HELP! Picky, spoilt dog won’t eat!

[WinnieC]

My dog is a very picky eater. It is my fault, I’ll admit it I spoil her rotten and for that reason she has me rapped around her paw. Because of her tiny size I’ve worried about her so I’ve given her what she wants. From day one she has never shown any interest in her food. It’s been a daily struggle to get her to eat her recommended amount. I’ve resorted to mixing in shredded chicken or ham, adding gravy, mixing different variations to mix it up for her, in all cases these steps worked for a couple of days but eventually she gets bored. My last resort has been turning feeding time into a game where I throw a ball and she runs back and nibbles a bit. I usually have to resort to doing this over an hour or so each morning and evening.

A few months ago I meet someone who shows dogs and she advised me to break her of this bad habit asap because it’s only going to get worse. So for the last few days I’ve been really strict with her. I’ve put her food on the ground, sat next to her and said “din-din” repeatedly and said “good girl” when she eats. For the last few days she won’t eat anything in the morning.....nothing, but the evening she will give in and eat.

Has anyone else had trouble with a picky, stubborn dog? How long did it take to break them of this behaviour?

Sorry about the long text, but Ive never met anyone with this problem before and really need some advice

[Marhcarter]

When I got Huey, I was ignorant of the problems yorkies had with hypoglycemia as puppies, so I approached his pickiness with the attitude "when he gets hungry, he will eat" I would not reccomend this for a younger dog knowing what I know now...we were lucky and had no problems. Huey would and has gone 24-36 hours without eating a meal. He would still get treats for outdoor potty, other training goals and also occ veggies like carrots. He was never interested in dog food, but from the start I said that I refused to cook for a dog since I don't cook for myself or hubby. He finally started liking his food when we switched to Blue Buffalo, but he still doesn't eat right away, sometimes waiting until the middle of the night or the next day to eat. I have had him for almost 4 years, and when he gets hungry, he eats. When he isn't, he doesn't. His weight is appropriate and stable.

[sugarmamma]

Originally Posted by WinnieC

My dog is a very picky eater. It is my fault, I’ll admit it I spoil her rotten and for that reason she has me rapped around her paw. Because of her tiny size I’ve worried about her so I’ve given her what she wants. From day one she has never shown any interest in her food. It’s been a daily struggle to get her to eat her recommended amount. I’ve resorted to mixing in shredded chicken or ham, adding gravy, mixing different variations to mix it up for her, in all cases these steps worked for a couple of days but eventually she gets bored. My last resort has been turning feeding time into a game where I throw a ball and she runs back and nibbles a bit. I usually have to resort to doing this over an hour or so each morning and evening.

A few months ago I meet someone who shows dogs and she advised me to break her of this bad habit asap because it’s only going to get worse. So for the last few days I’ve been really strict with her. I’ve put her food on the ground, sat next to her and said “din-din” repeatedly and said “good girl” when she eats. For the last few days she won’t eat anything in the morning.....nothing, but the evening she will give in and eat.

Has anyone else had trouble with a picky, stubborn dog? How long did it take to break them of this behaviour?

Sorry about the long text, but Ive never met anyone with this problem before and really need some advice

How old is she and what does she weigh? Has she ever had an episode of low sugar?
Yorkies are known for picky behavior and the need to get creative. My Sugar ate her meals exclusively out of a Buddy Twist and Treat ball for 3 years!!

[sugarmamma]

I also meant to ask how much food total you are able to get her to eat per day and what variety of food. The required daily amount varies by brand but I doubt we carry the same brand you are feeding here in the U.S.

Sometimes you need to try a different brand as well. Is she peeing and pooping consistently? How does she do when offered boiled chicken and rice without the kibble?

[Teresiana]

You sound EXACTLY like me. I have the pickest. Pup. Ever. Trust me when I say I've tried EVERYTHING. I was always so worried that Yoshi was going to get sick from not eating. He turned 1 recently. And even now, he's still crazy finicky & meals can be a struggle. Sometimes I feel like my world revolves around getting Yoshi to eat.

Yoshi has sampled practically every single kind of food out there...every brand of kibble, canned, raw, raw dehyrated, home cooked, etc. I just kept trying until I found something he would actually eat...and hopefully like. I suppose I felt guilty trying to force my little baby to eat something he has no interest in. I want him to eat something that he LIKES. I mean, a 6 pound dog MUST be hungry if they don't eat the whole day, right? So if Yoshi goes an entire day without eating the food I'm giving him, he probably really doesn't LIKE it. I don't know if dogs really think that way. But that's how would I think.

Yoshi now eats Primal Deydrated chicken for breakfast. Same for dinner, but I add Solid Gold Seameal. I put about a tablespoon of Earthborn Holistic Primitive Natural out for him at 11am & pick it up at 4. About twice a week, I don't give him kibble. Instead, I give him a tablespoon of Darwin's raw or Weruva or something I home cooked. After I put any food down, I take it away after 20 minutes - except for the kibble.

He eats. There are times when he won't eat. Not many. But it happens. But when he skips a meal, I know it's not because he hates the food. I've seen him gobble it up before. So he must like it. I guess he just doesn't feel like eating.

Anyway, sorry I don't have a better answer for you. I used the trial & error method, which might not be the best thing to do. You have no idea how long it took for me to come up with that little meal system of his. But he eats, so I'm happy.

[WinnieC]

Originally Posted by sugarmamma

How old is she and what does she weigh? Has she ever had an episode of low sugar?
Yorkies are known for picky behavior and the need to get creative. My Sugar ate her meals exclusively out of a Buddy Twist and Treat ball for 3 years!!

Hi Sugarmamma, Winnie is 18 months old and weights 2.1 kgs (4.6 lbs). Thankfully she has never had any trouble with sugar levels, but I believe her size and the susceptibility yorkies have to hypoglycemia has made me hyper paranoid about her diet. I've have feed her Royal Cain dog food from day one, not sure if its available in the US but its known as a one of the better brands here in Ireland. For her size she should be eating between 40-50 grams a day but until recently I was feeding her 30 grams of food and 20 grams of chicken breast. I also tried different brands which she woofed down for a couple of days but then went back to her stubborn ways

Her pee and poos are pretty regular, a little less the last couple of days since she's eating less on my new strict routine. How did you get your dog to change to eating normally?

[WinnieC]

Originally Posted by Teresiana

You sound EXACTLY like me. I have the pickest. Pup. Ever. Trust me when I say I've tried EVERYTHING. I was always so worried that Yoshi was going to get sick from not eating. He turned 1 recently. And even now, he's still crazy finicky & meals can be a struggle. Sometimes I feel like my world revolves around getting Yoshi to eat.

Yoshi has sampled practically every single kind of food out there...every brand of kibble, canned, raw, raw dehyrated, home cooked, etc. I just kept trying until I found something he would actually eat...and hopefully like. I suppose I felt guilty trying to force my little baby to eat something he has no interest in. I want him to eat something that he LIKES. I mean, a 6 pound dog MUST be hungry if they don't eat the whole day, right? So if Yoshi goes an entire day without eating the food I'm giving him, he probably really doesn't LIKE it. I don't know if dogs really think that way. But that's how would I think.

Yoshi now eats Primal Deydrated chicken for breakfast. Same for dinner, but I add Solid Gold Seameal. I put about a tablespoon of Earthborn Holistic Primitive Natural out for him at 11am & pick it up at 4. About twice a week, I don't give him kibble. Instead, I give him a tablespoon of Darwin's raw or Weruva or something I home cooked. After I put any food down, I take it away after 20 minutes - except for the kibble.

He eats. There are times when he won't eat. Not many. But it happens. But when he skips a meal, I know it's not because he hates the food. I've seen him gobble it up before. So he must like it. I guess he just doesn't feel like eating.

Anyway, sorry I don't have a better answer for you. I used the trial & error method, which might not be the best thing to do. You have no idea how long it took for me to come up with that little meal system of his. But he eats, so I'm happy.

Its good to know Im not alone! I know exactly what you mean when you say you feel your whole day revolves around feeding your dog. My worst mistake was introducing "play" to get her to eat because I truly believe she extends our play/eating time because it fun for her......like I said, she has me rapped around her paw!

[Maximo]

Hold the ham! It can make your dog very sick.

I handfed Max until he was a year old. He performed a trick for almost every single kibble. Now he would happily gobble an entire bag of food if I let him.

Don't worry about the games becoming a lifelong habit. I would be more concerned about the tasty additions becoming the habit and making your dog sick.

[Teresiana]

Originally Posted by WinnieC

Its good to know Im not alone! I know exactly what you mean when you say you feel your whole day revolves around feeding your dog. My worst mistake was introducing "play" to get her to eat because I truly believe she extends our play/eating time because it fun for her......like I said, she has me rapped around her paw!

Honestly, I wouldn't worry too much if she associates "play" with eating. I've heard that some dogs soley eat their food out of toys. If she'll eat her kibble out of one of those balls or another toy, I would think that would be okay. At least she's eating & she'll have fun at the same time

Sometimes when I try to introduce a new kibble, I put roasted chicken tenders in the food processor so that it's very fine. It helps to add some of the liquid from the roasting pan - otherwise the chicken won't chop up fine enough. Then I use my fingers to coat the kibble with the chicken, just enough so that it's coated. That technique has helped me in the past. Although, if Yoshi really doesn't like the kibble, he ends up sucking the chicken off & spitting the kibble out on his placemat But, it's always worth a try!

Good luck to you! I completely understand your dilemma. If you have time to homecook, you might want to try it. I've found that the BalanceIT supplement has no taste/odor. My stubborn pups eat it when I mix it in their homecooked meals. I'm not sure if they ship to the UK though.

Good luck!!!!

[Elsiegutz]

My Emma is 5 months old this week andvery picky. When I first brought her home I was worried she would get sick from not eating so I mixed in some grated cheese. Initially she gobbled it up but after a couple of weeks she was no longer interested. Te vet told me not to mix in the cheese or any table food bc she would grow tired of them too and I would then be on a constant quest to find things she likes. He told me to put the food in her bowl and leave it. When she's hungry she'll eat. Which she does eventually. Some days more than others but is gaining weight and seems very healthy. Here's the problem, since she grazes all day I never know when she is going to poop. It has been very difficult to house train her. I am not sure how to fix this.

[chestermama]

they can be picky thats for sure, be careful with ham it can cause pancreatitis, to fatty

[DewiWihardja]

Actually my yorkie does the same thing too. I asked my friend about her yorkie and she told me that her bf did a trick.

At the meal time, he would put the bowl with royal canin food (it's the brand they choose) and left it like 15-30 mins there. If he didn't eat, he would take the bowl away and give it at the other meal time, which means he would have been very hungry by the next meal time and ate the whole bowl. The bf did this continuously and from not wanting to eat or picky, the yorkie now eats normal.

I'm trying to do this strategy too. By giving his meal always at the same time and taking the food away after 30-60 mins if he doesn't eat. It does seem cruel but I don't know. What do you think guys?

And sorry to ask this here, is it okay to give regularly canned meat for dog sold at the dog shops?