How to Get Your Picky Dog to Eat His Food
How to Get Your Picky Dog to Eat His Food
Dog’s health and well-being mostly depend upon its nutrition. While food is tantalizing and irresistible to dogs some can be very picky and fussy about it. It can be very challenging and frustrating for dog parents to feed a fussy eater.
Generally, dogs cannot resist their urge to munch on food from their dog bowls. However, some dogs might be extremely finicky or fussy eaters. They’ll just sniff the food or may lick it a few times and will show no interest in eating it.
If you are looking for solutions to feed your fussy dog you have come to the right spot. In this article, I will tell you about the best ways you can use to make your picky dog empty its dog bowl so read on.
Why Are Some Dogs Fussy Or Picky Eaters?
Being a fussy eater can affect the health and well-being of your dog in many ways. Some dogs are born picky eaters while others do it to reap the advantages from their owners like treats. Following are some reasons why dogs show this behaviour during meal time.
Bad Experience With Certain Food. If the past experience of a dog was not good with a certain food either homemade or brought from the pet supply shop, it will resist eating it in the future. A bad experience can be the awful taste or pungent smell of the food.
Age Factors. Some dogs will become picky eaters as they grow old due to dental issues like painful gums and weak teeth.
Poor Health and Well-Being. If your dog is stressed out or ill it may lose its appetite and becomes choosy when it comes to food.
Treats. Dogs will sometimes become fussy or picky while eating so they can get treats from their owners because owners get worried and will offer treats to encourage the dog to eat.
Taste Preference. Every dog has its own taste and food choices. Some dogs will oppose eating chicken or beef while others will love to eat it.
Some tricks to get your dog to eat
You can follow the strategies listed below to make your fussy dog eat its food to the full.
Support. Support and praise your dog if it eats its food. Pet them and talk to them if they consume food and avoid them if they don’t. Praise from the owners will make a dog feel good about itself.
Restrict Unconventional Meals. Never feed table scraps or any kind of human food to your dog. These kinds of foods are not only bad for their health but they can make them feel full, so they will not eat their own food.
Reduce Treats. If your dog is being fussy while eating, reduce the number of treats. You can only give them treats while training.
Provide Appealing Food. Make their food look more appealing and smell good. Duck, oily fish like salmon and trout, and pork can be appetizing to most dogs and these foods are also good for a dog’s health and well-being.
Don’t Lose Patience. If your dog is not eating its food properly, you should be patient. Some dogs are doing this just to get treats from you. Put the food in your dog’s bowl and leave it there, if your dog has not eaten it remove the bowl and let it be hungry.
Do the same on the next feeding occasion and ignore your dog and don’t provide any treats. Eventually, the dog will become less fussy and start to eat after 3 to 4 times.
Change Menu. Sometimes changing the food can help reduce the fussiness of your dog while eating. You can either prepare the food yourself or bring dog food from a pet supply shop.
Changing The Dog Bowls. If the dog bowl is smaller in size or your dog doesn’t like it changing it can help increase the food intake. Some dogs can get annoyed by the colour of dog bowls. You can get new dog bowls from your nearest pet supply shop or order online.
Exercise and Proper Playtime. Exercise your dog daily and provide complete play time to make it feel hungry. Dogs that exercise and play regularly usually eat their food without resistance.
Reduce Distractions. During meal time reduce the sound of a television or any other music being played in the house and don’t allow children to play with the dog so it doesn’t get fussy about eating food.
Feeding Schedule. Proper feeding time and schedule will help fussy/picky dogs eat. Routine feeding is also good for a dog’s health and well-being.
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