My small dog only eats fried chicken. How to get her to eat dog food?

Your vet is correct that this is not a balanced diet for Chachi. Chicken and rice is fine as a short term diet when dogs have GI upset, but should not be given it as a daily diet. Your vet is also correct that you may have to starve her in order to get her to eat her dog food. I recommend offering her only a dog food. Put the food down in the morning and leave it from 15-20 minutes. It should be dog food only. Then after the 15-20 minutes, take the food away, and she gets no other food until dinner that night. This is extremely important! She needs to learn to eat what is offered to her, and giving her additional food during this time ruins that lesson. At dinner time, again put down dog food for 15-20 minutes, taking it away after that time even if she hasn't eaten it. Again, no food until breakfast the next morning. You have to be strict on this, and not give in. No more chicken and rice, dog food only. She will learn that the only food she gets is the dog food, and she will start eating it. Good luck, I hope this help!

Your dog has decided what her diet will be, but that's not her job . . . it's yours. Stop feeding her the chicken. Put regular dog food in a bowl on the floor without fuss and leave it for 15 minutes. After that time, pick it up whether she has eaten or not. Do not give her anything--no treats, snacks or human food--until her next scheduled mealtime. Then repeat the process. It may take several times for her to realize that there will be no more chicken, and that she must eat her food. Remember that you are not starving her–she is choosing not to eat. When she is hungry enough, she will. Do not give in or "feel sorry" for her. It will only make it harder to correct. She must have a nutritionally complete diet, and chicken is not sufficient.

Great question! It sounds like Chickie is being picky, and you are going to have to get tough on her. Put her food down in the morning for 15-20 minutes, then pick it up after that time even if she hasn't eaten. Then do not give her any more food until her next meal time. This is very important. No treats or human food, and prevent any access to human food. At her dinner time, put the food down for 15-20 minutes, then take it away after this time and no more food until the next morning. She will get hungry enough to eat, and it will teach her that she has to eat when her food is offered to her.

Your instincts are right on this one. It sounds like she is just a [picky eater](https://www.petcoach.co/article/my-pet-is-a-finicky-eater). Small breed dogs tend to be picky eaters, and this is accentuated when the owner gives in and feeds people food. I know it is hard, but you have to try and slowly break this habit by refusing to give her the boiled chicken and only her dog food. Most dogs can go up to 3 days without eating and most will give in within a day or two when they realize nothing else is coming and their only option is the [dog food](https://www.petcoach.co/article/what-to-look-for-when-choosing-your-pet-s-food) that is available to them. It sounds cruel, but this is the only way to break this habit. You can also make sure that you are offering highly palatable, high quality [dog food](https://www.petco.com/shop/en/petcostore/category/dog/dog-food). Typically grocery store brands are generic and low quality. Try foods like Royal Canin, Blue Buffalo, Halo, or Evo to see if these appeal to her picky nature. You can add canned food to her dry kibble to entice her to want to eat it regularly.

Dogs can be picky eaters, especially if they are given a choice of what to be picky about. I would not feed dairy products such as curd or too many fruits as this can cause digestive upset and diarrhea. If he likes chicken and rice, you can add the vitamin (or a liquid vitamin supplement to it) or even some veggies such as carrots or broccoli, however trying to get him on a balanced commercial diet is best. You'll want to put down the food for 15 m to give him a chance to eat, and then pick up whatever doesn't get eaten. While transitioning, you should not give any people foods, snacks, treats, other items, etc save for his regular meals. It may take some time, but a dog won't starve and they'll eventually try out the food. Sneaking in a little chicken or even low-sodium broth in with the food may also encourage eating in those 15 m windows.

This will likely be hard to do as Coco has been eating it her whole life. Having a little chicken mixed in with her food isn't bad for her health. You can put in some boiled white meat chicken (no bones or skin) with her food. That way, it's better than store bought deli chicken. You can also try to wean her off the chicken. Add a little less every day over the course of two weeks until she is eating the dog food only. I hope this helps.

The best thing to do is not to give her any additional food at all. No human food or treats. Given that she will eat it when she's desperate for something to eat, it shows she will eat it and she's simply being picky. Only offer her her dog food twice a day, and put the meal down for 15-20 minutes. Pick it up after that time period, even if she hasn't eaten anything. Do not give her any other food until her next meal. Once she learns she won't get any other food, she will start eating it.