Imagine
Yourself living with a fussy fido.
Who is unexcited with food.
Think about the time you waste chasing the pup to eat.
I can almost hear you thinking……
Suppose I take a spoon and feed them? It’s okay; maybe it will work.
But you don’t have to do that.
Here are 10 tips and tricks that can turn your picky eater into a gluttonous pup who will not waste your time during mealtime.
Also, I have included five of my best fussy dog recipes that you can try.
With no more fanfare
Let’s jump right in.
Why Is Your Pup Fussy?
You can’t tell the exact reasons why your pup is finicky.
Most dogs, just like humans, get bored with the same type of food. Imagine stuffing oneself with bread for breakfast, lunch, and dinner for a year.
This is crazy, right? Unless it’s prescribed, but along the way, you will try to add butter, scrambled eggs, jam just to make the bread taste better.
This is what happens when you give your pup the same dry kiddle all the time. Other causes include indigestions, dental problems, health issues, dog’s age, and of course, some breeds are born picky.
Will a picky dog starve?
Do you know dogs can go for three to five days without food? But talk to your vet if your pet doesn’t eat for two consecutive days. So it’s okay for your fussy pup to starve for a day or a day and a half it won’t die.
Known picky dog breeds
Most dogs enjoy yummy food. However, we have picky eaters.
Maltese: This small dog is a victim. It may glance at the food in its bowl and walk away. Because of its size, often 8 pounds or less it takes small bites of 83 grams of food in a day. They don’t enjoy hard, crunchy, or stale food. They also have issues with their teeth.
Yorkshire Terrier: This small dog develops a preference for some food flavors. It likes food with a specific texture, smell, and taste. They are sensitive to new food brands. If you have to change its food, do it gradually.
German Shepherd: It’s unusual to expect such a big dog to be picky, but it happens. German Shepherd has a sensitive tummy and is prone to chronic diarrhea, gastroenteritis ( inflations of the stomach intestine), and inflammatory bowel disease. It is also reluctant to eat food that lacks protein or food with synthetic meats.
10 Feeding Tips and Tricks for Picky Eater
Does it bother you when your pup turns its nose on its food? Well, try these tricks to change your finicky dog who sniffs food and leaves it to be a food enthusiast.
1. Stick to a schedule
Feeding your pup two to three times a day is what the vet recommends. Establish a feeding schedule and stick to it. It helps your dogs register their mealtime.
Although there is little, you can do to small puppies who eat whenever they like. But as they grow old, reduce their eating frequency and increase the quantity.
The best time for meals is 7 am and 6 pm. Communicate the feeding schedule to the people you live with. Use a measuring cup to give equal portions on each serving.
2. Swap to tastier food
We all enjoy yummy food. The same happens to your furry pals. Ever tasted dog food? I don’t expect you to have, but you can smell it. It’s sad that some dog foods are tasteless, stale, and foul smell.
Imagine that’s what your pooch ingests. Swap to tastier food. Try fish, duck, or turkey. Change from dry to wet food. Try a homemade recipe that will cheer up your pup.
Give the same food but different flavor. Cheap doesn’t have to be tasteless; explore the other alternatives, for instance, shift from Blue Buffalo to Iams chicken flavor that is cheaper.
3. Mix with food topper
We enjoy bread with butter, fries with sauce, and the same happens to dogs with toppers. Dog food toppers make food tastier, just like butter does to dry bread.
Toppers can either be powder, solids, or a gravy food sauce. Preserve toppers for adult dogs only. Entice your pooch with a variety of PetChup with beef flavor, Mutt-n-aise (turkey), or Muttstard (salmon). Also, check for raw food toppers with vegetables, superfoods, or probiotics.
Make sure you mix the topper with food otherwise, your dog will eat the topper and leave the food. Keep in mind toppers are not natural and can cause obesity.
4. Make the transition slowly
Many pets react negatively when you shift to a new food. It takes time for them to get along with their new food.
They experience indigestion, diarrhea, and gas, especially when food is introduced once.
I recommend you introduce the new food gradually. It takes10 or more days for pups to get used to new food. Do this instead.
| Days | Old food | New food |
| Day 1-3 | 75% old food | 25% new food |
| Day 4-6 | 50% old food | 50% new food |
| Day 7-9 | 25% old food | 75% new food |
This will work well with your pet, and expect less reaction to the new food.
5. Warm the meal
Trick your finicky pup with warm food.
Warm food is more delicious than you warm dog food. It realizes this sizzling aroma that makes it irresistible.
Suppose you have an elderly dog or sick dog that struggles to eat. Warm food will stimulate its appetite.
How do you warm dog food? Use a microwave or steamer pot. Avoid stainless bowls in microwaves as they may trigger sparks. Use either ceramic or plastic bowls instead.
For dry kibble, add hot water to make it warm.
Don’t serve your pup boiling food, give it some time to cool.
6. Safe space
Distraction and anxiety affect picky eaters in a big way.
They can’t focus on their dinner.
Avoid places with fireworks thunderstorms that can cause anxiety.
Please don’t hold your dog or play with your pup during mealtime. It loses focus. Also, avoid places where other aggressive dogs will distract your pup.
Also, eating from a new location can make your dog picky. Choose a safe feeding space with little destruction. Where do you feed your pup?
7. Keep dog food and people food separate.
No table scrap.
I know it’s hard, especially when your puppy bulging eyes are asking for it.
What do you expect from your puppy after tasting a hamburger? To eat dry kibble.
That won’t happen. It will want more and more of what you eat. All dogs enjoy human food; of course, it’s tastier, spiced, and yummy. But human food has ingredients like onions. Garlic is not good for dogs.
Next time your pup bulging eyes suggest I want what you are eating. Ignore! It’s not that I am heartless, but once they get used to human food they will never eat dog food.
8. Exercise your pup
Exercise is healthy for dogs too.
Dog owners of big breeds like Fox Terriers, Dalmatians, and German Shepherds say that a 45-minute walk or longer before dinner improves their appetite.
What if you don’t have time? You can exercise with toys instead. For instance, play a tug of war game with your pup or play fetch the tennis game.
Toys work well in both indoor and outdoor exercises.
You can also leave the dog to play by himself. Then give them at least 15 minutes to rest before you give them food. The new appetite will surprise you.
9. Cut back the treats
Suppose you ask a child to choose between spinach and ice cream. What do you expect? Ice cream and they can have it only even for dinner.
Your dog will choose a treat over dog food.
When you frequently give treats to your dog, it registers in its mind that if I don’t eat my food, there is always something better on my way.
These thoughts turn your pooch to be a picky eater. Too many treats ruin your dog’s appetite.
Reduce the treats and reserve them for training. During training, use toys other than food treats to reinforce learned behavior.
10. Raise your senior dog bowl
Has your elderly dog stopped eating? Maybe it’s finding it hard to hunch over its bowl.
Senior dogs have issues with their bones sometimes, it’s painful when they bend to eat.
To avoid the pain, they will avoid eating after all food is not worth the pain. Bigger dogs like German Shepards and Australian Shepards will avoid bending in their senior years.
The solution is to raise their bowl. You can buy an elevated dog bowl. Also, be creative and improvise a raised stool or place food on a stair step.
Try these with your senior dog; maybe you will avoid the pain and make them enjoy the food.
My Best 5 Fussy Food Recipe
Ollie hearty beef eats
Do you crave fresh tantalizing food?
I bet your fussy pup will rejoice to eat Ollie food that is freshly made to order.
Talk of convenience it’s delivered to your doorstep.
Ollie is owned by real dog owners who pay attention to what their pup eats.
What the hell is “butylated hydroxyanisole” in dog food labels?
What do you get from Ollie?
- Custom portions eliminate guesswork their veterinarian nutritionist will ask you about your pup size, age, activity level and come up with a customized diet plan.
- Convenience delivered ready to serve or store
- No-mess come with a scoop for measuring and serving
- Human grade ingredients made from real food you can have a bite.
Dog owners say Ollie’s food has increased their dog energy, minimized skin irritation, reduce gas, and improved their overall health condition.
The best part is 1% of Ollie’s revenue goes to dog rescue centers. So caring, isn’t it?
Nom Nom Chicken Chow
Nom Nom, same as Ollie, sells human-grade dog food that you can eat.
Taste it but save the rest to your furry pal.
What’s in Nom Nom?
- Custom- sized portions based on your dog size, weight, age, activity level, and any health issue. Eliminate guesswork expert vet nutritionists are involved.
- Free canine nutrition consultant for all your dog food query.
- Fresh- never frozen so quality is assured
- A variety of chicken chew, pork potluck, turkey fare, and beef chew to spoil your furry pal.
Their customers boast of having a shinier coat, increased energy, firmer stools, and wild excitement at mealtime.
FROMM Four-Star, Grain-Free Gamebird Recipe
Not widely recognized, but FROMM Four-Star is packed with ingredients that will excite your furry friend.
Try the Gamebird recipe, a doubtless duck, turkey, and chicken mixture. This is a tasty combination. But it is not recommended for dogs with meat allergies.
What you get.
- Duck a delicacy for dogs is the first ingredient
- Grain-free recipes rely on potatoes other than corn, wheat, and rice for an obese free healthier pup
- Fortified with probiotics to help digestion no gas in the tummy
- Whole protein variety turkey, duck, chicken, quail, and pheasant to spoil your pup
Most dog owners say good things about FROMM Four-Star, Grain-Free Gamebird Recipe reduces gas and improves overall health.
Instinct Raw Boost Small Breed Duck Formula
Duck is irresistible for most dogs even your fussy pup will mud for duck meat.
What do you get?
- High protein kibble for healthy skin, hair, muscle development, and tissue repair even for pups under medication.
- Fortified with probiotics, omega oil better skin, and coat plus better digestion with no gas
- Contains glucosamine and Chondroitin for healthy joints
- Grain-free no wheat, corn, soy, and artificial additives dogs are carnivores they don’t need.
Dog owners say duck is their favorite with less saturated fat, maintains glucose levels, and it’s easy to digest. It also works well with food-sensitive dogs.
Taste of the Wild Salmon Recipe
Looking to connect your pup with its ancestors?
Taste of the Wild does exactly that its ingredients are solely made for the canine family.
What do you get?
- Salmon and ocean fish meal are the two main ingredients zestful even fussy dog find it irresistible
- Made with antioxidants that save on vets cost on heart, diabetes, cancer, and other diseases.
- Fortified probiotics for smooth digestion and finner stool.
- No grains, corns, wheat, fillers, artificial food colors, or preservatives your pup eats faster no gastric distress and heartburn,
Dog owners say many dogs love the taste. It has no artificial additives that trigger food allergies.
When to Call a Vet?
Suppose your fur baby does not eat for three days. Then consult your vet ASAP.
There is a difference between being picky and not eating completely.
The loss of appetite can be a medical situation. For instance, your pup may have any of the following.
- Swallowed something they shouldn’t eat.
- Infections
- Parasites
- Digestive issues excess gas
- Arthritis or spine issues
- Vaccine side effects
- Dental issue tooth decay or gum diseases
- Food allergies
If you notice that your pup has lost weight, his coat looks unkempt, less active, and unattractive to food. Please don’t take chances to consult your vet before it’s too late.
The bottom Line
The bottom line is healthy pups can’t starve themselves.
Tasteless, stale, and boring dog food is what makes your pup picky.
They want more juicy and yummy food.
It bothers me seeing my furry pal not in a mood to eat. Do you have a picky pooch? What do you do to make them eat? Let me know in the comments below.
