Fall is filled with holiday sweets and comfort foods, and while pet owners loosen their belts, some also tend to loosen the rules when it comes to their dog eating human food. This often creates a bad habit in dogs where they become picky eaters, resulting in them eating less of their own food and expecting more of yours! Follow these three steps to curb your dog’s picky eating behavior.
Training
If you feed your dog human food often and don’t provide balanced nutrition, they can become overweight or even obese, leading to health problems down the road. Instead of feeding your pet whatever they yearn for, train them early on to value what’s in their food bowl. For puppies in a new home, we suggest:
- Feeding them on a schedule separate from your eating schedule.
- Picking up their food in between feedings if they don’t finish it and saving it for later.
- Asking our veterinarians how much food you should be serving your pet.
Substituting with Healthier Snacks
Another way to curb your dog’s desire for unhealthy or unsafe human food is by introducing healthy alternatives with their regular food. However, never change your dog’s diet without consulting our veterinarians first since certain dog breeds have specific nutritional requirements. Our veterinarians can provide accurate information about which healthy human foods are safe.
Observe Their Health
If your dog has never been a picky eater before and becomes one, there could be an underlying medical or behavioral reason. We suggest speaking with our veterinarians to determine which issue is causing their picky eating behavior.
Contact Us!
Our animal hospital is ready to serve your furry friends, no matter their zip code! You can call us directly at (956) 787-2709 to schedule an appointment or contact us online!
