I have a fox terrier that will eat anything but will not eat her dog food HELP??

Question

My dog GIZMO will eat everything plastic paper grass wood string you name it and she has eaten it. She will not eat her dog food though. I have tried almost 30 different foods and she will eat it the first day and then will not touch it again I have tried can food dry food moist food nothing. The only way I can get her to eat at all is to mix her food with human food. If I dont chop the two foods together well enough she picks out the chicken or beef or what ever and leaves the dog food. So I pretty much have to mash everything together to keep her from picking it apart. I live in the country so I was letting her run wild when I let her out we have since put up a fence thinking we could control what she eats if we can keep a closer eye on her and then she would get hungry enough to eat. Boy were we wrong. She now digs under or climbs over the fence. CAN SOME ONE PLEASE HELP ME???????

I mean I have tried over 30 different foods from dry to canned. We have taken every thing out of the yard except the grass lol so as soon as we get her to STAY in the fence I will be able to watch what she eats a lot closer with the plastic and such. Starving her does not work she will eat grass till she can not move so she is still eat even if I do not give her food.

Answer 1

I have a fox terrier, too. I got Jodie at 6 years old and she was already spoiled and would only eat human food. This type of dog really likes to get their way and acts like a little kid. Don't make a big thing about her food, gradually cut back on how much people food she gets. My dog now only eats dry food and I usually get three different kinds and mix them together. You have to be the "pack leader" and don't let her get away with making you a
follower and she is the leader.

Answer 2

It's time for you to be in control of your dog in a couple of ways. Seems like the tail is wagging the dog here!

1. Choose one food and stick with it. No more table food, no more human food. Make sure water is avail at all times. If dog is older than one year then feed only once per day.

Put dog food down for 10 minutes and whatever is not eaten pick up and throw away. The dog WILL eat when it is hungry. Usually by the third day things are just perfect.

2. You need to control the dogs environment. Buy a coated steel cable from home depot or the pet store and attach a snap on the end using a chain connector. Attach it to your back porch. Attach the dog to it every time it goes out so it is not getting into cat food or whatever it has been eating at the neighbors house.

Just Do It!

Answer 3

I REALLY HOPE THERE'S INFORMATION IN HERE THAT HELPS YOU.

UPDATE: OK, I read your update. I don't know what is going on with your dog, but dogs eat grass for a few different reasons, take a look:
http://www.thepetprofessor.com/articles/article.aspx?id=214
http://www.petloveshack.com/grass.html
http://www.vetinfo.com/deatgrass.html
http://ca.answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20060616121725AA6pOSC

Some sources suggest finding a food that contains wheat or barley grass, while others suggest cultivating your own grass clippings to be added to the dogs food.

http://articles.pointshop.com/pets/828.php

By the way, Finny doesn't eat as much grass now that he's eating a dog food high in chicken, lamb, and vegetables.


My dog, Finny doesn't like to eat his dry food anymore since he's had soft (canned) food. Now, to keep a good balance, we mix a half a can with his dry food at every serving.

He loves it that way.

Unless you are cooking lamb and rice for dinner, I'd be careful to feed your dog too much human food. It's simply not designed for a dogs maximum digestion. Sure they'll eat it because it tastes good, but they'll eat chocolate too and enough of that can kill them.

For more information, let me point you to a few very good sources. These are extensive articles that can really assist you in finding proper nutrition for your dog:

http://www.woodhavenlabs.com/dogfoods.html
http://www.thepetcenter.com/imtop/bestfood.html
http://www.thepetcenter.com/imtop/nutritioncomments.html

If you can't resolve this on your own, check with your vet or local breeder.

Best Wishes,

Blewz4u

Answer 4

Have you tried adding chicken broth to the food? Or even heating it up for a few seconds in the microwave?

It is fine to feed a dog boiled (not fried, baked, etc) hamburger or chicken with rice if she will not eat her dog food.

Also, be as careful as possible about what she eats that she isn't supposed to. Eating things like plastic, wood, etc can cause a blockage and would require an exploratory surgery. You'd be amazed at the things we have taken out of dogs -- spools of thread, coins, rocks, pieces of bone and dog toys, a metal ID tag.... haha

Answer 5

I don't have much advice but my dog does the same thing. lol She eats when she gets hungry enough but, unlike yours, my dog respects our fence so she doesn't take off to roam to get wild food.

I'd say run a search for a home-made dog food and go from there. The recipes you'll find are healthy and okay as the only feed for your little girl.

Good luck!

Answer 6

Put some water in her food it helps my dog didn't like her food. Or maybe its not the right time of food for her!

Answer 7

try giving her a cooked egg my dog didnt like his food so we put the egg in his bowl with the food and he ate the egg then he started eating his food

Answer 8

okay this is simple, starve her for a day or so , but give her water. then give her te dog food. amazing what wil happen

Answer 9

Have a look here.