My dog won't eat dog food without human chicken. What can I do?

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.

You may need to be a tough owner and not cave in to her desires. I would not recommend feeding any raw meat, particularly raw chicken, as the risk to her (and to you living in the house/preparing her food) for salmonella and e.coli infection is too great. You could try soaking her dry food in water or low sodium chicken broth to make it more appealing, or getting a canned food and mixing it with the dry dog kibble to make it more appetizing, or initially putting chunks of cooked chicken in with the canned food. Info from the Centers for Disease Control on raw pet food can be found here: https://www.cdc.gov/features/raw-pet-food/

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! I recommend Purina Pro Plan shredded blends chicken and rice. This specific diet is very palatable and also very good in terms of nutrition. You could also consider adding dog grade gravy to her food which may improve her appetite. Another thing you can do is add pieces of chicken to the kibble at least for now to encourage her to eat. Good luck!

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!

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.

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.

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.