How to Fix a Picky Eater
Do you struggle to encourage your dog to eat their food? This problem can be such a headache and can lead to you having to buy more and more expensive food! Not to mention this can make the training experience with your dog even more difficult since you’re unable to feed them as a reward for training.
So what’s an owner to do?!
We’ve got a few suggestions for you to try:
Give your dog a meal schedule to follow. This means put their food down at around the same time every day, so they know when to expect food, and when they expect not to be fed. Over time this will convey to your dog that they need to eat when the food is available, or else they’ll have to wait until the next mealtime!
Clearly show your dog that you filled their bowl, allow them 20 minutes to eat it, and then pick it up if they haven’t started eating it within those 20 minutes. If dogs get to graze out of their bowl all day, their food loses value to them. They know it will always be there no matter what, so there’s no point in finishing their meals in a timely manner.
Add value back to your dog’s food by hand-feeding them. Yes, like actually giving them kibble by hand, one piece at a time! Hand feeding kibble adds a ton of value to the food since your dog is receiving attention from their favorite person while they eat.
Hand feed them their food while you practice their obedience commands. Sometimes convincing picky eaters to eat means getting them out of the kitchen and into a training session. Having to earn their meals adds value to the kibble and gets them more excited to receive their reward!
The most important thing for you to remember is to stay consistent with these suggestions for at least 3-4 weeks to make sure you give your dog enough time to try them. At first they may be off-put by eating from your hand or not being able to eat at their leisure, but getting them on a reliable schedule of eating will make everything you do with them much easier!
Worried about how to train a dog who isn’t motivated by food? No problem. We can help with that. There are plenty of other ways to motivate animals. Success in training does not rely on whether or not your dog likes treats! Give us a call today at 980-999-3288 to find out how we can help you and your pet!
