My new dog won't eat her food, only human food. How can I help?

Congrats on your new dog, but I'm sorry Marley is causing you some problems! It sounds like he is being difficult about eating, and you need to be tough with him. Good on you for recognizing that he shouldn't have human food and not giving it to him. You need to start him on a feeding schedule. Put down his food in the morning for 15-20 minutes, then take it away until his next feeding time. It's very important that he gets no other food during this time. No treats or human food. At dinner time, again put his food down and leave it for 15-20 minutes. Take it away after that time even if he hasn't eaten. The goal of this is to teach him that he needs to eat when he's given food. He will learn to do this once he gets hungry. I hope this helps!

It is your job to decide what Zoe's diet will be . . . not hers. It is good that you are not giving her human food. 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 this is her dinner, and that she must eat the food that's in front of her. Try settling on one food brand and sticking with it, as frequent changes may be upsetting her stomach. This could be part of why she doesn't eat. Remember that you are not starving her–she is choosing not to eat. This is a battle of wills. When she is hungry enough, she’ll give in and eat, and your problem will be solved. Do not weaken or "feel sorry" for her. It will only make it harder to correct.

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.

It sounds like Bella is being picky about her food. First off, have a health check with the vet to make everything is ok health wise. If she is healthy, then I would say it's time to get tough with her. Give her the bowl of dog food in the morning and leave it down for 15-20 minutes. Make sure it is just dog food, no peanut butter, chicken, coconut oil, etc. After this time period, take her food away even if she hasn't eaten. This next part is very important. Do NOT give her any other food at all until her next meal time at dinner. NOTHING. No treats, human food, etc. She needs to learn she only gets dog food to eat. At dinner time, put down her bowl with dog food only in it and leave it for 15-20 minutes. Again pick it up after that time even if she hasn't eaten. Again no more food until breakfast the next morning. You are teaching her that she has to eat when given her dog food or else she gets nothing. She will get hungry enough that she will eat her dog food. Good luck, I hope this helps!

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!

This is a common problem in small breed dogs. They can be stubborn when it comes to dry food. I would stop offering her milk as this can upset her tummy. You could mix in some canned food or boiled chicken with her dry food to see if this helps to entice her to eat. If so, slowly start to decrease the canned food until she is just on dry food. And you may have to just be more stubborn than her. If she is continuously refusing the eat or not acting right then I would take her to your vet to ensure everything is okay. If she is skipping meals and she weighs less than 5 pounds then I would supplement her with nutrical (high calorie vitamin supplement) to help prevent her blood sugar from becoming too low. I hope this helps!

That's not healthy! Not only does it not provide the nutrients California needs, that much fat can lead to pancreatitis. She should be eating dog food only. You are going to have to get touch with her. Put her dog food down in the morning, and leave it for 15-20 minutes. After that, pick up the food even if she hasn't eaten. This next part is very important: do NOT give her any other food. No human food, treats, nothing until her dinner time. At dinner time, put down her bowl of dog food, leave it for 15-20 minutes, then pick it up. Again, no more food until breakfast. This will teach her she has to eat when given dog food, and that she will only be given dog food. She will get hungry enough to eat it.