How to Feed Your Dog Dry Food

Is your dog refusing to eat dry food? Before taking any other steps, you should take your dog to the vet for a general check-up, as a picky appetite could indicate a more serious underlying issue. However, if your dog’s only issue is being picky, try a few methods to adjust their eating habits, such as feeding them high-quality dry food, maintaining regular feeding times, and gradually altering their diet.

Take your dog to the vet. There are two main reasons why dogs might be picky eaters. The first reason is that your dog may be unwell. The second reason is that your dog is often fed high-end wet food or human food. To identify the cause of your dog’s picky behavior, it's best to consult with a veterinarian.

• If your dog is healthy, their pickiness is likely due to habit. In this case, you’ll need to change their eating routine.

Consider when your dog started being a picky eater. Be sure to tell the vet when your dog first began refusing food. Dogs that are unwell may become picky overnight, showing signs of nibbling or refusing to eat altogether. Picky eating could be due to nausea or a loss of appetite.

Understand that picky eating can lead to various issues. Even when dogs are healthy, being a picky eater can lead to health and behavioral problems that range from mild to severe, and may even be life-threatening. These problems include:

• Obesity
• Pancreatitis
• Malnutrition
• Difficulty treating future chronic illnesses
• Diarrhea
• Behavioral issues such as begging for food

Understand the importance of feeding your dog high-quality food. A dog’s food formula must meet all their nutritional needs. The requirements for fat, protein, and especially vitamins and minerals differ greatly from those of humans. Dogs cannot thrive on human food.

• Dry food helps eliminate bacteria and plaque buildup on your dog’s teeth daily.
• The nutrients in dog food, such as calcium, support the development of teeth and bones.

Ensure meat is the primary ingredient in your dog’s food. The most appealing ingredient in dry dog food is meat. Check the ingredient list on the packaging. Dry food with meat (not meat by-products) as the first (or second/third) ingredient is usually better quality and tastier for your dog.

• Avoid food where corn is one of the first ingredients.

Gradually adjust your dog's food. When switching your dog to a new brand of food, start by mixing a small amount of the new food with their current food. Over the course of 1-2 weeks, gradually increase the amount of the new food while reducing the old food until your dog is eating only the new food.

Mix wet food with human food. If your dog is used to eating human food, you can transition them to dry food by giving them wet food of the same brand as the dry food you want to introduce. Start by mixing a little wet food with their favorite human food. Over the course of 1-2 weeks, gradually reduce the human food and increase the amount of wet food until your dog no longer eats human food.

• Once your dog accepts wet food, you can start mixing dry food with wet food over the course of 2 weeks, gradually reducing the wet food and increasing the dry food until your dog eats only dry food.

Give your dog a small amount of human food to encourage them. If your picky eater can’t break the habit of eating human food, you can add a small amount of meat broth (warm) or a spoonful of mashed banana or pumpkin to their dry food. You could also add some plain cheese or a little boiled egg. Just remember that human food should not make up more than 10% of your dog’s total food intake.

Avoid giving your dog snacks. During the transition to dry food, avoid giving your dog snacks. Stick to feeding them twice a day until they regularly eat dry food. Once your dog is consistently eating dry food, you can start giving snacks again, but never feed them human food as it can cause the picky eating behavior to return.

• Consistency is key in how you treat your dog at home. Make sure all family members understand and follow the rules without breaking them.

Set a time limit every time you feed your dog. Regularly set a schedule for your dog's meals and take away the food once the time is up. This will encourage your dog to eat whenever food is provided. Set your dog's food at a specific time each day and give them 15 minutes to eat. After the 15-minute period, you can remove the food and clean up any leftovers. Then, continue offering food 12 hours later and repeat the process. Do not feed your dog any food in between meals.

• If after two days your dog still refuses to eat, you can offer a small amount of familiar food (half the usual portion). Try the same method again. You may also mix dry food with a small amount of human food (no more than 10%) to encourage your dog to eat.

Try feeding by hand. You could also try hand-feeding your dog. Sit beside your dog and crush some dry food on your hand. Then, hold it out in front of your dog to see if they will eat. If your dog is used to you feeding them human food, they might be more willing to accept dry food from your hand.

• You can add a small amount (less than ¼ cup) of low-sodium chicken broth to the dry food to make it more appealing to your dog.
• You might need to try several different brands of dry food to find the one your dog likes. Buy small bags to save money in case your dog doesn’t like it.
• If your dog bothers you or begs for food whenever you eat, you should move your dog to another room. DO NOT feed them when they beg.

• Make changes gradually. Sudden changes can cause stomach upset, leading to vomiting and/or diarrhea.
• If your dog suddenly becomes picky and this lasts for more than two days, you should take them to the vet to rule out any illness.