My 10-month Chihuahua is picky. What dry dog food should I give?

The best dry diets are often the less palatable ones as well, in very picky dogs this can of course becomes a challenge and a problem. You may want to try Royal canin, it's not the best but it is still a good quality food, it is also very tasty for most dogs.

This can be difficult. Finicky eaters are not uncommon with small breed dogs. Fixing this depends on how stubborn both you and Freya are. A dog who is healthy will not starve themselves to the point of illness. You can pick a high-quality food, I recommend the brands Royal Canin or Purina pro plan. Offer the diet and don’t offer her anything else. It is likely she will refuse the food and may do so for a couple days but eventually she will eat. You can try adding in canned food or meal toppers, a very small amount of shredded boiled chicken or some plain brown or white rice to make it more appealing. An alternative is to look into a diet more like fresh pet or Nom Nom pet food. These will be more like meals humans eat and you may have more successful. When you have a finicky eater, it is crucial not to offer any human food or food from your plate. Treats must be minimal. I hope this helps and please feel free to post any additional questions.

The first thing you will need to determine is is Oscar is being finicky or if he is sick. Here is a link about finicky eating: https://www.petcoach.co/article/my-pet-is-a-finicky-eater/ Most puppies eat well so there is a concern that he is actually not feeling well. If there is a cause for concern for illness. If this is behavioral, my advice is to pick a high quality food and stick with it. The two brands that seem to be most palatable are Royal Canin and Purina ProPlan. Also, as long as your pet is healthy, its ok if he skips a meal. Dogs are smart and they often train humans to give them something else. Have him examined if illness or a medical cause is suspected. I hope this helps and please feel free to post any additional questions.

There is no one "best" food. Choose a diet that is easy for you to buy, that both will eat and both do well on. What they have done is train you to feed them what they want. To break this habit will require patience and consistency. If they aren't already, start a regular schedule for feeding. Dogs thrive on routine, so this should be easy for them. Prepare the meal and put it down for 30 minutes before picking up whether they have eaten or not. Repeat this at the next mealtime. Now, here is the tough part......do not feed them anything between meals. Don't worry, they will not starve. They will eat when food is presented eventually. Switching diets may lead to stomach upset and can reinforce the finicky behavior.

For picky eaters like this I usually recommend picking one high-quality dog food brand and sticking with it. This means when you feed Kacey you should put the food down for 15 minutes or so and give her the opportunity to eat it. If she does not eat in this period of time pick up the food and do not offer her any food or treats until the next meal time. If at the next meal she doesn’t eat again within 15 minutes pick up the bowl and continue this for two or three days. Eventually she will learn that she needs to eat the food you put down for her or she will go hungry. Most dogs respond to this very well and don’t let themselves go hungry. Some of the brands I recommend for high-quality dog foods are Royal Canin, Hills, Purina, Iams, and Eukanuba. I hope this helps. Best of luck. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

As long as she eats and is not losing weight, don't stress out over it. It is true that smaller breeds can be a bit more finicky. Switching foods would not be recommended as it can lead to gastrointestinal upset and reinforce her finicky nature. Instead, try mixing in a bit of warm water or a teaspoon of baby food to stimulate the appetite.

Yes! If you are buying a good dry dog food from your vet then this is all the nutrition she needs. Some dogs are grazers and prefer to nibble during the day and some dogs will eat three times a day if offered. So I am not worried about her eating only in the afternoon. This may just be her preference and her personality. As long as she eats everyday then that's good! I hope this helps!