Merrick canned food is the only canned food I will feed. It looks like a chicken pot pie and looks and smells BETTER than most human canned food. It's amazing! Pedigree is not a good food.
I think that by feeding the canned food you are giving her too much choice so she won't eat the kibble. Also, by leaving it out she is not encouraged to eat it. Here is what I did to turn Loki from a PICKY eater into a very good eater:
Start with a good quality kibble (Canidae, Wellness, Merrick, Innova, Innova Evo, California Natural, etc. there are TONS out there but you won't find them at the grocery store or even PetSmart.)
Feed twice or three times a day - your dog will let you know if they need the middle meal. Put it down for 30 mins, show your dog the food, and if they don't eat - pick it back up. Try again later. Your dog will only skip one or two meals before they eat when you feed them. Keep in mind some dogs are social eaters - Loki will only eat if I'm in the kitchen. Either stick around the kitchen or just feed your dog in whatever room you are in. If I'm busy in another room I'll just bring Loki's bowl in there - I try not to make a big deal about it. Also - some dogs don't like certain bowls. Loki hated stainless bowls and loved eating off of a plate or the floor. Again - choose your battles. We just fed him off of a salad place until I found these HUGE ceramic flat bowls he loves.
Supplement ONLY after they eat their kibble. If you don't do this you risk diarrhea and picky eaters. They need the kibble to be consistent and they need to learn they do not get "goodies" if they don't eat their kibble. Even if you don't have diarrhea, feeding canned food will make your dog more gassy. Better to feed kibble at every meal. I give Loki a full meal in the morning and then 1/2 his meal in the evening and then give him something extra like eggs, yogurt, green beans, canned food, chicken, rice, etc. Usually I just make him something extra from our dinner. Just make sure whatever you feed is PLAIN. Like I add salt and butter to our green beans so I make separate ones for Loki.
Another tip is to use the kibble as treats and also to put it in fun puzzle toys. Loki will ignore his kibble but if I put it in his "purple thing" he will spend 30 mins trying to get it out. If your pup likes kongs and puzzle toys, use them to your advantage!! |