how can i get my dog to eat dog food,she likes table food she just sniffs dog food then she goes and hide?

Question

every since i had her she never been fond of dog food,i tried heating it up,putting some type of gravy on it she still wont eat it,but i can give her certain table foods and she will eat it,so how can i reverse this problem i have tryed dog food with bacon scents,gravy,beef flavor,none of that works for her.please help me sovle this.....

Answer 1

start feeding it a raw diet and you will never have that problem again

Answer 2

depending on what size of dog she is - you might try the new Beneful product mixed with kibble (small dog).

As mentioned use bacon grease - or hamburger grease. Don't give in on feeding table food. Give her *HER* food. She will eat rather than go hungry.

If all else fails work up a raw diet and feed her on that. Try different kinds of food. Maybe it's the brand or type of food. Expensive is not always better. My dogs are really reacting badly to Science Diet. They've done fine on other brands.
Stick to your guns. She will learn. She might get hungry for a day or so but if the food is there she will eat it rather than starve. (She might eat when you're not looking)

Answer 3

I'm not sure if this is the case, but many dog's who live with one parent have identity crises. They do believe that they are human and if it is good enough for their parent, then it is good enough for them. The only thing to do is to ignore that whimper, ignore those big eyes and disallow any sort of begging. Make sure to leave it's bowl of food out for only 30 minutes, then take it up. Twice a day. He'll learn the routine. Eventually he will look forward to those 30 minutes. The reason behind that time limit is because if you leave a bowl of food out all day the dog will eat until it is stuffed. This is how you get animals with weight issues. But good luck. It is a common problem.

Answer 4

youv'e spoiled the dog by giving in and feeding it table food. just put the dog food down on the floor and walk away and don't worry about it. the dog will eat when it gets hungry, it will not let itself starve.

ps. make sure your dinner is pushed back from the counter edge. lol

good luck!

Answer 5

She'll eat it when she gets hungry enough. Thats all that I could do with my dog who thought he was human. Totally know what u mean girl. Dont give in or u'll open a life long can of worms. Give em and inch and they'll walk all over you. Dogs eat DOG food. They'll figure it out eventually.

Answer 6

My dog eats table scraps and is VERY picky about his food...I feed him Purina Little Bites Indoor Dog Food and pour a can of Alpo over it...(p.s. Dont By Iams dog food...they preform animal tesing on Beagles and other dogs...check out Peta.com for proof....)

Answer 7

I have a Pom that tries the same thing....I have three kids and she gets food from them....when she starts to refuse the dog food...I quit giving her anything but the dog food...after awhile she eats it...just stop giving her people food...she will get hungry enough to eat the dog food. .

Answer 8

You started her out on table food and this is the problem..Try mash potatoes and a pork gravy,use pork bouillon powder and cornstarch to make the gravy...Mix the mash potatoes and gravy with some dry food,mix very well...If the pork gravy doesn't work,Try frying a hamburger patty and make a gravy out of the hamburger grease...HOPE IT WORKS...
Clowmy

Answer 9

well i think if the dog is truely hungry she will eat her dog food. dont give her anything else but her food, even if she goes the whole day without food she will get hungry enough and she will get use to eating it. I am against putting food in there dog food but i do put raw eggs in there food, it helps there coat and they like the taste.....good luck

Answer 10

Well, the obvious answer is that she should never have been given table food from the start. I don't mean that to be snide, either, just as a lesson learned. I learned it myself some years ago.

I have a male Boston Terrier that doesn't like his dry food (Lamb and Rice, even). He's never been given table food or anything of the like. He just simply did not like the super high quality food that we gave him. (Possibly because it has *no* salt in it. Almost ALL dog food has salt in it for flavor... Very bad for dogs, just like it is for people, but companies have to compete to sell their products.)

So, to deal with him, and this requires a flexible budget, I started mixing things in with his dry food that he could not resist. I tried the "if he gets hungry, he'll eat it" approach, and he literally turned into a stick-bug. He'd have starved to death. I guarantee it. I've had it work with other dogs, but not with this one.

Every other day, I mix in all kinds of things with his regular food. I do this so that he gets used to filling his belly, but so that he has to eat his dry food to accomplish that on the days when he doesn't get the extras. I use half the amount of dry food, and add a bit of *plain* yogurt (good for their tummies), carrots, tomatoes, dried apples or other fruit, small amounts of pasta, unseasoned boneless chicken or beef scraps, hard-boiled egg, and even sometimes Eukanuba puppy formulated canned dog food. Never do I feed him anything greasy, like bacon. Very, very bad for them.

After I stir all of this together, he no longer cares that there's dry food in there. He loves it! He's gained a good amount of muscle mass since I started this regiment, which he sorely needed.

I've been doing this for him for a couple of months. Now, I can just stir in a few carrots and a bit of water, and he thinks it's a feast. As long as he sees me in the kitchen stirring up his dog dish, he'll eat whatever is in it. As long as you stick to healthy foods, and never feed him off of your plate, it can't really hurt them. Some breeds of dogs actually do very well with a supplement of fruits and veggies.

Try mixing in some of the healthier things that she likes first, and do a half-and-half mix. Get her eating that, and then cut back on the "other" stuff a bit. I don't know if you'll ever completely get her off of "other" food without professional help, but this is at least worth a shot.

Just to be safe, since I don't know what kind of dog you have, check for breed-specific food aversions if possible, and just try one new food each time, in small amounts, to make sure there are no allergies.

Good luck to you!

Edit: One extra thought after I re-read your question... Has she ever been scolded while eating or frightened in any other way in relation to her food or her dish? That might explain her going to hide when she sniffs it. Try a different food in a different room, by herself maybe, and see if that helps as well... Just a thought.

Answer 11

Stop feeding table foods - and when she gets hungry enough she will eat.