How do I get my dog to eat dry kibble?

Katerbear B
#1. October 12th, 2007, at 6:53 AM.

Start by mixing the dry and canned food together and feeding it to her, then slowly put in less and less canned food until she eats only the dry food.

If this doesn’t work try adding water to the dry kibble or some yogurt or human food that the dog can eat into the food to encourage her to eat it.

Good luck!

stevie
#2. October 13th, 2007, at 12:01 PM.

Give her the dry food and then put a little of the canned food on top of it- it worked for me. Good luck!

Scarlett
#3. October 16th, 2007, at 3:42 PM.

try at first putting some water on it and then reduce the water day by day and then put treats on top ( her fav kind) maybe she’ll eat it out of your hand

Shay R
#4. October 17th, 2007, at 7:17 PM.

My dog had the same problem - she got used to the good stuff. Is your dog on a regular feeding schedule? Are you feeding her the right amount?

Dog’s won’t starve themselves. Period. So if you’re certain that you want to cut the canned stuff then just do so. Put out the kibble instead of the canned food when you feed her. Once she realizes that she isn’t getting the canned food she’ll start eating the kibble.

If you’re worried about her then add a little water to the kibble so it softens it. Or mix a little bit of canned with the kibble. It’s best to just cut it completely or she may eat around the kibble.

Good luck and remember that a dog wont starve themselves if food is made available.

Red Rover
#5. October 18th, 2007, at 2:57 AM.

Well, pet shops sell these freeze-dried liver treats. If you ask a sales associate, they’ll probably tell you where they have it. I just hammer them down into powder and sprinkle it onto my dog’s food. The smell is appealing and it’s pretty flavorful. Also, Petco sells these things called “Mixables.” They don’t have much nutritional value, but luckily they’re cheap and come in small packets. Just do that for a while and begin to use less and less until she doesn’t notice anymore. Anyway, she’ll eat eventually.

Upnorthgal40
#6. October 21st, 2007, at 7:21 AM.

Try the old trick of mixing dry into canned to see if she will eat that. If she doesn’t get her on a low calorie diet to reduce her weight. It will greatly reduce any unwanted heath risks associated with being an overweight pet such as kidney failure,diabetes. thes are just a few things that could go wrong. She sounds healthy enough just getting a bit heavy. If you have any questions about which diet would be appropriate for a small breed then call your vet clinic and they give you some recommendations and they an cost alot more than your normal dog food.

fredfreak6
#7. October 23rd, 2007, at 2:53 PM.

i have the same problem with my dog but once i tried this he eats on his own:
get a pack of wet food-i use ‘ceasar, my dog loves it!-and cut it up into bits and mix it with their food

or you can cut up canned green beans, peppers or any veggies…no veggies wont hurt them

flowergardener
#8. October 26th, 2007, at 8:03 PM.

You done spoiled that little dog girl! It’s a matter of ‘wills’. She knows that you’ll give in, so that’s why she won’t touch the dry stuff when you leave it out for days.

Let’s put it this way………if she’s really hungry, she’ll eat.
And since she’s already overweight, I’d recommend a ’stand-off’ of wills with her.

Do you have any idea of all the harmful stuff that is in canned dog food?

Since she’s a little dog, I’d recommend getting a high quality organic dog food (they’re available in cans and dry); and waiting her out till she’s hungry.

I have 3 dogs, 1 large, 1 medium, and 1 small. They get a high quality dry food mixed with water (gravy) every day. Every other day they share 1 can of premium organic dog food.

dogmom1971
#9. October 29th, 2007, at 7:29 AM.

you may want to have her teeth checked by the vet. it could just feel better to eat the soft stuff if she has dental issues. she won’t let herself starve to death. try to mix a very small amount of wet with the dry and back it off until it is all dry. if she still won’t eat it just put the dry down and leave it until she eats it. she won’t let herself starve. also cut out treats during this time.

T H
#10. October 31st, 2007, at 1:07 PM.

My dog is the same way sometimes….but not from canned dog food. My husband likes to sneak table food to her and then she won’t eat her dry dog food.

The best advice that I have ever heard and follow myself is this……we make picky dogs. Dogs don’t become picky all by themselves…lol! Dogs will also eat when they are hungry. So that being said, I would put the dry dog food out for her and not give her any treats, canned dog food or anything else for as long as it takes. This is going to be tougher for you to do than for her. It might take her a few days to figure out that she isn’t going to get anything else to eat. But she will eventually eat the dry dog food…..no matter what kind it is. You say she is over weight, so in the long run you will be doing yourself and her a favor by switching totally to one kind of dry doog food AND STICKING WITH JUST THAT KIND. When she is eating her food every day, start introducing a treat or two here and there but not all the time. Also, it would be wise of you to measure out her dog food and only give her so much a day to help with her weight problem.

Another thing you might want to do before you try my tough love approach is to take her to the vet and have her teeth cleaned and checked. One of two things could be happening….one is she may have teeth problems and that is why she is only wanting the canned food because it is easy to chew….or two, she is just too lazy to chew her food and only wants canned dog food.

I will probable get some thumbs down for my answer but I only use the tough love approach because I over feed a cat for about 11 years and he became a diabetic. I had to give him shots of insulin every day and I eventually had to have him put to sleep. It was awful. So if you have an animal that is over weight and you love them, put them on a diet and stick to it. Food doesn’t equal happiness.

Apacapacas
#11. November 1st, 2007, at 7:19 PM.

For one week, measure out 3/4 of her meal from the canned food and 1/4 of her meal from the kibble, and mix it all together thoroughly. It’s better (if messier) if you mix it by hand, because then your scent will be on the food and the dog will know her leader prepared it for her. The second week, measure out 1/2 her meal in canned food and 1/2 in kibble, and mix it all together thoroughly. The third week, measure out 1/4 of her meal in canned food and 3/4 in kibble and mix it all together thoroughly. The fourth week, measure her kibble. Add a little water and mix it up. Don’t add too much water, though - you want to make a sort of gravy, not a soup! After the gravy has formed, add 1 tablespoon of the canned food and mix it all together thoroughly. The fifth week, just do the kibble and water - no canned food. The sixth week and thereafter, try giving her the dry kibble. She may not want it, and if that happens, go back to making a gravy for her with just her kibble. Each week, use a smaller amount of water until you’re just moistening the kibble.

When you’re doing this, remember what happened when you gave her canned food as a treat. Dogs are manipulators, and they’ll do what they can to make you feel guilty about not giving them whatever they want. But remember that feral dogs - wild dogs - eat only once every 3 or 4 days - and then they gorge themselves. If your dog goes 3 or 4 days without eating, it won’t hurt her (and if she’s overweight, it might even help her!). Just don’t give in ever again, and soon she’ll learn that she has to eat what you provide for her.

By the way… don’t let her get started on human food or you’ll have the same problem!

Put her food down on the floor and walk away. Come back 15 minutes later. If she hasn’t eaten, just pick up the food and refrigerate it or throw it away. DON’T leave the food there all day for her - she’ll know you don’t really mean business and that she can outwait you. Dogs are pretty smart little critters, and they know humans a lot better than humans know dogs!