Arden Grange: How to feed a fussy dog

Well-meaning owners will often supplement a complete diet with extras in order to make the meal more interesting. Some clever dogs soon learn that they can eat the new food and leave the kibble, resulting in owners drawing the conclusion that the dog is not enjoying the main diet.

Regularly changing to a new brand of food often leads to the dog happily eating the alternative for several days, weeks or months before it too becomes uninteresting to them. This in turn ends with an owner trying numerous brands of dog food with varying degrees of success and with the dog dictating what is fed and when. The more choice that you offer a fussy eater, the worse the problem can become.

Fortunately, this problem can be solved relatively quickly (although if your dog has been leading you a merry dance for a long time, it may take a little longer to retrain him or her back into good habits at mealtimes).

The following tips may help you.

Dogs are clever, sensitive creatures and there are a number of things that determine how attractive a particular food is for them. A good quality pet food, such as any from Arden Grange will be more naturally appetising because of its high inclusion of good quality protein from named meat and/or fish sources (on the label this will be evident with these being among the first ingredients listed).

Make sure each meal is served in a fresh bowl, with no residue of previous meals and rinsed well of cleaning products and unpleasant tasting detergent. Uneaten wet or fresh food should be picked up and discarded as soon as possible.

We recommend Arden Grange adult – with fresh chicken & rice, Arden Grange adult – with fresh lamb and rice and Arden Grange adult – fresh salmon & rice.

Fussy dogs are more likely to eat most or all of a smaller meal than they are of a large one so split the daily feed volume into smaller frequent meals. (Be careful not to exercise too near to a feed though).

Some behaviours are learned and reinforced by the familiarity of a routine, so sometimes altering the normal pattern of activity that occurs in the run up to a mealtime can help. You could try using a different bowl, feeding at different times and/or in different rooms, or even utilise another member of the household to prepare the meal.

Try cutting out all the ’extras’ your dog may be holding out for!  In addition, ensure all members of your household follow this guidance too. By doing this, it may help with feeding at mealtimes.

A new diet should be introduced gradually, beginning with mixing the old and new diet together (ensure the two products are mixed well to help prevent your dog from differentiating). Some dogs are creatures of habit and make take a while to become accustomed to a new food. This behaviour is called neophobia, and stems from a natural wariness of new foods inherited from our dogs' wild ancestors, who would have used this as a means to avoid potential toxins.

Your own behaviour can impact on your dog’s behaviour, so try to keep calm at mealtimes. Your dog may have learned that refusing food means more fuss and attention. You can combat this attention-seeking by ignoring him when he is not eating and praising him when he does.

Are there other animals in the household that compete for your dog’s food? Is a tag making a distracting noise hitting against the bowl? Are plastic bowls holding residues from detergents? Have there been any unsettling environmental changes e.g. storms, a new baby or a house move? All of these things may be contributing towards stress.

One of the most effective ways to beat stress is to play. Interactive feeding toys can be very effective in encouraging a fussy dog to eat. This provides a novel vessel for the food and may help break the habit of leaving food if the behaviour is triggered by familiar stimuli such as the usual bowl.

 A delicious range of Arden Grange dog foods are available online at moleonline.com, or in-store at your local Mole Valley Country Store.