My dog only eats meat. How do I get her to eat dry dog food?

Great question! I would mix the wet and dry food together, and over the course of two weeks, slowly decrease the amount of wet food and increase the amount of dry food so Maxine is eating the dry food only. Start off with 75% wet and 25% dry, and feed that for a few days. Then give her 50% wet and 50% day, feed for a couple of days. After that, give her 25% wet and 75% dry, again feeding for a couple of days. Finally, give her 100% dry, and that should encourage her to eat the dry only.

I would try mixing the dry and wet food together to see if Aira will eat that, and if she does, gradually decrease the amount of wet food you give her until she eats the dry food only. You can also try that with boiled white meat chicken (no bones). Mix it with the dry kibble, and over time gradually decrease the amount of chicken until she is eating the kibble only. I hope this helps!

Mix a teaspoon or two of canned food in with the kibble. Leave it down for 20-30 minutes before picking it up whether they have eaten or not. Repeat this at the next mealtime. Do not offer any food between meals. Be consistent, dogs thrive on routine. Be firm, they will not starve.

Picky dogs can be so frustrating! I personally am not a fan of grain free diets. The truth is, they are a marketing fad. The reality is that only 5% of dog allergies are caused by food, and of that 5%, the majority is protein related. Grain allergies are extremely rare, and I never recommend feeding a grain free food unless the dog has a proven food allergy to grains. Grains are beneficial to dogs, as it helps fill them up and keeps them satisfied for longer. I recommend switching them to a brand such as Royal Canin, Hill's Science Diet, Purina ProPlan, or Iams. Whether or not you make the switch of foods, it's time to get tough with them if you want them to eat only dry dog food. They won't starve themselves, they will eat it eventually. You just have to be strong and not give in. Start by putting their food down in the morning for 15-20 minutes, taking it away after this time period even if they haven't eaten. Then no more food until dinner time. This is extremely important, they have to learn they need to eat the dog food or they don't get anything else. At dinner time, again put their food down for 15-20 minutes, taking it away after that time even if they haven't eaten. No more food until their dog food the next morning. Do not give in to them, no meat, cheese, or raw egg on their food. They will get hungry enough to eat the dog food only as long as you stay strong. Good luck, I hope this helps!

Some dogs can be very picky, and if Brownie enjoys eating food with a little wet food mixed in, that's not a problem. Many brands of dry dog food also carry equivalent wet foods, and you can mix that in while still providing a balanced diet that is healthy for Brownie to eat. If you do add in wet food, you may just want to decrease the amount of dry food slightly to account for the increase in calories for adding extras.

I would try canned puppy food as she is young and may now be able to easily chew the dry yet. You can also soak the dry food in warm water until its soft and she may eat it that way. Mixing the canned with the rice will get her started eating dog food and you can gradually change her over to dry as she ages. Most dogs love canned food so try several varieties to see what Cloud will eat. To get proper nutrition she needs to eat dog food so she can grow and be healthy. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach to help you care for Cloud.

Having a good source of a special treat like chicken is a blessing and a curse! IT sounds like he's learned that he can hold out for the food stuff. I would recommend very intentionally, slowly increasing the amount of kibble while decreasing the amount of chicken over about 2 weeks. Wetting and warming the dry food can make it more appetizing to him as well. Make sure to shred/cut the chicken as small as possible to mix with the food. Additionally, put the food down for 15 minutes, then pick it up and offer again later (2-4 times a day). If you wet and warm the food, just throw it away and start over each time. Also for a healthy, adult dog, it's ok if he goes a day or two without eating while you're transitioning. Good luck!