[yorkietalkjilly]

I had the problem with my first Yorkie, little Scotty. At first he wouldn't eat anything for 3 days but the bits I put in his mouth and held his little mouth shut until he swallowed. Or forced a teaspoon of Karo syrup into his wee mouth. He was so little, I knew he needed the glucose if nothing else from his food. But it was a trial. Snubbed everything but bits of turkey from a microwave dinner! Now he loved that but refused his food, kibble or canned. I knew he couldn't thrive on microwave turkey and worried myself sick. Tried bits of the turkey over his kibble, ate only the turkey! Vet(s) assured me he wasn't sick - over & over.

Finally, out of desperation, one morning I placed a mere teaspoon of kibble on one of our china saucers in place of his bowl of food after taking up his regular food overnight. He sniffed it with interest but walked away as if to say 'you can't buy me that easy. THAT'S not microwaved turkey'! Shakily and unsure, I took the saucer up, tossed out the food and left him with nothing for another 8 hours and then placed a teaspoon of his kibble on a clean saucer down and he was soon there at first sniffing and then gobbling it up. But I gave him no more that night. Next morning, got his teaspoon of kibble on the saucer and he was soon there checking it out but didn't eat! Took it up after 5 mins., tossed the food. That evening he got 2 teaspoonfuls and he ate them right up. Next morning, the 2 teaspoonsful were slowly, kind of reluctantly eaten but he ate them and again that night and on until he eventually got the normal quotient a pup should eat on a china saucer and he was never a problem eater again, even when I changed back to feeding him in a brand new doggie food bowl. It was small, his sized, like his original bowl - the one he'd ignored and fasted right long until the human saucer and strict portioning/removal after 5 mins. of having a choice of eating of his food for a while, letting him see that failing to eat got the food taken away and nothing replaced it for hours. I checked him frequently in case he was acting strange as I knew small dogs can have problems if their glucose drops too low but he never swooned, staggered, stood too still for too long, or just slept or any of he signs of low blood sugar, thank goodness. He never had problems eating after that unless he was ill but as soon as he felt well again, he was a steady eater.

My Jilly and Tibbe were both grateful, happy eaters of every bit of food you put down for them. I free-fed Jilly and she never got fat but Tibbe did. Had to take up his food as he'd just keep eating beyond the 1/4 cup portion his vets said a Yorkie of his size and body type should eat each meal! So he was ready and waiting every time his meals were offered and ate all his food right up and lost the extra 1/2 lb. he'd packed on while still free-feeding. But I'll never forget all the angsting over Scotty and his picky eating for a while.