Should I Add ‘Extras’ to My Dog’s Meals?
Many people turn to add tasty extras to their dogs food to encourage them to eat. Chicken broth, canned food, or unique flavor-enhanced toppers can help promote your dog to consume kibble. Its important to remember not to make the extras the central part of the meal, thereby unbalancing the diet. Sometimes a simple change in the brand or type of kibble can have the same enticing results, with no additions. Additionally, try feeding a premium kibble mixed with warm water, which will help bring out the foods enticing smells. If your dog isn’t happy about straight dry food, start with something similar and go from there.
If you haven’t thought about combination feeding when it comes to your dog’s diet – now is a great time to start. If your dog is already on a dry food diet, try adding some wet food into the mix. Try adding in a new texture and flavor, like our GO! SOLUTIONS Wet Food Recipes that will offer your dog not only tasty flavors, but premium quality ingredients, too.
Formulated to provide solutions for dogs’ unique dietary needs including picky eating, dandruff or dull coat, and food allergies or sensitivities.
Remove your dog’s meal until tomorrow
Okay, so while this method may seem mean, many owners of fussy eaters swear by its success.
It starts by offering your dog food for dinner as you normally would.
During this time, leave the room and do not interact with your pup. If your dog follows you, ignore him.
If your dog has not eaten his meal within the 15 minutes, take his food away.
Now you are going to wait until the next morning. It’s time to offer your dog his meal as breakfast.
Make sure it’s a fresh meal – don’t offer kibble that was left sitting out overnight.
If your dog once again has not eaten his meal within 15 minutes, take it away.
Once dinner time rolls around, your dog will have gone a whole day without eating. By this time, your dog will be getting quite hungry and realize that he isn’t getting anything else.
You dog will be left with one choice:
To eat his food!
This method works because no healthy dog will starve itself. Your pup will gladly eat a meal that he doesn’t enjoy if there is no alternative – it beats a grumbling tummy!
Oh, and don’t worry about your dog going hungry. Generally, most dogs can go a few days without eating.[1]
1 Raise your senior dog’s bowl
Do you have an elderly dog who has stopped eating?
It might be that your old pup finds it painful to hunch over his bowl and eat his meal.
Many owners report this as a common problem in larger breeds. In their senior years, bending down to eat is a lot more difficult than when they were younger.
This can cause your elderly dog avoid eating his food – the pain isn’t worth it.
The solution? Raise your dog’s bowl to his height.
That’s where an elevated dog bowl comes in. These raised dog bowls sit up to 12 inches off the ground and can help reduce the joint stress that comes with eating hunched over.
You’ll want to buy a raised bowl that matches your dog’s height. For instance, a bowl that is the perfect height for a Pit Bull is too high for a Fox Terrier.
Don’t want to want to drop the cash on a new dog bowl? You can achieve a similar effect by placing your dog’s bowl on the first step of your staircase…
Don’t forget to remove the bowl after mealtime, you don’t want to trip and fall down your stairs.
With the bowl raised to a much more comfortable eating height, your senior pooch can now eat his meal pain-free.
Can you imagine eating dry dog food every day? I can’t. And neither can many dogs.
These dogs will refuse to eat dry food at all. No matter how high-quality it may be.
For these finicky pups, swapping over to wet food is the solution you need. Cans, dog food rolls and, pouches are the most readily available wet dog foods around – you can grab them at your local Walmart.
Many popular brands of dry dog food offer the same flavors in a canned version. For example, Purina One SmartBlend Kibble can be bought as SmartBlend Cans.
Unfortunately, canned food is typically more expensive than kibble. However, if it gets your dog to eat his food, then you may find the added cost is justified.
But don’t drop the extra cash just yet. There is another way you can add moisture to your pup’s dry dog food…
Pouring warm water over kibble can make your dog more likely to eat it. You don’t need much. Leave it to sit for a few minutes before offering the meal to your dog.
If that doesn’t work, then try canned food instead.
Consistency is key. If your dog has an inconsistent eating schedule, then he will likely inconsistently eat his food too.
Dog’s are just like babies. They love routine.
One owner we surveyed said her dachshund wouldn’t eat for two days – just because she swapped from him over to a slow feed dog bowl.
Swapping back to his original metal bowl was all it took to get this pup to eat her food.
A good eating routine for a fussy dog should include…
With a good routine in place, you may find your picky eater just needed a little consistency in his life.
Remember earlier when I said swapping out a dogs food too often can lead to picky eating?
Well, this trick goes against that advice. Three different survey respondents had success by offering their picky eaters a variety of different foods.
For instance, Jack from Arkansas has his dog on a diet of:
Each day, his dog gets a different meal, rotating back to the beginning after 3 days. Since making the switch to this style of feeding, Jack hasn’t had any issues getting his dog to eat dry food.
Does your dog take to a new food for a few days before rejecting it all of a sudden? Rotating through different brands of food could get your dog to eat again.
How to Get a Fussy Dog to Eat (top tips for picky dogs!)
Wonder why your dog refuses to eat their kibble? You may need to look in the mirror. If you give your canine yummy table scraps all day long, they are likely to turn up their nose at a dinner of just plain dog food.
âIf you asked your child would she rather eat spinach or a Twinkie, the answer is obvious,â says Louise Murray, DVM, a diplomate ACVIM and director of medicine for ASPCAâs Bergh Memorial Animal Hospital in New York City. âIf youâre going to sometimes give your dog bacon for breakfast or steak from your plate, why would you blame him if he shies away from dry dog food?â
The good news is that even though your dog may be a picky eater, there are ways you can encourage healthier eating.
There are two kinds of dogs. The first kind lives to eat. They will devour anything you put in front of them. The second kind eats to live. They pick and choose, take longer to finish meals, and sometimes wonât finish them at all.
A dogâs size, breed, and age often dictate whether they adore food or could care less. âEvery Labrador who ever lived is food motivated,â Murray says. Smaller canines, such as Maltese and Yorkies, tend to be more discriminating.