Many dogs are very picky eaters. No matter how many delicacies they are given, the dogs will only eat one or two meals and then refuse to eat again. Some dogs are so hungry that they would rather not eat until they vomit yellow water, which makes parents very worried. , so I keep trying to switch to different flavors or brands of dog food.
Dear furry parents, instead of falling into the endless hell of "constantly changing food", you might as well first figure out the reason why your dog is picky, and then prescribe the right medicine to deal with the picky eating problem.
Possible causes of picky eating:
- Keep a long supply of food: Hong Kong furry parents are busy at work and come home irregularly, so they keep a full food bowl for their dogs before going out. Cause: Firstly, it goes bad easily, and secondly, the dog knows that there is food at any time and is not afraid of getting hungry.
- Extended feeding time: Dogs do not finish the entire meal at once. Owners often wait for the dog to eat it slowly, and wait for a longer period of time before taking it away. Result: In fact, delaying time and releasing long-term food are almost the same thing.
- Give dog food: Every time the dog doesn’t eat, Mao’s parents will give him dog food or even feed it with his hands. Result: The dog will misunderstand that skipping meals will get more attention from the owner.
- Share food often: Dog owners always share food at the same time every time they eat. Result: The dog will feel that the owner's food is also the dog's food. In addition, the food eaten by humans is seasoned, making the dog more eager to eat the owner's food.
- Giving excessive snacks: When Mao’s parents share food, they do not give it to the dog in proportion to the dog’s needs. The dog may be only 1/5 or even 1/20 of your weight, but the amount of snacks often given may already be equal to the amount that a person eats. Result: Sharing too many snacks, the dog is already full. What is overdose? For example, when a 60kg owner eats an apple, but shares 1/4 of an apple, or even half an apple compared to a dog, for a 5kg dog, half an apple is equal to 12 apples eaten by a person.
- Change flavors frequently: When the dog shows that it is not interested in a certain food, Mao’s parents will arrange new flavors. Result: Dogs give themselves more choices by not eating, and "choice" is attractive to any living creature.
To sum up, in fact, if you want to deal with the problem of picky eating in dogs, it may not be as complicated as Mao's parents think. As long as Mao's parents insist on a few "no's".
- Don’t worry about your dog being hungry (if there is water, it’s not a big problem for your dog to skip meals for a day or two occasionally)
- Don’t give too many snacks
- No, it’s better to keep turning around.
- Not good at sharing food for human consumption
- Don’t keep eating dog food
Picky eating in dogs is a "behavior" problem, and it can be changed as long as you are willing to take the time to teach it, because picky eating is actually the "behavior of the furry parents" and is the cause of the picky eating behavior problem in dogs! So all you furry parents, please come on!
Of course, certain health problems or emotional problems may cause dogs to be picky eaters, such as new environments, oral problems, gum inflammation, etc.
But if the veterinarian confirms that the dog has no health problems, then you can try the above methods and stick to the 5 "no's", and the problem will naturally be solved slowly.