Help! My dog won't eat his food!

I have heard it said-"Picky eaters are not born, they are created"...and I find that statement to be 100% true.

When I started feeding Teddy, my dachshund, raw he took to it right away. He ate everything without even a question. Then, one day he looked up at me like "What the heck did you just put in my bowl? I am NOT eating that!" He took one quick sniff and walked away. This was the same food he had been devouring for months. He had a variety of different meats and this was one of the mixes. I was perplexed. Was he sick? Did he not like it anymore? Did I add too much of one thing or another? None of those questions were even close to the real issue. The answer was much simpler than that.

He just wasn't hungry.

How did I figure this out? Well, after recalculating his daily intake and realizing I was off and feeding him too much I cut back his food. There must have been a time period within this food intake switch when he was really hungry, because he never again even thought twice when I put food out for him. Being a little hungry once for Teddy was enough to never put his nose up at food again. Now, he will eat absolutely anything raw I put in front of him. He will NOT eat kibble, grain, a chip dropped on the ground, anything that isn't raw, meat, or bone. He is a true carnivore and he is definitely not picky for anything raw or meaty.

Something to be noted is that some dogs fast themselves and don't want to eat everyday. If they have normal energy levels and are drinking water normally then there is nothing to be alarmed about. It is actually very natural and very healthy for a dog to self-regulate like that.

Now what if the issue is that your dog is hungry, but just won't eat what you put out for him? This is what you must do and you must be very disciplined, or else you will have a dog running you around in circles tripping over his tail!

This is the scenario: You put out your dog's food. Your dog sniffs it, maybe licks it and walks away. Leave the food out for 15 minutes. Some dogs like their food room temperature. If still untouched then put the food away until next mealtime. Between this time DO NOT feed your dog any "yummy treats", kibble, table scraps, etc. Be strong and know that you need to decide what your dog eats or you will both be living a very stressful life if he is choosing the menu.

Next mealtime put the food out again. If he does the same thing you can try to add Parmesan cheese, garlic powder, something to entice him just to realize that it is real, yummy, healthy food in front of him. Then walk away. Do not encourage him to eat. Do not praise him if he eats. And especially DO NOT throw any other nervous, concerned energy out there. Just know in your mind that your dog will not starve himself. If he is still not eating after 15 minutes, pick up the food and put it up until next mealtime. Now, if you have kibble in the house, dog treats, raw hide, anything that he knows you can feed him if he refuses for long enough, please get rid of it. Dogs are smart and if he has gotten you to give in before then he knows you most likely will again.

Keep strong and when you put the food out next mealtime you may not even have a chance to blink before it is gone. After that your dog will eat whatever you offer.

Remember you are not starving your dog; they are simply refusing to eat food that you offer. Eventually they will come around and they will definitely thank you for it!