{"id":7062054,"date":"2026-09-20T12:07:26","date_gmt":"2026-09-20T12:07:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/peraltafinancing.com\/uncategorized\/get-a-picky-dog-to-eat-hint-think-fomo\/"},"modified":"2026-09-20T12:07:26","modified_gmt":"2026-09-20T12:07:26","slug":"get-a-picky-dog-to-eat-hint-think-fomo","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/?p=7062054","title":{"rendered":"Get A Picky Dog To Eat (Hint: Think FOMO)"},"content":{"rendered":"


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Charles Deluvio via Unsplash<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Coaxing A Picky Dog To Eat (#5 Will Surprise You!)<\/h3>\n

If you\u2019ve stopped to read this, you\u2019re on a quest to get a picky dog to eat. We\u2019ve been where you are: we\u2019ve made all the mistakes, tried all the foods, and felt all the feels that accompany being a dog mom whose pup seems bent on starving herself. Maybe your small dog has been picky since the day you brought him home. Or maybe, a mere three weeks into gobbling up that expensive subscription diet you just signed up for, your fur kid suddenly rejects what she once devoured. And you? You\u2019re left with a freezer full of food you can\u2019t really give away. <\/span><\/p>\n

So let\u2019s rethink this. We\u2019ve found some clever, workable solutions that not only might convince your pups to eat, but can also enhance the bond you share <\/span>and<\/b> improve their manners. <\/span><\/p>\n

(<\/span>Note: This post may contain affiliate links for your shopping convenience and to help support our work. <\/span><\/i> As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases. <\/span><\/i>The non-Amazon links are not affiliate, but they\u2019re there because we want you to have quick access to products we believe in or are interested in regardless of whether we earn a commission. Our full disclosure, disclaimer, and copyright notices are found <\/span><\/i>here<\/span><\/i><\/a>. )<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

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Step 1: Obviously, Rule Out Medical Issues<\/b><\/h2>\n<\/blockquote>\n
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By Ani Kolleshi via Unsplash<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

We feel pretty ridiculous including this, because if you call yourself a dog mom, read dog blogs, and stress over your pup, you don\u2019t need to be told: ALWAYS RULE OUT MEDICAL ISSUES FIRST. <\/span><\/p>\n

Having said that, we know sometimes it\u2019s tempting to \u201cwait and see.\u201d But if your small dog is suddenly off her food, you can\u2019t really wait. Or see. Your fur kid might have a contagious parasite or a life-threatening blockage or something else dire we can\u2019t think of right now. Call your vet, grab poop and urine samples if you can, and get your pup in for a check-up. Hopefully, you\u2019ll be told it\u2019s not something immediately dangerous. But, you may discover your small dog has a food allergy or sensitivity that\u2019s interfering with their digestion. If they know they\u2019re going to feel sick after eating, they\u2019re not going to eat. Your vet, and only your vet, can help you rule out serious physical issues.<\/span><\/p>\n

Thus, although we\u2019ve listed \u201crule out medical issues\u201d as number 6, it should nevertheless always be your number 1 step. But you knew that. OK. Now that we\u2019re sure there\u2019s nothing medically wrong, let\u2019s explore ways to get a picky dog to eat. <\/span><\/p>\n

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Step 2: Try a Six or Twelve-Hour Food Fast<\/b><\/h2>\n<\/blockquote>\n
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Benjamin Voros via Unsplash<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Sometimes, especially if feeding time has become stressful, with you begging your pup to eat and him looking at you like you\u2019re offering him rocks for dinner, a short fast can break a behavioral pattern for both of you.<\/span><\/p>\n

Before trying this technique, though, be sure you ask your vet (when you\u2019re in for the checkup above) if it\u2019s ok for you occasionally to reboot things with a short six or twelve-hour fast. It\u2019s so important to ask, because for some <\/span><\/i>very <\/i><\/b>small toy breeds fasting is dangerous. <\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

But, for many adult small breed dogs, it\u2019s often a good idea simply to give a picky pup a brief break from food and treats. Offer plenty of water and broth and give them a six or twelve-hour period before offering their meal again. This method of mini-fasting has worked well for us when the dogs (or I) slip back into dysfunctional mealtime habits. <\/span><\/p>\n

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Step 3: Switch Up Their Meal Dishes<\/h2>\n<\/blockquote>\n
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Meg Hna via Unsplash<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Occasionally, the dogs get weirded out by something we\u2019ve put in their food dish. They loathe banana, certain varieties of apple, and oatmeal, for example. If we\u2019ve tried slipping in any offending food, they apparently assume the dish it was on is polluted as well. In a case of mistaken identity, they blame the dish and walk away from their next<\/em><\/strong> meal, even though it\u2019s not \u201ccontaminated\u201d with whatever healthy thing we\u2019ve tried feeding them. And sometimes, they get bored. They really do. They see the same old, same old dish coming at them, and they walk away before we\u2019ve set it down. <\/span><\/p>\n

So now, we have a collection of small plates we rotate, along with shallow bowls as well. They\u2019re all glass or ceramic. Aside from the slow feeders we talk about below, we don\u2019t use plastic, both because it can retain odors and because we try to avoid plastic where we can. In your quest to get YOUR picky dog to eat, try mixing up their serving dishes. An added bonus here is that you\u2019ll be sure to put their dishes in the dishwasher every day. <\/span><\/p>\n

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Step 4: Move Their Dinner Plates to the Dinner Table<\/b><\/span><\/h2>\n<\/blockquote>\n

\"\"Ok, not ON the dinner table, obviously (though Scout would be game \u2013 she climbs up every time we leave a chair out of place), but definitely try serving their meals in the same room and at the same time you\u2019re eating yours. Many small dogs, especially companion breeds like Havanese, Cotons, Yorkies, and Shih Tzu, see eating as a community event. <\/span><\/p>\n

It\u2019s not that they\u2019re picky\u2026they\u2019re particular. They want to be eating when you eat, or at the very least, they want to be eating in your presence. Some Havies are known to pick up bits of their dinner and carry it to wherever their mom or dad is sitting. Scout often does that with her dehydrated raw. We are grateful to her for eating her fresh food from her plate. Otherwise, that could get messy.<\/span><\/p>\n

Try an adjustment and make your meal times theirs. See if that does the trick. <\/span><\/p>\n

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Step 5: Slow Feeders and Puzzles\u2013FOMO in action<\/b><\/h2>\n<\/blockquote>\n

We can hear you from here. You\u2019re thinking: \u201cslow feeders?? Am I in the wrong article? Slow feeders are for dogs who wolf their food.\u201d <\/span><\/p>\n

Bear with us, friends. We thought the same thing. We did, that is, until we remembered how much fun the girls used to have with the doggie puzzles we use for brain exercises. If they had that much fun with a handful of treats, why not use the puzzles to feed them half their meals in a way that made them work for it? \"\" <\/span><\/p>\n

The verdict? No more disinterest in food, and no more cajoling them to eat! Well, 95% of the time, that is. <\/span><\/p>\n

\"Blue-hued<\/a>\"\"It seems crazy that the same food they walk away from if we pour it in a dish, they\u2019ll snuffle after with glee if it\u2019s hidden away from them. If that\u2019s not FOMO, we don\u2019t know what is. So yes, we let their food play hard to get, and suddenly that meal looks marvelous. <\/span><\/p>\n

Since the puzzles worked so well, we took a shot at slow feeders.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"Fuchsia<\/a>We now rotate in the colorful maze bowls, so the pups don\u2019t get bored with foraging for their food. While we can\u2019t in good conscience argue that our Havanese are channeling their inner wolf, these brilliant little creatures clearly relish working for their meals. We think the idea might work for yours as well. <\/span><\/p>\n

Which leads us to our final tip for getting a picky dog to eat. <\/span><\/p>\n

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You Can Find Our Favorite Food Puzzles in our Things We Love: Small Dog Toys<\/a> page and the Slo-Feeder in our Things We Love: Small Dog Nutrition page.<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

Tip 1: Replace A Meal with Training<\/span><\/h5>\n

Several times a week, when we know we\u2019ll have time, we measure the pups\u2019 freeze-dried raw food<\/a> into food safe containers. Or, if we\u2019re wearing our old comfy jeans, we just toss the food into our pockets. Throughout the morning, the pups and I have fun with impromptu mini-sessions. We ask them for a quick \u201cdown\u201d here or a sudden \u201chigh five\u201d there. We have races to see who responds to \u201chere\u201d first. And then there\u2019s Scout\u2019s personal favorite: impersonating a toddler by walking on two legs. (See picture, below).<\/span><\/p>\n

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Scout As Toddler<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Now, if we\u2019d put that same food down on a regular plate, there\u2019s a 50\/50 chance they\u2019d have looked at it and then turned away with the ennui rivaling the snobbiest <\/span>Bridgerton <\/span><\/i>character. But, when this same food is in our pockets and not laid out for them to reject, suddenly they\u2019re paying us rapt attention. And, before we know it, their breakfast is devoured and their manners polished!<\/span><\/p>\n

That\u2019s it! Our six tips for getting a picky dog to eat, and not one of them involves the actual food you feed your pups. In another post, we\u2019ll share our experiences with the 90 days we spent trying no less than 12 different dog foods. When we stopped changing the food, we realized it wasn\u2019t about the food.<\/strong> It was about their attitudes surrounding<\/em><\/strong> what they ate. Isn\u2019t that the case with humans as well? <\/span><\/p>\n

(<\/span>Note: This post may contain affiliate links for your shopping convenience and to help support our work. <\/span><\/i> As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases. Any<\/span><\/i> non-Amazon links are not affiliate, but they\u2019re there because we want you to have quick access to products we believe in or are interested in regardless of whether we earn a commission. Our full disclosure, disclaimer, and copyright notices are found <\/span><\/i>here<\/span><\/i><\/a>. )<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n<\/div>\n