Every Dog is different in their nature and behavior and so their food habits along with meal patterns. It may appear to you that dogs can eat anything and anytime but some times and some dogs are just choosy about their food. You might come across a problem where your dog is not eating dog food at all. How to get your dog to eat dog food again? They seem disinterested in eating dry dog food even if they used to eat it in the past.
Most dog owners think that their dog stopped eating dog food due to becoming bored with it or just want some changes in their diet. Well, you must know that it is not true. The fact is that dogs are capable of eating the same food again and again for really long periods of time unless it isn’t tasty. So you might be getting it all wrong. Also, if you feed too many treats to your dog, he might turn into a picky eater.
Different Ways To Get Your Dog to Eat Dog Food Again
1. Spice Things Up
Yes, it is true that repetition when it comes to dog food is not the problem but changing things might convince your dog to eat dog food again. Here are some changes you should implement into their diet:
- Canned dog food: You can mix the canned and dry dog food to change things a bit. Your dog might be mostly disinterested in dry dog food. Mixing it up will change the texture, consistency, and flavor. You can even use warm water to create a soup and add some amount of moisture to the kibbles.
- Fish Oil: Adding a bit of Omega-3 to moisten the kibbles and make it a fish flavor is a good idea. Fish is something dogs usually love not just cats. Along with that, fatty acids are good for your dog.
- Adding Veggies and Fruits: You can change their dog food by adding some veggies and fruits like shredded carrots and diced apples. Watch out though, there are many things you should never feed your dog, try to become aware of those things and avoid feeding them.
- Hand Feeding: Sometimes, the dog may want some more affection from you and that’s why he is not interested in his food. It’s like a hunger strike. You should try feeding him this way but make sure not to turn this into a habit. It would be a good idea to give some kind of prize for your dog when he finishes the dry food.
- Food Dispensing Toy: There are different toys to engage your dog while he’s eating food so he can get it down more easily. Any treat ball or Kong will be perfect for that. It even helps them get rid of boredom and do some exercise.
2. Do Not Give Your Table Food to Your Dog
If your dog is not eating the dog food because he’s just interested in what you have on your table, it might because you have started feeding him your food too often. Now they are only interested in your dining food instead of their dog food. They think they are kings now, that they can do whatever they want, eat your food, sit in your chair, sleep on your bed heck! even drive your car! Kidding, but he definitely got a bad message and now he just wants whatever you are eating.
It happens because they think that they are going to get some really tasty, exciting food, so why go for that boring dog food. Better leave place in the stomach for some hooman food.
To solve this, first, you should just stop feeding them your table food or leftovers. When they don’t get your food, they might skip some meals but don’t worry; it will be temporary. After some time, they will just realize that your food is out of the league for them now and they will go back to eating dog food again.
3. Choose Tastier Food For Your Dog
You must know that dogs also like their food to be tasty and interesting to eat. They also hold some level of preferences which you should explore and become aware of. You should give them tasty dog food to make them more excited about their meal, maybe switch brands or even food type. Put the meat at the top of the meal which is considered tastier than a non-meat meal. Don’t miss to add fresh fruits and vegetables in their meal.
4. Make Your Dog Exercise More
This one is really simple. There is no trick to it. You should just get your dog to exercise and work out more during the day. If they remain active and get tired at the end of it he will be more eager in having dog food.
Conclusion
I hope that by now you know how to get your dog to eat dog food again if he suddenly stopped doing that for no apparent reason. To sum everything up you should stop feeding your food if you’ve been doing that. Dogs have their preferences too, experiment to find out which are your dog’s and what works best for him. You can add fruits, vegetables and other things to his dry food. Also, make sure that your dog is active enough, this will increase his hunger and make him less picky.