Picky Eaters Got You in a Pickle?

"My dog is very picky!" is a very common complaint. We hear it all the time, and it can cause plenty of stress and frustration for both owners and their pets. Here's what we think about this issue and how you can address it:

FIRST! It's important to figure out WHY your dog is behaving this way. We've identified 3 COMMON CAUSES: DOG, FOOD, and YOU :)

Let’s start with what may be going on with your DOG.

A healthy dog should have a healthy appetite. A lack of appetite can sometimes signal something more serious than mere 'pickiness', such as:

• Mental Issues
  Stress or anxiety can cause a lack of appetite. Did your dog go through anything stressful recently? Have there been any changes in your household? If this is the case, your dog and their appetite should go back to normal once they adapt to the new conditions.

• Health Issues
  An unhealthy gut can cause a lack of appetite, but so can other factors such as liver and kidney disease, heart issues, pancreatitis, or cognitive problems to name a few... have your dog checked over with your vet if their lack of appetite carries on for too long or is severe. Once the medical issue is dealt with, their appetite should come back in due time.

Other internal factors can cause a lack of appetite as well, such as:

• Effects of Medication
  Antibiotics and other medications or treatment regimes can be stressful on the gut. Some antibiotics can also cause dry or bitter mouth, which would also decrease your dog's appetite. Postbiotics are a great way to mitigate medication-induced appetite loss as they remain effective even when taken with antibiotics.

• Environmental Stressors
  Some dogs may have trauma associated with eating food due to past events. It can be something as trivial as the food bowl being accidentally kicked while they were eating. Very sensitive dogs can develop an aversion to eating in that particular area, or with certain stressful conditions in place, such as loud noises, or other dogs or people interfering with their meals. In these cases, identifying potential stressors that occur during your dog's meals can help ensure a smoother and more enthusiastic experience.

• Dental Issues
  It's important to monitor your dog's dental health regularly; things like gum infection, cavities or even hairline fractures can be very difficult to spot, but it would have a massive effect on your dog's eating habits. It can make chewing certain foods painful, and might explain why your pet enjoys smaller treats instead of harder foods such as kibble or freeze-dried raw food. If you suspect your dog has dental issues, please do ask your vet to run a check, and possibly request x-rays of the mouth to see if there's anything wrong.

Aside from your dog, there may also be issues with the FOOD. Here are some possibilities: 

• The food has gone 'OFF'
  This means the food has spoiled, or turned rancid. This is especially common with dry kibble, as they oxidise quite quickly once the bag is opened. Although it may not smell particularly bad to you, and it can be quite difficult to tell the difference because some kibbles smell odd to begin with, but if your dog is refusing to eat their usual meals it could be because they're smelling something you can't, and that is SPOILAGE.

• There is something LACKING in the food
  If your dog is on a primarily dry diet, no matter how great the brand is, it will always lack moisture. This can cause some trouble with your dog's eating, especially if they are senior dogs or are handling pre-existing health issues. Hard, dry food can be daunting for some dogs to eat, and it might be worthwhile to consider adding a fresh-food topper such as veggies, meat, bone broth, or even greek yogurt, to help make the food more palatable and easier to digest.

NOTE: Adding fresh food to your dog's meals is a way for you to improve the overall quality of your pet's nutrition and digestion, and it should be done consistently and without any fuss. Dogs can get bored with the same food every day too, and variety is a good idea both in terms of mental stimulation and a more comprehensive nutritional profile. It should NOT be used as a means of bribery to make your pet eat their 'regular food'. This will backfire and encourage your pet's pickiness instead. 

Finally, the third and most important cause of picky eating habits is YOU. As pet parents, we've all done things with our pets that have had unintended consequences, and meal-time mistakes are amongst the most common. Here are some factors you may want to review:

• Offering your dog treats/meal alternatives when they don't eat
  As mentioned, this can 'train' your dog into thinking that not eating their offered meals will always result in a more scrumptious treat as a reward. Think of it as using the command to WAIT when you place a treat in front of them, and then rewarding them with treat once they've waited your desired amount of time. To your dog, there may not be any discernible difference between the two exercises.

• Giving your dog human food leftovers from the dinner table
  While we encourage all owners to give their dogs fresh human-grade food that you prepare yourself, it's NOT a good idea to feed them your scraps from the dinner table. For one, food cooked for humans contains all kinds of flavouring and seasoning that can easily 'spoil' a dog's tastebuds. It also encourages a deviation from their specific meal times and where and how their meals take place. Even if all the ingredients are perfectly safe for them to consume, you are inadvertently teaching them bad eating habits when it comes to meal times and food.

• Hand-feeding your dog their dinner and pleading with them to eat
  This is a very common strategy pet parents use when their dog doesn't eat. The thing is, it mostly has the opposite effect. Think about it, what is the thing your pet possibly loves more than food? YOU! Your pet loves YOU! And they'll do anything to get more attention, engagement and affection from you, which includes not eating.

• Getting frustrated and impatient with your dog during meal times
  This is something many pet parents will have to go through, especially if medication is involved. Given that pets often have to take medication with their food, it can be challenging to convince your pet to eat. Things get even more stressful when your pet is ill to begin with, and eating is the only way they'll get better. Trust us, we feel your pain. It's important to remember, your dog loves you and can read you VERY VERY WELL. They can tell when you're stressed, anxious and unhappy. And when you engage with them in that state, you can cause THEM to be stressed, anxious and unhappy. And none of those things are good for the appetite. In these cases, take the time to centre yourself and calm down before engaging with your pet and feeding them. 

Much of our pet's undesirable behaviours, including pickiness and meal-time drama, stem from our own repeated actions. It's important to review how you may be contributing to the problem rather than helping solve it. Remember, your dog is not trying to be stubborn, or difficult. They're doing their best, so that means we should too. Review your dog, your dog's food, and lastly, your own behaviour.

Here are some tips if you are like us and have been guilty of encouraging unhealthy eating habits:

• Take up your dog's meals after a set period of time. If they don't eat after 20 minutes, take it up. Offer it to them again after 10 minutes, and wait again. If they still don't eat it after another 20 minutes, keep away the food and don't feed until the next meal time. No treats! No need for scolding either, just be cool and take up the food. Make sure everyone in the home is on board with the idea; no cheating!

• Don't give your dog too much attention during meal times; if your dog is anxious, stay around and let them know you're close, but don't follow them around, give them too much eye contact or engage them directly. Praise them when they are doing good and eating well, but they should be able to focus on eating, not on you.

• Try shifting their eating area, or changing aspects of their eating environment. For example, Toby was a super sensitive dog when it came to meals. We realized that his bowl stand was too unstable for his liking, so we swapped it out with a more stable one and he started eating better. We also realized that putting his bowls next to the doorway stressed him out because of doors closing and opening, so we shifted his eating space. Similarly, Lexie is a nervous eater, so when giving her chews or things she needs to spend time on, we make sure she gets to be alone by herself and not be bothered too much by other dogs and humans.

• Be CONSISTENT! Dogs are creatures of habit, and they need to know what is expected of them and be rewarded for performing consistently. Schedule their meal times in specific places and timings where possible. Be consistent with your cues to eat, and your encouragement. Don't deviate unless absolutely necessary. Meal times are meal times, treat times are treat times. Baby steps towards consistency will pay huge dividends when it comes to forming good habits. 

And that's all folks! We hope this gives you some food for thought when it comes to the perennial problem of picky eaters.