Dog won't eat unless I add egg. How to break this picky eating habit?

Hi, thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Goodness Paddy is super cute! I would cut out the egg. We want growing puppies to eat the puppy food and get the nutrients they need. Dogs are smart and will pick out the parts they want. If you want to add egg to the diet do it less often (1-2 times per week). I think 3 times a day feeding is as much as you should do and I would only do it until 12-14 weeks of age then do twice s day feeding. From your pictures he looks to be a healthy weight. You can add water or a little bit of canned puppy food to the dry to encourage him to eat it. He also may not need as much as you are offering. The bag is good place to find out how much to feed but if the puppy is to think give more or too fat give less. I wish you all the best!

Hi there! Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! There are a few things you can do to make his food more palatable while he gets used to it. For example, you may add low sodium chicken broth, veterinary approved gravy which you can get at your pet store or pieces of boiled chicken to it. Good luck!

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.

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! There is really nothing you need to do. You can feed cooked eggs to dogs. This may cause gastrointestinal upset to some dogs but for the most part it is well-tolerated. Best of luck!

I can certainly understand how this could be a concern for you! To get Mogly back on his dog food, you can try mixing it with the boiled chicken, but if he picks out the chicken only and leaves the dog food, you are going to have to get strict with him. Feed him only dog food, and put his food out for 20 minutes maximum. Give him no other food. After 20 minutes, take the food away until the next meal time. Do not give him any addition food at all, no treats or human food. Put the food down as his next meal time, and give him 20 minutes to eat it. Mogly should be hungry enough that he will eat it. If he doesn't take it away after 20 minutes, and don't feed him again until tomorrow morning. A healthy dog will not starve themselves for more than three days. It's very important to make sure you only offer him the dog food and nothing else, and this should help stop him from being picky and back eating his dog food.

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! This is likely behavioral at this point. Meaning that he knows that you will get another food in a little bit if he does not eat that one. I would stick to one. If he skips dinner or breakfast that is fine and is unlikely to become an actual issue. You can add chicken broth, dog grade gravy, ham, among other things to his kibble to make it more palatable but I would recommend you stick to one diet and see how that goes. Eventually he will learn that he has to eat it. Best of luck!

Hi there and thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach to address your concern. Some male dogs do not lift their leg to urinate so this may be normal for Max. As for the appetite, if you haven't tried canned food I would give this a try or adding cooked chicken breast and chicken broth to the dog food. If he still does not want to eat I would talk to your veterinarian about having his blood tested just to make sure everything is normal. I hope this helps guide you in the right direction. Please let me know if you have any other questions or concerns and I would be more than happy to help you further.