Sometimes finding dog food for picky dogs is such a pain in the butt! We have three beloved fur babies in our family.
One is a garbage disposal, aka Karma, and the other is such a picky eater when it comes to his dog food, aka Happy. Our baby is a garbage disposal in the form of a pug, named Sapphire.
Trying to find a dog food that both dogs will eat can be quite a chore sometimes. It’s been through a lot of trial and error that we were able to figure out how to get your dog to eat dry dog food.
So, if you are tired of puppy fits at meal time read on!
Meet Happy:
When we first got Happy 7 years ago, he was such a picky eater. Even as a puppy, he wouldn’t eat anything but wet dog food, and even then he was quite finicky.
He definitely gave us a trial by fire when it came to learning how to get your dog to eat dry food. Personally, I’ve always hated the smell of wet dog food so we were going to have to learn how to get this picky puppy to eat what we offered him.
The Royal Prince on his thrown
Meet Karma:
We’ve had Karma since she was a puppy too. I don’t think it’s possible for any two dogs to have more different personalities. Where Happy is a picky eater, Karma will eat anything you put in front of her.
She has a particular taste for hair ties, which I happen to leave all around the house. I can’t tell you how many ties have been “saved” from her mouth. I’m just waiting for a fun emergency vet visit when she’s decided to eat something weird like pine cones or something.
Karma strikes her best pose
Meet Sapphire:
Our newest fur baby, Sapphire hasn’t seen a speck of food that she doesn’t like. If it’s on the floor, she’s interested in it. Though her tummy let’s us know when she’s had something that isn’t so good for her. Let’s just say we will never buy poor quality dog food again. There is NOTHING worse than a gassy pug!
Now that you’ve met our fur babies, check out our 5 tips how to get your dogs to eat dry dog food. These tips really helped us when we were trying to get Happy and Karma to eat the same dog food.
Our journey to dry dog food began by trying to figure out what dog food to start with. We’ve tried many dog foods over the years, but found that our dogs really like all sorts of treats. I like it because there are so many different options to try and we know that the ingredients are delicious and good for our pupsters.
I like it because there are so many different options to try in the Supreme Source® line including grain free dry dog food. Another reason we love it is because all Supreme Source® products are free from artificial colors and flavors.
Supreme Source® helps keep us happy as pet owners, and it’s something both of our dogs will eat so we don’t have to buy two different types of dog foods.
5 Tips How to Get Your Dogs to Eat Dry Dog Food
1. Leave food bowls down for 15 minutes at meal time and then put them away: Picky eaters tend to try and train you. When trying to get your dog to eat dry dog food, it’s really important to train them when it’s time to eat and when it’s not.
Unless there is something medically wrong with your dog, most dogs won’t starve themselves. They will learn pretty quickly to like what you feed them.
2.. Limit treats: If your fur babies belly is full of treats, they won’t be hungry at feeding time. We hardly ever give our dogs treats and since then our dogs are ready for dinner time when we put the food bowls down.
3. Give lots of praise: When you see your dog eating, give them lots of positive praise. This reinforces the good eating habits you are trying to instill in your dog.
4. Feed picky dogs alone: For the longest time we thought Happy was eating, but come to find out his sister was chowing down because he was too slow. Until we had him eating dry dog food on a regular basis, we fed Happy and Karma in separate places. This let us see what food he was actually eating.
5. Keep at it: Keeping a routine, and letting your dog know what is offered for dinner, will help convert even the pickiest of dogs. Half the battle to get picky dogs to eat dry dog food is to be persistent and show your fur babies lots of love!
Jenna Wood says
Haha, it’s so cute that one of your dogs has no discretion and the other is a walking garbage disposal! Glad you’ve found a food that works for them! #client
Sarah Marturano says
We are looking to get a new puppy soon. These are great tips to help us get on the right path. Thank you!
Lisa says
These are great tips! #2 and #5 are what worked for us. #5 most importantly .
Gabriel says
Leaving food out only for limited times is a great tip – soon enough they will learn to eat what is given to them, just make sure that the kids don’t sneak them treats when yhou aren’t looking.
Lori Felix says
I too have a picky dog and appreciate the tips. I don’t like wet dog food so I’m going to be more patient and try dry dog food again.
Ann Bacciaglia says
These are great tips for getting dogs to eat dry food. I have been lucky with our dog. He never had any problems eating.
Anne, Mommy Has to Work says
When we adopted our puppy she already ate dry food. We’ve been lucky that way I guess. Your pups are sweet!
Alena Belleque says
When Butters was still with us, we almost lost him at about 5 months old when he ate all the stuffing out of a huge toy he managed to rip open. Poor baby was on very wet food that made him pass things more easily for about two weeks, and we paid almost $600 in xray fees, to make sure everything passed, and no blockages remained. Our vet was amazed! She told us initially she was pretty unsure about his chances, but he pulled through like a champ, and didn’t even need surgery.