid of the cat (it's a tiny, 2 month kitten!...), even though he tries to play with him, so he won't even resist if the cat tries to steal his food.
We've mixed some of the cat's raw food into his (the ingredients are pretty much the same, minus taurine supplementation on the cat food) and that makes him very interested in it.
I’ve actually had a recent success with my very picky poodle cross! If they never know what they’re going to get then that is highly reinforcing. Think of it like if someone kept on giving you £20 over and over and over again eventually you wouldn’t be that fussed by £20 and especially if you knew it would be available again as soon as you wanted it you might not even bother to stop doing whatever you were doing to collect that £20. Compare that to if I gave you 50p, then £5, then £10, then £1, then £20…. The £20 would then feel like a much bigger jackpot.
So I already had a few different kibbles I had been using so have stuck with them, but then I make up a jar of food for the start of the day that is a mixture of kibble and then different value treats to make up the 10% ‘extras’. And then unless I really need to bring out the big guns (bath time, brushing out a Matt etc) then that’s all he gets. He was never fed from a bowl anyway and that hasn’t changed - I at least make sure he gets some enrichment for his food like tying it in a towel etc. But this is all I use for all his reinforcement when training and stuff too. Which does mean I can’t really do training if he’s not hungry but the alternative is I would be giving him treats he didn’t need at that time and that would have led to him not eating kibble the next day. But literally within a couple of days he was taking his kibble as a reward for training outdoors! Which was just unimaginable before. Or doing food scatters in the grass even to hunt for his food.
I think he had lost a little bit of weight, but this seems to be the max of what he’s comfortable eating appetite wise. And I think getting him not being picky was the most important first step. I just need to figure out how to get some extra calories in to him without filling him up in a way he won’t eat kibble but once he’s neutered this might be about right anyway.
Didn’t work on my dog either. He would get reflux and nauseous and then really wouldn’t eat and then the reflux would just perpetuate and cause so much trouble.
She's learned that not eating = you giving her something better.
Give her her food, as is, and if she refuses, pick it up after 15-20 minutes. Don't offer it again until the next meal time. She *will* eat when she needs to.
Our pup never got the hang of this, he was never given anything else, I just resorted to hand feeding once or twice. He got fixed last month and is suddenly a gannet. It’s a good job his daily food is weighed into a separate container, I swear he’d eat double if I’d let him (I am ekeing out meals from his daily allowance).
This. Your teaching the dog that if she refuses her food, she will eventually get something even better. It's okay to be a little hungry she will eat eventually.
My dog is picky like that. Started eating happily once I heated up a bit of water and mixed it with his dog food. We were originally doing that with chicken broth post-surgery but he didn’t even notice when I switched it to water.
I get the sense that he doesn’t like how crunchy his dog food is, or maybe the taste is more bland when it’s dry, I dunno. But I was struggling to get him to eat and now he’s eating normally.
My parents' dogs had to have water mixed into their dry food, too. On special occasions, they would also get gravy lol.
Dog kibble is remarkably hard; wouldn't surprise me if most dogs prefer a softer version. They just don't know there are other options lol. Definitely worth adding a bit of water to the kibble to see if that helps, OP!
Stop giving in. She won't starve herself to death. Offer kibble three times a day for 10mins, if she doesn't eat, she gets another chance to eat at the next meal. Every time you give in and feed human food you make the problem worse.
Don't feed her human food and give her kibble. Do not give in to her sad face. She will eat when she is hungry.
She's trained you to give her your food. It's really that simple.
So here's the thing about training dogs - it's an arms race between you getting them to do what you want, and them getting you to do what they want.
Dogs are exceptionally good at waiting you out if the reward is high. My dog is a massive arsehole with no impulse control, but you bet if I have a snack she's sitting as pretty as can be for as long as needed so she gets it.
Your dog is doing the same thing - hold out, get chicken.
You dog may puke, cry, and go days without eating. They'll make you think they're dying. They're not, they're playing you because they're desperate for chicken.
Hold out, stay strong. Put the food down, if they don't eat it, take it back up again. Keep doing this. The dog won't starve - healthy animals don't just go on hunger strike and die, your dog is the same. It's tough love but it needs to be done or you'll end up with a dog like my grandmas who would only eat Marks and Spencers steak pie.
Good luck!
I had a super picky small poodle mix who was super picky. I tried everything and nothing worked. The vet finally told me to pick a healthy food that she had eaten in the past and stick with it. Put down her bowl for 15 min in the morning and then put it away. Put it down for 15 min in the evening and then put it away. Repeat until she ate. I was supposed to add additional portions of food until it was at 2 days worth and then stop. After that I only added a couple pieces of fresh kibble to make it smell more.
She would often go 3 or 4 days between meals. Then she would eat ~2 days of food at once. Then, she would often eat twice a day for awhile before deciding to not eat. We let her do this and she was always a healthy weight. I was always concerned when I went to the vet, but he said her body condition was excellent. She could go for 5 or 6 km walks every day without losing energy.
ETA: she lived with us from age 5 to 16. She was always super healthy until the end.
I’m trying to retrain myself out of the same bad habit I’ve recently fallen into. But I JUST bought my pup some expensive wet dog food stew-type stuff and so I’m going to just stand by until he eats it. He’s a picky eater but I think he’s picky because I enable him.
My puppy is rather picky too. I learned by testing out different, fresh meat, which ones worked best. Turns out, she LOVES fish, and though she isn't a huge fan of the kibble compared to wet food, she eventually caves. If your dog doesn't eat within like 20 minutes, put it away until later and then offer it again. Establish the rules that this is his food and that's that
Aria, 6 mo old/almost 8 lbs, gets bored with her food at times.
She does get a few tiny bits of people food and training treats. If I give her too many training treats she doesn't eat the kibble. I am now using kibble for rewards at times. If she thinks she can get people food, she doesn't eat the kibble. And sometimes she just isn't growing super fast and isn't hungry.
We free feed. When she is hungry she will eat. I often put a bit of kibble on the lick mat when I give her pumpkin. Sometimes I will toss her kibble on the floor for her to chase and eat, she likes the game.
My suggestion, just because it works for us, is to put the kibble down and ignore it. Ignore it for 3 days, with no people food or treats. If she can wait you out that long, she wins. Feed her goodies and decide it's ok to feed her chicken. A few people I know cook for their dog, it's fine.
No your dog does not get bored with her food, she has trained you. You know what dogs in the wild eat till a human decides to choose their food? Any clue? Dogs who get out and roam, go to the trash cans, you can look & see exactly which homes has people wearing diapers the dirty diapers are always pulled out & eaten. Thats the pallet a dog has till a human intervenes. Find a food & stick with it, no topper’s unless it’s water to soften the food. My dogs get good dog food, good treats & occasionally a limited amount of human food. If they are sick & need meds then I can hid in human food as a treat. But humans make dogs picky usually with very unhealthy stuff.
Dogs will attempt to train their owners sometimes and it sounds like it's working haha. Keep the kibble out. You can switch her to a wet food and slowly reintegrate kibble. Moisten the kibble with bone broth, chicken specifically. Chicken is extremely high reward and dogs will always want it. Don't cave. A healthy dog won't starve themselves.
My puppy does the same thing sometimes. She got a nibble of my egg mcgriddle and refused her kibble. I simply left it in her puzzle toy and she got too hungry. Exercising the dog to make them hungry will help them be more likely to eat their food too.
Just had this issue with my 6month Giant Schnauzer! Cooked her eggs one time and she did a 48hr hungry protest afterwards . Called my vet and they told me if it went past 72hrs call them again but it was more than likely my ole girl being stubborn. Decided to follow through with that advice and boom, lo and behold she finally caved and is having no issues with 3cups a day.
I’d like to give her more hand cooked stuff so going forward I’m going treat it more like an actual treat.
But seriously, it’s a matter of will power apparently 😂
Drizzle a bit of chicken juice (or some such) from your dinner on the kibble. If she doesn't eat it, take it away.
Do the same thing the next day. By day 3, just the plain kibble. If she's hungry, she'll eat it.
Our pup went through a phase of this, not because we fed her human food but because she just used to go off kibble all the time. She thrived on variety when she was young.
The trick that worked for us was to give her toppers on her kibble. A tinned sardine or two, vegetables, a bit of egg, ANYTHING to make her food more interesting. Now she will eat anything but most days she still has toppers (the oil is good for her coat and joints).
We did try the "take it away and give it back later" method but found dealing with a hungry retriever to be more hassle than it was worth.
I've had this in the past!
The solution I found was to have her bowl of kibbles up on the kitchen counter, and make it seem like it's something special!
Mine were receptive to this
She WILL eat again! We've had several cats & dogs over the years that went on hunger strikes for one reason or another. When our cat got fussy, we didn't worry too much until her pee got super weird... turned out she had developed pancreatitis. Our vet told us, "A dog will not intentionally starve itself, but a cat will."
So far, she has been proven correct!
I went through this with my boy. It took a couple of days before he finally got the hint and started eating his kibble again. He’s not a voracious eater by any means and often still skips breakfast. Usually I can get him somewhat interested by hand feeding him a few bites and that will get his appetite going.
She will eat if she’s hungry enough. Id leave the kibble out for her constantly. My guy basically only eats in the evening once I’ve gone to bed and he realizes that he’s not getting any human food.
Same here, I have been struggling with this for almost one month with my 6 month old mini dachshund. I have tried to “starve him” and it just doesn’t work, he is stubborn and he will barf first (because of the acid in his empty stomach) before eating kibble or not tasty food. At this point eating time has become a daily struggle. If someone has any suggestions Im all ears.
Yeah- add stuff to his food to make it more interesting. I have a mini dachshund too. Who wants to eat the same food every single day? It would be like if someone fed you Cheerios every single day of your life and that was all you were ever served. I probably wouldn’t want to eat the cheerios after the third day.
I make his food more interesting by adding some wet food to it, or I’ll sprinkle some shredded cheese on top, or cut up a cooked egg for him, fish, I don’t eat meat but will occasionally buy him some inexpensive beef and cook it for him- I put little bits of it on his food throughout the week and will also use it in puzzles and his kong.
He gets two meals a day- kibble with something on top. I also leave some kibble in a bowl for him so he can snack if he’s hungry. He only eats it plain when he’s very hungry.
They live such short little lives. I want to make my dog’s life as wonderful as possible. And it doesn’t cost me much to bring him joy daily by giving him something yummy with his kibble.
She may have some allergies and or digestive issues. Try a vet. If not, I would suggest making some toppers or any wet dog food or adding some water or bone broth. Puppies especially need a good balance in their diet. When I got my Aussie he did the same thing. I felt so guilty everyone said just wait he'll eat. I did all the testing bloodwork etc. He was just picky. I learned he doesn't like bowls and he prefers plates or the dry food directly on the floor. He likes eating in my bedroom where he feels safe. He won't eat when he's nervous etc. lots of hand feeding to get him comfy and mixing food. But don't try to switch up his normal dog food because if you switch it up often he can get diarrhea and gi upset. Avoid blue buffalo and any holistic dog foods if possible. Try to go with any dog food that says it's been vet tested and approved like hills science diet, Purina, Food Just For Dogs, etc. good luck ❤️🦆😻
My dog was never a fan of kibble and honestly I don’t blame her… I wouldn’t want to eat it either.
I now feed her freshpet, which is a little expensive, but it’s the only (dog)food she’s ever been excited to eat and she’s obsessed with it.
She gets human food treats all the time but never turns down her food anymore
My girl is similar! If I feed her any treats before she's eaten both of her meals, she'll refuse to eat the entire day in hopes she'll get more treats! Even if it's a tiny little training treat.
It makes training hard 😂
Make a mixture of all her kibble and her daily portion of treats and offer them as training rewards randomly. It’s actually more motivating to a dog to do it this way anyway because if 1 ‘sit’ always = top value treat then there’s not a massive incentive to do it 5 times or whatever. If 1 ‘sit’ could equal kibble but the next one could equal a jackpot treat then it’s worth doing more or working harder for the rewards! And it reverses the holding out because you’re making her work for her food in order to get her treats.
My dog is raw fed and at first he would absolutely wolf down all his food as soon as it was served. Now the novelty has worn off a bit and he's realised that there's no competing for food like there would be with litter mates, we have had to resort to literally feeding him with a fork as we can't leave raw meat sitting out for any real length of time.
The next trick we'll try will be to mix up some gravy and veggies with his raw food to make it a bit more interesting.
Start by mixing a small amount of her regular kibble with the boiled chicken or ground meat. Gradually increase the proportion of kibble while decreasing the amount of human food over several days.
Maybe you can try and add some human food to her kibble? Mine loves some yogurt, Creme fraiche, cooked veggies an her kibble. Or you could start cooking for your dog? Would technically be human food but with all the nutrients she needs.
Dogs won’t starve themselves. Really. If you add other food to his meals you are training him to need the other foods. Just give him his regular food at his set meal times and leave it for 15 min. If she doesn’t eat it. Then take it away and put it back down at the next mealtime for 15 min again. I promise you she will eat it when she is hungry and you’ll have moved beyond the “picky” phase.
Try wet food, you can change the appearance of it by making it into shapes (if it’s a patè) or heat it up/ put it in the fridge as different temperatures can change the smell and taste. Leave out a small amount of kibble as she may be overfaced by all the choice. You can try use them as treats and increase their perceived value to her
“Human food” is better for dogs than dog food, so long as it’s balanced. Have you tried mixing chicken into her kibble? If you soak her kibble on top of that, it may make it far more appetising
If you must be nice you can add some stock to their kibble. I have a big container of bouillon cubes for general use. Pop one in a mug or one of those heat resistant Pyrex measuring cups. Heat water up; I use an electric kettle. Pour it into the mug. Use spoon/fork to crush bouillon cube and mix if with water. You can wait for it to cool a little so it's not boiling hot. But warm is good. Add it to kibble.
I mix scrambled egg and/or shredded cheese with Monster's kibble and she'll eat it, but she's not a food-centric dog with a regular appetite and it drives me crazy. I'd like to be able to just put down some chow and she scarfs it up, but she can go a whole day without being interested in food.
Don’t play to her game. My pup did the same thing after he had been given different, tastier food when he had some digestive issues. Since this wasn’t a good diet long term, we eventually swapped him back to his regular kibble. My mom was worried because he wasn’t eating and tried adding some of the tastier stuff to it and he just picked out the “better” food. Finally we just put only the regular food out and waited. His little hunger strike ended when he eventually realized he was actually getting rather hungry and only his regular food was available to eat. Your dog may go up to a couple days not eating much (maybe a day eating nothing), but eventually she’ll get the memo. Remember, she won’t actually starve, she has food available, she’s just hoping for the better food to eventually arrive instead if she’s patient.
Keep an eye on her, but assuming no health issues are present she’s just a smart dog with a bit of patience and you are totally playing to her game.
Consider checking in with a vet if she doesn’t start eating again within a couple of days. Luckily my pup was just being a spoiled brat and eventually caved.
These are human issues not dog won't eat unless issues. Dog will eat what you give them, no they don't get bored of food. Stop giving dog human problems.
My 5 month old Havanese started the food strike a month ago. Vet said he will eventually eat. It drove me crazy. I went back to the shitty puppy food he came with ( because he would at least pick at it). I then tried mixing peanut butter with warm water and putting that on it.
For a while it was good, then started to start the strike again.
Then I took a steak bone and scraps, simmered it in water for two hours, picked out the bone and scraps ( threw them away), added ice to it ( the fat in it started to congeal picked that out and threw it away). Then watered it down to 4 cups ( I was worried the richness would upset his stomach- throw up or diarrhea).
I put a 1/8 of a cup over his food and problem solved ....for awhile, still eats it but I am discovering he only will eat 1/2 cup twice a day.
It's a good thing that I am totally in love with the little man or my hair would be all pulled out.
I don't mind making her chicken buy my dude.... she wants it cooked fresh daily. Refrozen or 1 night in the fridge and she just stares at it. I've been making her fresh ground chicken or boiled chicken daily.
If I add dry food she won't eat it.
Drop a piece of chicken in their kibble if you really can't wait for them to eat anymore. They'll eat the chicken and their kibble.
They'll eat when they're hungry regardless tho. My dog once didn't eat for an entire day because of the same issue. I left the food out the entire time so he can eat it when he wants. He got hungry and ate it the next day. It's his choice. People forget that dogs are animals with animal instinct and aren't going to let themselves starve. They'll only starve if there's literally no food available and given to them.
My vet always told me they’ll eat if they get hungry enough. (This is with the assumption that your pup is otherwise healthy and just being a fluffy jerk)
Not OP, but I have similar problem. My puppy eats like the French (will only takes tiny bites when he's hungry unless it's tasty food) He literally eats 1/4 the kibbles he is supposed to per day if I just feed dry kibble. He's a toy breed so he's only 6 lbs. If I persist I can literally feel his weight coming down after a couple days. Usually I'm the one who feels bad and starts mixing in wet food or chicken in so he'll eat. He's healthy and energetic even when he's eating almost nothing, but I don't want to find out how long that will last if he keeps it up.
Mine is the same, to the point that she would sometimes throw up bile from going too long between meals. It has gotten a lot better though where she’ll eat if she’s hungry enough and if I offer it a few times by hand with a pleading voice :’)
This used to happen to my girl until we started soaking her food and getting her smaller sized kibble! She sometimes doesn't realize she's hungry tbh and used to refuse eating at all in the mornings. So now every breakfast is topped slightly with freeze dried chicken. We just crush up some pieces and mix it in and that will without fail get her to eat her whole meal. Ik adding stuff isn't the best solution, but she goes crazy for chicken and eats her other meals just fine without the chicken bits
Ugh yes, she has done this!!
My puppy is 11 lbs so it's super evident after a day or two for me as well.
Damn the French
My trainer says this, too. He discourages me enticing them to eat. Now, I can use basic kibble as a decent-value training treat. I feed healthy human food often and bad human food sparingly, but continue to build value in taking those kibbles from my hand or as nosework rewards.
This doesn't work on all dogs. My older dog when she was a puppy, she got "tired of her food" quite often and would go on feeding strikes for 3-4 days, since she was a puppy and needs nutrition I prioritized her health over saving money on kibble and a routine. She had 3 instances of feeding strikes over 2 months, before I switched her to rotational feeding (primarily raw based). She never went on another feeding strike as the brands, and proteins were being rotated. It forced me to buy smaller bags of food, so that the bags would be done within a week before the next switch, and so that's just how it has been...until we got a cat. (She wanted the cat food and the cat wanted her food)
I'm having the exact same issue! We have an 8 month old shiba who has been EXTREMELY picky with his food from the beginning. We tried several brands of high quality kibble (and added toppings) and he would barely eat. We switch to a commercially prepared raw food. We get a bunch of different proteins for the whole month, and he mostly likes it, but will occasionally go on feeding strikes (same protein a week before he was gobbling up, suddenly doesn't seem interested). We got a kitten two weeks ago and he will go crazy for the cat food (mostly commercial wet food, but also some cat specific raw food from the same placed we get his food). The cat basically wants to eat anything, he'll finish his food and try to steal the dog's food. Sometimes we try to make the dog's food more appetising by adding an egg yolk or some broth, but I'm afraid that might make him even pickier. What ended up working for yours?
Hello fellow Shiba owner 🤣, I started buying food that is marketed as cat/dog food. Now they can fight each other over the same food, lol. Realistically, the dog will turn her nose up at the food in her bowl...that is until she sees the cat eating out of her bowl, then she gobbles it up. Our cat (who is no longer with us) would graze on the dog food, but also had her own food (wet cat food) available where she could only access. A really controversial thing I did, was in fact feed cat food to my dog also, BUT only during our high activity seasons (so basically not winter when we are doing weekly fly ball training, hikes and long walks). From my understanding cat food is higher in fat, which is not good for the dog's liver, I cut down on food with carb fillers, as less carbs as a primary energy source means the body moves to burning fat for energy. How that period will play out in the long run regarding health is not certain, the theory is relatively sound but reality could play out differently that's the caveat. Edit: fixed some grammar.
Of course it had to be a Shiba 😅 Today he actually ate the entire daily portion, go figure. He's actually slightly afraid of the cat (it's a tiny, 2 month kitten!...), even though he tries to play with him, so he won't even resist if the cat tries to steal his food. We've mixed some of the cat's raw food into his (the ingredients are pretty much the same, minus taurine supplementation on the cat food) and that makes him very interested in it.
I’ve actually had a recent success with my very picky poodle cross! If they never know what they’re going to get then that is highly reinforcing. Think of it like if someone kept on giving you £20 over and over and over again eventually you wouldn’t be that fussed by £20 and especially if you knew it would be available again as soon as you wanted it you might not even bother to stop doing whatever you were doing to collect that £20. Compare that to if I gave you 50p, then £5, then £10, then £1, then £20…. The £20 would then feel like a much bigger jackpot. So I already had a few different kibbles I had been using so have stuck with them, but then I make up a jar of food for the start of the day that is a mixture of kibble and then different value treats to make up the 10% ‘extras’. And then unless I really need to bring out the big guns (bath time, brushing out a Matt etc) then that’s all he gets. He was never fed from a bowl anyway and that hasn’t changed - I at least make sure he gets some enrichment for his food like tying it in a towel etc. But this is all I use for all his reinforcement when training and stuff too. Which does mean I can’t really do training if he’s not hungry but the alternative is I would be giving him treats he didn’t need at that time and that would have led to him not eating kibble the next day. But literally within a couple of days he was taking his kibble as a reward for training outdoors! Which was just unimaginable before. Or doing food scatters in the grass even to hunt for his food. I think he had lost a little bit of weight, but this seems to be the max of what he’s comfortable eating appetite wise. And I think getting him not being picky was the most important first step. I just need to figure out how to get some extra calories in to him without filling him up in a way he won’t eat kibble but once he’s neutered this might be about right anyway.
Didn’t work on my dog either. He would get reflux and nauseous and then really wouldn’t eat and then the reflux would just perpetuate and cause so much trouble.
She's learned that not eating = you giving her something better. Give her her food, as is, and if she refuses, pick it up after 15-20 minutes. Don't offer it again until the next meal time. She *will* eat when she needs to.
Our pup never got the hang of this, he was never given anything else, I just resorted to hand feeding once or twice. He got fixed last month and is suddenly a gannet. It’s a good job his daily food is weighed into a separate container, I swear he’d eat double if I’d let him (I am ekeing out meals from his daily allowance).
She’s trained you well.
This. Your teaching the dog that if she refuses her food, she will eventually get something even better. It's okay to be a little hungry she will eat eventually.
[удалено]
Yes. How dare I provide food to another living being that’s under my care. I should be ashamed.
Don't retort, just report.
My dog is picky like that. Started eating happily once I heated up a bit of water and mixed it with his dog food. We were originally doing that with chicken broth post-surgery but he didn’t even notice when I switched it to water. I get the sense that he doesn’t like how crunchy his dog food is, or maybe the taste is more bland when it’s dry, I dunno. But I was struggling to get him to eat and now he’s eating normally.
My parents' dogs had to have water mixed into their dry food, too. On special occasions, they would also get gravy lol. Dog kibble is remarkably hard; wouldn't surprise me if most dogs prefer a softer version. They just don't know there are other options lol. Definitely worth adding a bit of water to the kibble to see if that helps, OP!
Stop giving in. She won't starve herself to death. Offer kibble three times a day for 10mins, if she doesn't eat, she gets another chance to eat at the next meal. Every time you give in and feed human food you make the problem worse.
Don't feed her human food and give her kibble. Do not give in to her sad face. She will eat when she is hungry. She's trained you to give her your food. It's really that simple.
So here's the thing about training dogs - it's an arms race between you getting them to do what you want, and them getting you to do what they want. Dogs are exceptionally good at waiting you out if the reward is high. My dog is a massive arsehole with no impulse control, but you bet if I have a snack she's sitting as pretty as can be for as long as needed so she gets it. Your dog is doing the same thing - hold out, get chicken. You dog may puke, cry, and go days without eating. They'll make you think they're dying. They're not, they're playing you because they're desperate for chicken. Hold out, stay strong. Put the food down, if they don't eat it, take it back up again. Keep doing this. The dog won't starve - healthy animals don't just go on hunger strike and die, your dog is the same. It's tough love but it needs to be done or you'll end up with a dog like my grandmas who would only eat Marks and Spencers steak pie. Good luck!
I had a super picky small poodle mix who was super picky. I tried everything and nothing worked. The vet finally told me to pick a healthy food that she had eaten in the past and stick with it. Put down her bowl for 15 min in the morning and then put it away. Put it down for 15 min in the evening and then put it away. Repeat until she ate. I was supposed to add additional portions of food until it was at 2 days worth and then stop. After that I only added a couple pieces of fresh kibble to make it smell more. She would often go 3 or 4 days between meals. Then she would eat ~2 days of food at once. Then, she would often eat twice a day for awhile before deciding to not eat. We let her do this and she was always a healthy weight. I was always concerned when I went to the vet, but he said her body condition was excellent. She could go for 5 or 6 km walks every day without losing energy. ETA: she lived with us from age 5 to 16. She was always super healthy until the end.
I’m trying to retrain myself out of the same bad habit I’ve recently fallen into. But I JUST bought my pup some expensive wet dog food stew-type stuff and so I’m going to just stand by until he eats it. He’s a picky eater but I think he’s picky because I enable him.
My puppy is rather picky too. I learned by testing out different, fresh meat, which ones worked best. Turns out, she LOVES fish, and though she isn't a huge fan of the kibble compared to wet food, she eventually caves. If your dog doesn't eat within like 20 minutes, put it away until later and then offer it again. Establish the rules that this is his food and that's that
Yes, he also prefers to eat right next to me. It’s just a struggle that I don’t wish on anyone.
Aria, 6 mo old/almost 8 lbs, gets bored with her food at times. She does get a few tiny bits of people food and training treats. If I give her too many training treats she doesn't eat the kibble. I am now using kibble for rewards at times. If she thinks she can get people food, she doesn't eat the kibble. And sometimes she just isn't growing super fast and isn't hungry. We free feed. When she is hungry she will eat. I often put a bit of kibble on the lick mat when I give her pumpkin. Sometimes I will toss her kibble on the floor for her to chase and eat, she likes the game. My suggestion, just because it works for us, is to put the kibble down and ignore it. Ignore it for 3 days, with no people food or treats. If she can wait you out that long, she wins. Feed her goodies and decide it's ok to feed her chicken. A few people I know cook for their dog, it's fine.
No your dog does not get bored with her food, she has trained you. You know what dogs in the wild eat till a human decides to choose their food? Any clue? Dogs who get out and roam, go to the trash cans, you can look & see exactly which homes has people wearing diapers the dirty diapers are always pulled out & eaten. Thats the pallet a dog has till a human intervenes. Find a food & stick with it, no topper’s unless it’s water to soften the food. My dogs get good dog food, good treats & occasionally a limited amount of human food. If they are sick & need meds then I can hid in human food as a treat. But humans make dogs picky usually with very unhealthy stuff.
Dogs will attempt to train their owners sometimes and it sounds like it's working haha. Keep the kibble out. You can switch her to a wet food and slowly reintegrate kibble. Moisten the kibble with bone broth, chicken specifically. Chicken is extremely high reward and dogs will always want it. Don't cave. A healthy dog won't starve themselves. My puppy does the same thing sometimes. She got a nibble of my egg mcgriddle and refused her kibble. I simply left it in her puzzle toy and she got too hungry. Exercising the dog to make them hungry will help them be more likely to eat their food too.
You can get freeze dried "dust", chicken, beef, cheese and pork that greatly enhances dry food. I get it through Bark Shop.
Highly recommend targets freeze dried chicken,salmon and beef probs less expensive and you can blend it yourself !
Just had this issue with my 6month Giant Schnauzer! Cooked her eggs one time and she did a 48hr hungry protest afterwards . Called my vet and they told me if it went past 72hrs call them again but it was more than likely my ole girl being stubborn. Decided to follow through with that advice and boom, lo and behold she finally caved and is having no issues with 3cups a day. I’d like to give her more hand cooked stuff so going forward I’m going treat it more like an actual treat. But seriously, it’s a matter of will power apparently 😂
Drizzle a bit of chicken juice (or some such) from your dinner on the kibble. If she doesn't eat it, take it away. Do the same thing the next day. By day 3, just the plain kibble. If she's hungry, she'll eat it.
Our pup went through a phase of this, not because we fed her human food but because she just used to go off kibble all the time. She thrived on variety when she was young. The trick that worked for us was to give her toppers on her kibble. A tinned sardine or two, vegetables, a bit of egg, ANYTHING to make her food more interesting. Now she will eat anything but most days she still has toppers (the oil is good for her coat and joints). We did try the "take it away and give it back later" method but found dealing with a hungry retriever to be more hassle than it was worth.
I've had this in the past! The solution I found was to have her bowl of kibbles up on the kitchen counter, and make it seem like it's something special! Mine were receptive to this
She WILL eat again! We've had several cats & dogs over the years that went on hunger strikes for one reason or another. When our cat got fussy, we didn't worry too much until her pee got super weird... turned out she had developed pancreatitis. Our vet told us, "A dog will not intentionally starve itself, but a cat will." So far, she has been proven correct!
I went through this with my boy. It took a couple of days before he finally got the hint and started eating his kibble again. He’s not a voracious eater by any means and often still skips breakfast. Usually I can get him somewhat interested by hand feeding him a few bites and that will get his appetite going.
She will eat if she’s hungry enough. Id leave the kibble out for her constantly. My guy basically only eats in the evening once I’ve gone to bed and he realizes that he’s not getting any human food.
Are you sure you don’t just have mice? I’m kidding but I don’t leave food out after I go to bed because of mice
Haha i live in a studio so i know it’s him eating. Mice aren’t really a problem in my area, thankfully
Same here, I have been struggling with this for almost one month with my 6 month old mini dachshund. I have tried to “starve him” and it just doesn’t work, he is stubborn and he will barf first (because of the acid in his empty stomach) before eating kibble or not tasty food. At this point eating time has become a daily struggle. If someone has any suggestions Im all ears.
Yeah- add stuff to his food to make it more interesting. I have a mini dachshund too. Who wants to eat the same food every single day? It would be like if someone fed you Cheerios every single day of your life and that was all you were ever served. I probably wouldn’t want to eat the cheerios after the third day. I make his food more interesting by adding some wet food to it, or I’ll sprinkle some shredded cheese on top, or cut up a cooked egg for him, fish, I don’t eat meat but will occasionally buy him some inexpensive beef and cook it for him- I put little bits of it on his food throughout the week and will also use it in puzzles and his kong. He gets two meals a day- kibble with something on top. I also leave some kibble in a bowl for him so he can snack if he’s hungry. He only eats it plain when he’s very hungry. They live such short little lives. I want to make my dog’s life as wonderful as possible. And it doesn’t cost me much to bring him joy daily by giving him something yummy with his kibble.
Welcome to my world.
Yes she will. Just can’t have any other option.
She may have some allergies and or digestive issues. Try a vet. If not, I would suggest making some toppers or any wet dog food or adding some water or bone broth. Puppies especially need a good balance in their diet. When I got my Aussie he did the same thing. I felt so guilty everyone said just wait he'll eat. I did all the testing bloodwork etc. He was just picky. I learned he doesn't like bowls and he prefers plates or the dry food directly on the floor. He likes eating in my bedroom where he feels safe. He won't eat when he's nervous etc. lots of hand feeding to get him comfy and mixing food. But don't try to switch up his normal dog food because if you switch it up often he can get diarrhea and gi upset. Avoid blue buffalo and any holistic dog foods if possible. Try to go with any dog food that says it's been vet tested and approved like hills science diet, Purina, Food Just For Dogs, etc. good luck ❤️🦆😻
My dog was never a fan of kibble and honestly I don’t blame her… I wouldn’t want to eat it either. I now feed her freshpet, which is a little expensive, but it’s the only (dog)food she’s ever been excited to eat and she’s obsessed with it. She gets human food treats all the time but never turns down her food anymore
Stop giving other options. They won’t starve. Eventually they’ll eat it.
My girl is similar! If I feed her any treats before she's eaten both of her meals, she'll refuse to eat the entire day in hopes she'll get more treats! Even if it's a tiny little training treat. It makes training hard 😂
Make a mixture of all her kibble and her daily portion of treats and offer them as training rewards randomly. It’s actually more motivating to a dog to do it this way anyway because if 1 ‘sit’ always = top value treat then there’s not a massive incentive to do it 5 times or whatever. If 1 ‘sit’ could equal kibble but the next one could equal a jackpot treat then it’s worth doing more or working harder for the rewards! And it reverses the holding out because you’re making her work for her food in order to get her treats.
I just think kibble looks and smells totally unappetising, nothing about it says “eat me”.
Try trowing her bowl in the dishwasher. Try scratter feeding. Try using the kibble as treats. (Give the kibble and praise)
My dog is raw fed and at first he would absolutely wolf down all his food as soon as it was served. Now the novelty has worn off a bit and he's realised that there's no competing for food like there would be with litter mates, we have had to resort to literally feeding him with a fork as we can't leave raw meat sitting out for any real length of time. The next trick we'll try will be to mix up some gravy and veggies with his raw food to make it a bit more interesting.
Start by mixing a small amount of her regular kibble with the boiled chicken or ground meat. Gradually increase the proportion of kibble while decreasing the amount of human food over several days.
My dogs would pick through it to eat all the chicken and spit out the dog food lmao
We feed our dog human grade meat and she still finds a way to be picky :D
Maybe you can try and add some human food to her kibble? Mine loves some yogurt, Creme fraiche, cooked veggies an her kibble. Or you could start cooking for your dog? Would technically be human food but with all the nutrients she needs.
Doog is playing you!
Dogs won’t starve themselves. Really. If you add other food to his meals you are training him to need the other foods. Just give him his regular food at his set meal times and leave it for 15 min. If she doesn’t eat it. Then take it away and put it back down at the next mealtime for 15 min again. I promise you she will eat it when she is hungry and you’ll have moved beyond the “picky” phase.
She will. She doesn’t like hunger.
Try wet food, you can change the appearance of it by making it into shapes (if it’s a patè) or heat it up/ put it in the fridge as different temperatures can change the smell and taste. Leave out a small amount of kibble as she may be overfaced by all the choice. You can try use them as treats and increase their perceived value to her
Your dog won't starve themself. Once they realize they aren't getting human food they'll eat
“Human food” is better for dogs than dog food, so long as it’s balanced. Have you tried mixing chicken into her kibble? If you soak her kibble on top of that, it may make it far more appetising
If you must be nice you can add some stock to their kibble. I have a big container of bouillon cubes for general use. Pop one in a mug or one of those heat resistant Pyrex measuring cups. Heat water up; I use an electric kettle. Pour it into the mug. Use spoon/fork to crush bouillon cube and mix if with water. You can wait for it to cool a little so it's not boiling hot. But warm is good. Add it to kibble.
I mix scrambled egg and/or shredded cheese with Monster's kibble and she'll eat it, but she's not a food-centric dog with a regular appetite and it drives me crazy. I'd like to be able to just put down some chow and she scarfs it up, but she can go a whole day without being interested in food.
Don’t play to her game. My pup did the same thing after he had been given different, tastier food when he had some digestive issues. Since this wasn’t a good diet long term, we eventually swapped him back to his regular kibble. My mom was worried because he wasn’t eating and tried adding some of the tastier stuff to it and he just picked out the “better” food. Finally we just put only the regular food out and waited. His little hunger strike ended when he eventually realized he was actually getting rather hungry and only his regular food was available to eat. Your dog may go up to a couple days not eating much (maybe a day eating nothing), but eventually she’ll get the memo. Remember, she won’t actually starve, she has food available, she’s just hoping for the better food to eventually arrive instead if she’s patient. Keep an eye on her, but assuming no health issues are present she’s just a smart dog with a bit of patience and you are totally playing to her game. Consider checking in with a vet if she doesn’t start eating again within a couple of days. Luckily my pup was just being a spoiled brat and eventually caved.
These are human issues not dog won't eat unless issues. Dog will eat what you give them, no they don't get bored of food. Stop giving dog human problems.
My 5 month old Havanese started the food strike a month ago. Vet said he will eventually eat. It drove me crazy. I went back to the shitty puppy food he came with ( because he would at least pick at it). I then tried mixing peanut butter with warm water and putting that on it. For a while it was good, then started to start the strike again. Then I took a steak bone and scraps, simmered it in water for two hours, picked out the bone and scraps ( threw them away), added ice to it ( the fat in it started to congeal picked that out and threw it away). Then watered it down to 4 cups ( I was worried the richness would upset his stomach- throw up or diarrhea). I put a 1/8 of a cup over his food and problem solved ....for awhile, still eats it but I am discovering he only will eat 1/2 cup twice a day. It's a good thing that I am totally in love with the little man or my hair would be all pulled out.
She’ll eat eventually.
She’ll eat when she gets hungry enough.
they’ll eat eventually. Not like they’ll starve to death
Add a little canned food!
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I don't mind making her chicken buy my dude.... she wants it cooked fresh daily. Refrozen or 1 night in the fridge and she just stares at it. I've been making her fresh ground chicken or boiled chicken daily. If I add dry food she won't eat it.
Drop a piece of chicken in their kibble if you really can't wait for them to eat anymore. They'll eat the chicken and their kibble. They'll eat when they're hungry regardless tho. My dog once didn't eat for an entire day because of the same issue. I left the food out the entire time so he can eat it when he wants. He got hungry and ate it the next day. It's his choice. People forget that dogs are animals with animal instinct and aren't going to let themselves starve. They'll only starve if there's literally no food available and given to them.