Has anyone else got a picky dog??????

[selah]

My Lab is picky....will eat any kind of treat...but after being on a dry food for a while...starts snubbing her nose....I use to periodically change her food and the vet told me that that is what makes them picky....:hectic1: now they tell me.....so now, I am just hard core....I put it down and if she snubs her nose...I just go...oh, well....your stomach will have to evidently give in and it does, but sometimes she will wait and eat very late in the day...sometimes after 11:00 at night....and many times before she will eat, she will follow us around like...haven't you forgot something, like feed me. Many times we know she is going to eat because just before she eats, she begins to play with it....like taking a piece or two and tossing it out of her bowl.......sorta like she is trying to make it enticing.....this is another thing, heard from a previous poster about buying rib bones to help clean their dog's teeth....I thought, I'm going to try that being that she doesn't chew on her rawhide bones that much anymore....Nope....won't chew on them.....WHAT!!...what dog won't chew on rib bones.....does anyone out there have this problem?? ....I want to keep her teeth clean, but unless I buy brand-new rawhide bones all the time she doesn't chew on them...after she rolls them aroung in her mouth one time...she is pretty much done. :sad:....I have never had a dog this picky.

[Cynthiabutterfly]

Yes, we have a picky dog too. His previous owner (my dad) spoiled him like a baby, and he was always getting table scraps. He won't eat dry kibble, and if we give him wet food, then he barks at us while we eat dinner. He won't chew the rawhide either- but he gobbles up regular bones and treats, I will give him bones and treats that fight plaque. But he still cries when he sees us at the dinner table (or breakfast or lunch) so we have to put him outside at mealtimes.

[jeweltea]

We had a dog once that was extremely picky. We got her from a woman whose mother had to go to a nursing home and had to give the dog up. They said the dog would eat anything! WRONG! We tried everything. Finally found that the only thing she would eat was Little Caeser (most expensive canned dog food) and even then I had to cut up little pieces of Pupperoni dog treats and cheese and mix it with the dog food and only then would she eat! She would also eat what we had for dinner (chicken, etc).

[lssugoalie]

My only thought is only put the food down for 15-30 minutes, if he doesn't eat, pick it up, then put it down at the next feeding. He'll eventuallly give in and can live without food for a day if it takes that long. We used to have a dog who would go on "hunger strikes" when she was mad. The stomach always wins. Another thing to do is stop treating so much. Buy a doggie toothbrush and paste if you're worried about his teeth. I brush my dog's teeth every single day before bed and her teeth are immaculate. She used to fight having them brushed and now she know what to expect. A routine is the best thing for a dog, he'll get the picture when the food is gone after 15 minutes. Use it or lose it. HTH

[XUfan]

I don't have a picky dog...thank heaven! But I used to work with a guy who did. His dog would go days without eating!!! But, that same dog would eat anything that was in the trash can if he could get to it...paper, plastic, whatever! I suggested putting his food in the trash!

[beth119]

I have 2 doggies...

Precious will eat ANYTHING. Even salad.

Pooches? Forget it. Only Pedigree food... and very few treats. If she doesn't like the treats, then she will drop them on the floor for Precious to get.

[argrandma]

I can so relate here! My min-pin is so picky, he will only eat the meat that is on my plate and then only after he sees me take a bite.

[momof2inohio]

Both of my dogs will eat anything. When we got them at the shelter they were very underweight so I think they are just so happy to be getting anything to eat.

[SEsterly13]

Sorry to hear that. I have heard from friends who had picky animals, so I know it's difficult. We have two dogs who will eat just about anything. (The only real exceptions are lettuce - although they'll eat grass! - and raw mushrooms!) Like the PP, they are both shelter dogs, and I know one of them roamed the streets for at least a week before animal control got him. I think he is just generally happy to have ANY kind of food in front of him.

I definitely agree with lssugoalie, though. One of my dogs once went on a hunger strike because we left both dogs for a week with my parents. He soon learned that if he showed no interest in the food given to him in the morning that it would be taken away until dinner time. He adjusted pretty quickly!

Whatever you try, best of luck!

[kval07]

Okay, I live by the Natural Balance dog food rolls. You can get a small one at Petco for .99 to try. Grate it up and mix it in with your dog's dry food. My dogs go nuts over this stuff. (Actually, the first time I did this, I ended up with dry food all over the floor because Chester picked out all of the little bitty pieces.)