While every dog is different, we think of all dogs as having one thing in common: a love for food. However, as some of you out there may know, this isn’t always the case. 

Some dogs will eat everything you put in front of them, sometimes even things they shouldn’t! But for owners of picky pet, mealtime can be extremely frustrating to deal with, as you worry about your pet not eating. And it’s likely not much fun for the eater either, which is why it’s important to take the time to find a solution. While not always alarming, in the worst case scenario, picky eating can be a sign of an underlying medical issue or environmental stressor. Here are some ways you can deal with this!

When dealing with a true picky eater, all you want is a solution. What’s the secret sauce to getting a picky eater to eat?

The simple-sounding, but not-always-easy task is to determine what foods your dog likes. Your dog might just be uninterested by their food. It is important to keep in mind that just like humans, doggos have their own preferences as well!

One option is to try making simple foods, like rice and boiled white meat chicken with no bones and no skin—the go-to for dogs with upset stomachs—at home. You can safely offer this for a few days to see if your dog’s appetite improves, but if you do opt to cook your pet’s food at home over the long run, it’s critical that you ensure the food is complete and balanced. Consult your vet, and learn more about home-cooking safely here.

Research has shown that the vast majority of dog food recipes available online or in books are not nutritionally complete and balanced. It’s worth noting here that most dogs’ default food, kibble, is highly processed and made using extremely harsh cooking methods to make less-than-savoury ingredients safe, and then further dehydrated to make it shelf-stable for longer. By contrast, fresh food is more palatable, and easier for dogs to eat and digest.

To take the work, and guesswork, out of the process, custom food for pets can be a meaningful alternative. Love For Paws is formulated to suit the nutritional needs and palate of doggos, and because it uses the best ingredients, no harmful additives, and is nutritionally balanced, it can provide good nutrition for even the pickiest of eaters.

Some aspects of picky eating can be health-related, but in cases where it is mostly behavioural, there are tricks pet owners can use to train their dog to eat better.

Setting strict feeding times shows your dog when it’s time to eat and that their time to eat is a finite window. If your dog is a picky eater, free feeding is not an effective option. Keeping their meal times consistent will train your furbaby to instinctively know when it is time to eat.

Adding some little extras to your dog’s regular meals can also help with picky eating. Two good ones to try: Love for Paws’ little handmade treats. Just like us humans, a little tasty variation in our everyday meals could make the entire bowl seem that much more appetising and appealing!

Lastly, be sure you’re feeding your dog the right amount to maintain their weight!

If you’ve ruled out a health-related cause, it’s reassuring to know that picky eating just based on personality does occur. Among small breed dogs especially, picky eating is fairly prevalent, but even the most food motivated larger breeds, like Labradors, can be picky. In fact, some of the most famous notoriously picky eaters include the Basenji, Siberian Husky, and Yorkie breeds. On the other hand, some dogs learn to be picky, typically due to their owner’s unintentionally counterproductive feeding behaviours. Humans can cause their furbabies to be picky with their food by giving them too many treats, overfeeding table scraps, consistently constantly changing their food, or by failing to address stress.

Once you’ve eliminated health-related issues as the cause of perceived pickiness, it’s worthwhile to take the extra steps to get your dog excited about food. Ensure your dog is not getting too full from treats, spoiled with too-rich food, or distracted by environmental factors. And if they’re still less than eager during dinner, you can always try switching to a fresh, more nutrient-dense dog food that’s closer in taste and texture to the real food they do enjoy. You might be amazed at how introducing fresh ingredients can change the picky-eating game.