how do u get a puppy to eat his dog food when u tried every kind?

Question

i have tried almost every kind of dry food, but he will only eat wet and dry, but when i go out of town my friends dog eats dry food so i tried pedigree mini bites and he wont eat it , they didnt have small bites like my friend has . i want to get the small bites but i have wasted over 150 on food and i dont want to keep wasting money can anyone give me advise on what i can do

Answer 1

Try pouring some syrup in it thats what i did and after a while i took away the syrup after about 3 weeks and they were eating it without syrup so try it

Answer 2

If you have a puppy I would reccommend a small bite puppy chow. You can try putting a little warm water over it to soften it. Depending on how old you puppy is his teeth may not be used to chewing hard food yet. But pick a brand and stick to it for several days. Feed your dog once in the morning and once at night. Give him about 15- 20 minutes to eat then pick the food up until next feeding time. Until he gets used to the food do not use dog treats. Your puppy will not starve to death. When he gets hungry enough he will eat. Depending on your breed and size will determine how much food he should be eating. Consult your vet for that info.

Answer 3

How old is the puppy? If he is very young, it could be that he just hasn't matured enough for dry food (esp. if he's a small dog). The key to getting him to eat dry is consistency!

I'd suggest that you pick a good food and stick with it...make sure it is intended for puppies and that the first ingredient is meat NOT corn! Pedigree is a HORRIBLE food!...in fact, almost anything you buy in a grocery store isn't a good dog food. Check out the ingredients...in Pedigree, "real meat" (promoted on the label and in ads) is actually the FIFTH ingredient after corn and wheat. Switch to a good food now and then try other methods to get him to eat that food instead of jumping from food to food! I've always had good luck with ProPlan and Nutro brands...but there are several other good foods available at PetSmart or Petco.

After you pick the food, start by adding some water and letting it sit for a while to get soft for him. If money isn't an issue, you can try one of those gourmet sauces for dogs you can get at PetSmart to make it even more attractive to him. For one meal a day (puppies need to eat more than one meal a day), you can mix the dry food with a good quality canned food.

The goal here is to get him accustomed to the taste of the food and to make it easy for him to chew it. Keep giving him the softened/enhanced food and at the same time, give him a bowl of dry food. Slowly, as he gets older, start reducing the amount of liquid you add to the food...then start adding a "dry only" meal each day. With some time and patience, your dog will learn to each dry food and love it!

You might also try adding a dog-safe treat to the bowl of food...yogurt is a good choice. A tablespoon or two of plain (unflavored) yogurt will stick to his food and force him to eat some of the dry to get all the yogurt. My dog LOVED this and would root through the bowl to make sure he got all the yogurt. With a previous dog, the breeder recommended a spoonful of cottage cheese mixed with the dry food, it worked GREAT...but I've since learned that dairy can cause gas and upset stomachs in dogs!

Answer 4

1. Iams is great. They have mini chunks and it's very healthy for him. If you keep switching it up it's confusing for the dog.

2. Mix in a little reduced fat cottage cheese in the dry food. It will make the food softer for his teeth and the extra fat is good for a puppy. You just gradually reduce the amount of cottage cheese you add over a few months until you don't add any. I would start with 2 heaping teaspoons in a 1/2 cup of food. It worked like a charm for my Shih Tzu and my Boston Terrier. My vet suggested it. We still use it when the dog is sick or has an upset tummy.

Answer 5

Some dogs just don't respond to kibble. It is generally sprayed with a chemical to make it smell appealing but I think some of our furry friends don't fall for that. You might try one of the raw food diets that are out there. Nature's Variety is one. 95% meat, 5% fruits and veggies. My pug used to graze her food throughout the day, but eats this stuff right down. It has helped my epileptic dog greatly as well, far less seizures than she used to have.

Answer 6

The best thing a dog owner can do is buy 3 books one

1) on vet med
2) on training
3) on the breed you have

This is your best help.
You will get a lot of wrong answers here-but some are good

Answer 7

just be sure to pick a good quality balanced dog food with appropriately sized kibble for your puppy and only provide this food and water. eventually the pup will be hungry and eat but be sure that you aren't filling up the puppy with extra biscuits or treats.

Answer 8

Question: why can't your friend feed him wet and dry dog food? Does it not mesh with his schedule? Oh and have you thrown the food away yet that he doesn't like? You can donate it to the humane society and at least it'll be a tax write off! Sorry I couldn't help!

Answer 9

stop switching food so much, that's teaching him to be finicky ! just be consistent and he'll eat when he's hungry enough, i promise. i have a new puppy and have the very same problem, but she's just fine, and starting to eat the food my other dogs have eaten. he won't let himself starve to death, i promise! good luck

Answer 10

the problem is you are changing food all the time.

it is much better to not use canned food. try stirring some yogurt into his food but I'd get something better than Pedigree.

you need to research dog food & get your food somewhere other than the grocery store or WM - its all garbage from either one