Tips For feeding a fussy dog
Some dogs can be extremely fussy. They may turn their nose away from foods they dislike. Sometimes we don’t realise that we’re contributing to their fussiness with our own behaviours
“hmmm every time I don’t eat, Mum makes a lovely fuss about me and gives me snacks…. I think I’ll keep doing that!” - quote from just about every fussy dog, ever!
Dealing with fussy dogs can be frustrating, as pet parents we find ourselves continuously rotating between different dog food brands and spending lots of money to try and satisfy our dog's special cravings. If you’re having issues with your dog not enjoying any food generally, here are some things you could try:
Be excited about their meal for them
You’re the pack leader - your dog is taking cues from your behaviour to make decisions. So, one of the best things you can do for a fussy dog is to be excited about the food you are giving them BEFORE you give it to them.
Lots of “oooh what’s this? What have I got for you here… oooh this looks so yummy…” before you put their bowl down. Make them sit and anticipate the meal… then let them have the food and leave them to it.
If they don’t eat, just show you are a little disappointed and leave the room - be clear your involvement in dinner is done. Don’t come back and make a fuss trying to get them to eat it - grab a glass of wine and go watch Netflix. Leave them to it. Be strong.
DO make a big fuss after they eat… and hopefully, you can dial this last bit down over time!
Other ways to encourage fussy eaters
- Make mealtime fun and reward them with cuddles and games after they eat well. It’s important to celebrate and make a big deal about eating, and not make a fuss about them when they don't.
- Mix the FMFB food with other food that they already like. We always recommend doing a gradual transition between different foods, over about 14 days. Slowly introduce your dog to our food mixed with their ‘normal’ meal and see how they go. The transition period can be tough, but it’s doable!
- Add a raw egg to the mix.
- Add some warm water or milk to their biscuits/ warm it all up a little.
- Earthz Pets Vitality Gravies for added nutrients and flavour keep it interesting!
- Add bone broth. There is a product called Bone Brew that most pet stores have. Try it cold or warm.
- Limit feeding them ‘human food’ and don’t give them too many treats so they aren't used to this happening.
- Trying feeding at a specific time if they’re usually ‘free-fed' - It’s a fact that the fussiest dogs are those that have dog food available at all times.
Try tough love. Your dog might be ‘training’ you!
If none of the above tricks works, a less favoured option for some pet parents is to try persevering for a few days – it’s a little bit of tough love but it usually works. Basically, just keep presenting them with the same food, at mealtime for 2-3 days, even if they don’t eat it.
If they usually have set meal times - leave their food out for ~20 minutes, then take it away and only give them a fresh bowl for another ~20 minutes at mealtime.
If they’re a grazer, refresh the bowl every ~12 hours and hold out with any other food for a couple of days.
It’s a bit of tough love, but as long as they have plenty of water available, dogs can go for several days without food. This is one way you can test if they are just ‘training you’ to feed them the fancy stuff, and sometimes if we know what’s truly good for them, it’s a good idea to persevere.
We’ve had some amazing feedback on how dogs are thriving on My Furbaby and it makes us so happy to hear because we know that most of the time we have shifted them from paying for pointless marketing to paying for genuinely good quality NZ-made food.
