My dog's previous owners fed him table food, now he won't eat dog food. what kind of dog food should i start

Question

He is a min-pinscher mixed with chiuahua. He is 8lbs.

I've been feeding him hotdogs since I've had him (1mth)

Answer 1

what i did with my dog was slowly ween her off of people food.i would mix rice cooked in beef broth in with a dry food.i would slowly put less and less of the rice mixture until she ate only dry food.sometimes she gets can dog food for a treat.
changing their diet can sometimes cause stomach problems,so don't do it too fast.

Answer 2

How long have you had the dog?

If the dog has never had any kind of dog food, it may just not look or smell like "food" to him. In order to get him used to dog food, you're going to have to set a strict feeding schedule and stick to it.

Set a time to feed him his 2 meals a day. Always feed at the same time by putting some food into his bowl, placing the bowl down, and leaving the bowl with him for no longer than 15 minutes. After 15 minutes, pick up the bowl and put it away - even if he has not eaten!

Dogs will not "starve" themselves. They come to get used to the schedule and he will eventually eat on schedule. However, don't feed him between feedings - no table scraps, treats, etc. - while you're getting him used to a feeding schedule and a dog food.

You should purchase and feed a QUALITY food - one that does not contain mainly fillers (corn, wheat, rice, etc.) like the ones you see at the grocery store. You can learn more about how to read dog food labels and find a quality food at the Dog Food Project website - http://www.dogfoodproject.com/

Some good foods you can get at Petsmart or Petco are Nature's Variety and Blue Buffalo. Keep away from foods that do a lot of advertising like Beneful, Eukanuba, Iams, etc. as most of them are using extremely cheap ingredients and loads of fillers.

Since your dog is a picky eater, you can try to make the food more "appealing". For example, you can microwave dry food for a few seconds to release a strong odor (it stinks!) which helps entice picky eaters. You can also mix in plain yogurt. Yogurt aids the digestion and most dogs really like it.

Hot dogs are (obviously) not balanced nutrition, especially not for a growing dogs. Dogs need balanced nutrition just like people do.

Answer 3

Any time my dog has had diarrhea or stomach issues, we have fed them cooked white rice. You can make a whole pan full and refrigerate for several days. Try mixing rice into their food for awhile and then slowly wean them off to make their dog food more like people food. Also, as others said, make sure your dog food is not the el cheapo stuff. Cheap foods have corn meal as their first ingredient, which dogs cannot digest. To compensate, the label tells you to feed them more. Result, they just poop more. I say this because a higher quality dog food with meat as the first ingredient will be more appetizing. I do not feel slaving over a hot stove with fresh meats and vegetables is realistic for every dog owner. If a person has the time and energy to do that, great. After researching foods for ourselves, we settled on Authority dog food. Cheaper than the higher end foods with equal health benefits. We fed our dog dry Authority from puppyhood until her last breath. She loved it and people always commented on how healthy she looked. We recently put her down for old age issues, but considering her age, she was much healthier than most 15 year old dogs, and I feel she would have lived several more years had we not decided it was time. Until about a year ago, she was in perfect health. Find a quality dog food comparable, and the dog will eat once it gets hungry enough. Don't give in to the urge to supplement with table scraps or you will never rid your dog of this unhealthy habit. Just give it time, any dog would prefer glorious table scraps over dry dog food. As any kid would prefer candy over broccoli, but us parents cannot let that dictate what we feed them.

Answer 4

well you should'nt have done that but i can't talk i did the samething ; ) lol what i had to do was go to walmart and there is this food in a very small box is has a puppy on the front i think he is a yorkshire but i'm not sure i know the price is like 98 cents sort of expensive 4 one serving i know but mix it in with dog food for the first week then 3 times a week then start doing it once a week it really works!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! well i hope this helped !!!!!!!!!!!!!! =]

Answer 5

Can food most resembles table food. You may have to put a little seasoning on it or mix in a few vegetables to get him started and then slowly cut back. Then you can start mixing in some dry food and slowly get him to straight dry food if you want.

Answer 6

Try mixing dog food with table food and if u want slowly satrt putting less and less table food.

Answer 7

Iams makes "gravy" to put onto dry kibble which makes it more appealing. If you are worried about weight gain, try some low sodium beef or chicken broth sprinkled on top.

Answer 8

Start with Canidae and stick with it. It's of great quality and dogs love the taste of it.