Some dogs can be a real pain to feed. No matter what pet food their owners put down, they are simply not interested, or if they are it’s often only a matter of time before they start turning their nose up. Fortunately there is a fairly simple remedy to this very common problem.
The main thing to remember is that dogs are not naturally fussy pets; however they are extraordinary learners. For instance, when a dog refuses food and their worried owner gives him tasty additions or exciting new foods to try and encourage him to eat; he will quickly learn that refusing food brings something good. In a dog’s mind, the process is regarded as: owner offers food, dog refuses, he gets a treat; owner offers food, dog refuses, he gets a treat.
Therefore, owners who want to stop their dog being ‘fussy’ need to remove the association between refusing food and treats. Adhering to strict meal times is essential in this respect (one or two a day is about right as it this will help to build up an appetite between meals). Owners should put the bowl down at mealtimes knowing that anything not eaten within 20 minutes can be taken up. Even if nothing gets eaten, owners must stick to their guns and make sure they don’t offer anything else.
Repeating this process at each mealtime and keeping treats down between meals will eventually cause the animal to ‘relearn’ his feeding protocol and bring the ‘fussiness’ to an end.
