| Any dog owner who is seeking an answer to the | | | | pleading or begging him to eat. Such attention |
| question - "How do I get my dog to eat?" is | | | | feeds right into his intention to break you down. |
| experiencing one of two scenarios: One, they | | | | Once you remove the untouched food, ignore the |
| have a sick dog on their hands, or two, they | | | | whole situation like it didn't even exist. |
| have been trained very well by their dog. | | | | Another bad habit to avoid -- do not talk yourself |
| As with most negative behaviors exhibited by | | | | into solving the problem by allowing your dog to |
| your dog - and being a picky eater is one of | | | | become a grazer. That is, simply leaving your |
| them - you need to first rule out any health issue | | | | dog's bowl on the floor until the food disappears. |
| by a trip to your vet. Assuming your dog gets a | | | | Really, this serves neither you nor your dog well. |
| clean bill of health, you will need to retrain your | | | | Dogs like schedules and thrive on routines. If you |
| dog. | | | | don't establish one, he'll do it for you, and in the |
| If you buy into this one truism - and you should - | | | | process begin to assume other alpha dog traits. |
| that a healthy dog will not starve himself to | | | | Your job is to remind him how nice schedules are, |
| death, your job at hand is quite simple. Just wait | | | | especially when it's yours. Wait him out! |
| him out. Put his food down at his established | | | | Several Cautions |
| feeding time. Give him fifteen to thirty minutes to | | | | Be on the look out for family members who may |
| eat. If he hasn't touched his food, remove it until | | | | not have the same intentions as you, and fall to |
| the next feeding time. This means NO food - | | | | temptation to sneak your dog treats. All your |
| including treats - until next feeding time rolls | | | | hard work will be for naught. So make sure |
| around. There you have it. If I stopped here, I'm | | | | everyone is on board with the conditioning training. |
| confident I would have helped 95% of the | | | | On a similar note, make sure your family hasn't |
| households that have a dog that is a finicky eater. | | | | gotten into the habit of substituting food and |
| But, that wouldn't make much of an article; and, I | | | | treats for love. Giving a treat every time your |
| do feel obligated to address the other 5% out | | | | dog does something cute can certainly create |
| there who cannot bear the thought of deliberately | | | | finicky eating habits. Treats should not exceed |
| "starving" their beloved dog to death. | | | | 10% of your dog's total food intake. |
| Like most other conditioning dog training, working | | | | Don't give your dog the opportunity to become a |
| with a puppy is a bit easier than with an older | | | | "garbage marauder" during this training period. Be |
| dog, who has established behaviors, negative or | | | | sure the trash is secured and there is no food left |
| otherwise, as a result of his past life. A rescue | | | | within reach on tables, TV trays, or laps. Hopefully |
| dog with an unknown history may have been fed | | | | this goes without saying, but do not allow your |
| table scraps, or not fed often enough for his | | | | dog to roam the neighborhood. No doubt he will |
| breed and size; or fed on a very irregular | | | | find some food or some similar facsimile during his |
| schedule. All of which will make your job a little | | | | rounds. |
| more difficult because he may really test your | | | | Some breeds are more prone to finicky eating |
| fortitude. Personally, this is advice that has proven | | | | then others. German Shepherds probably are at |
| easier for me to give than to follow. In the not | | | | the top of this list followed by several of the |
| too distant past I often caved in and fed my | | | | smaller breeds such as Chihuahuas, Yorkies, |
| rescue dogs a concoction of dog food with a | | | | Bichon Frise, Pomeranians, Toy Poodles and |
| portion of people food. But, that's in the past for | | | | Maltese. Own any of these and your road ahead |
| me, and I hope you can avoid or break this | | | | may be just a tad more difficult. But not |
| behavior in yourself. | | | | impossible by any stretch. |
| Another avoidance during this "test of wills" is to | | | | To sum up: |
| refrain from trying every tasty looking dog food | | | | - Make sure your dog is healthy |
| on the supermarket shelves. Stick to the one | | | | - This becomes a simple test of wills |
| food your vet recommends for your dog or you'll | | | | - Don't fall prey to those sad eyes |
| find yourself in the same pickle not too far down | | | | - Avoid between meal treats |
| the road. Should your dog tire of his food he may | | | | - Stick with one variety of nutritional food |
| very well resort to turning up his nose again until | | | | - Secure all trash and make sure no food is within |
| he's retrained you to try another brand. Too | | | | reach |
| much variety encourages finicky eating and also | | | | - Keep your dog at home and not free to roam |
| can cause digestion problems. Keep in mind the | | | | and scavenge |
| adage that finicky eaters are made, and not born. | | | | - Put the food out at feeding time, give him 15 to |
| And more importantly, they can all be unmade. | | | | 30 minutes to eat, if its not eaten, remove it and |
| Wait him out! | | | | wait until next feeding time |
| Be sure not to reinforce your dog's negative | | | | - And, above all, wait him out! Best of luck to you. |
| behavior by hovering over him, cajoling him, | | | | |