Why won't my dog eat his kibble but begs for human food and treats?

Hi and thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! If Oberon isn't vomiting or having diarrhea, I would withhold food from him for 12 hours. He may be nauseous. If he is still refusing food after 12 hours I would take him to a vet for a thorough physical exam to find out why. Good luck and kisses to Oberon!

Hi, thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Causes of a decrease in appetite are: intestinal parasites, viral or bacterial infection, he ate something gross that is upsetting his stomach, he ate something that is stuck, food allergy/intolerance, Inflammatory Bowel disease, Addison's disease, new treat/food/table food. Sometimes this can be behavioral as well, he is waiting for something better like the Pedigree. If there is not other symptoms like vomiting, diarrhea, or lethargy then that is likely the problem. If you recently got a new bag of his food the company may have changed the formula or there is a issue with that bag of food. If you really don't want to feed him Pedigree then hold your ground. Offer his normal food, you can add water to it to make it more tempting, and if he doesn't eat it then pick it up. Do not offer treats or any other food and then he is not fed again until his next meal time. You can also consider feeding him once daily. If he is otherwise sick, please repost with his symptoms and we will provide advice. I hope this helps and I wish you and Puku the best!

Tua likely prefers the treats and other food over the dry food. I recommend reducing the bones/meats/treats during the day to get him to eat his dry food. This is to ensure he's getting balanced minerals and vitamins as treats are not meant for maintenance food for dogs unlike formulated dry food.

It is best not give him human food at all. If he begs while you are eating put him in a different room or outside so he can't beg. Remove the opportunity. Feed him at the same time you are eating but in a different room or outside as stated above. Once you are done eating you can let him in and if he hasn't eaten his food then pick it up and then give it to him again at his next meal. He will not starve himself to death. Eventually he will eat his food once he realizes you are not going to give in. He is training you instead of the other way around. Coco is very young to be already starting this behavior. You need to stop it now before it becomes a habit that going to be even more difficult to break. Dogs do not need to eat human food ever. They should only be eating dog food.

I would give it a bit more time to see if he goes back to eating normally. In the meantime you may want to try giving him a probiotic just in case his stomach/intestines are bit uneasy. I recommend Fortiflora - it is by far the best probiotic. I would give him this for two weeks minimum even if he goes back to eating all his food in a day or two. https://www.chewy.com/purina-pro-plan-veterinary-diets/dp/50029 If no improvement in about a week I would say to take him to the vet. As a side note, I have no issue with people making home-cooked food but it is not balanced for a dog (ie: minerals and nutrients that a dog needs). You really need to get that sorted out. I recommend you contact this website: https://secure.balanceit.com/ They will help you formulate a good home-cooked diet and you will need to get their supplements (which are very good) to balance the diet. This website is made by a veterinary nutritionist. Vitamin and mineral deficiency can cause GI issues as well as many other problems. Hope this helps. Best wishes.

It's hard to know the cause since Bheem can't talk. It's possible he doesn't feel good. It's also possible it's related to heat or that he is bored of the food. Certainly monitor him very closely to make sure you do no see signs of illness such as vomiting, diarrhea, lethargy or other signs of illness. You may try feeding him a bland diet for 48 hours to see if this helps. A bland diet can consist of 25% boiled plain white meat chicken and 75% plain boiled white rice. Try to make sure the house stays cool and offer him food at the cooler times of the day. It the behavior continues beyond 48 hours or if he gets worse, have him examined by his veterinarian. I hope Bheem starts feeling better quickly! Please feel free to post any additional questions!

Thank you for contacting Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach with your question about Riley. It sounds like he may be acting picky. I would put his food down in the morning for breakfast and leave it there for 15-20 minutes. After this time, pick up the food even if he hasn't eaten it. Do NOT give him any other food. This is very important. No treats, human food, nothing. He needs to learn that he has to eat when you give him food, and he won't get anything else. At dinnertime, put his food down again for 15-20 minutes, picking it up after that time. No more food until breakfast the next morning. He will get hungry enough to eat. I hope this helps!