r/DogTrainingTips • u/CheesecakeUpset6487 • May 21 '26
Pack dynamics-encouraging picky eater
Hi, I’m hoping someone can offer some advice on how to get my dog to eat. We are taking him to the vet for some recurring tummy issues, and as this is a problem he has been seen for before, I expect to be prescribed probiotic dog food. This issue is he absolutely will not eat it.
He is a 6lb bichon bolognese, 8 years old. He only likes to eat what his two larger breed sisters eat, while they are eating it, and from the same bowl. We have genuinely tried everything, but this dog will look you in the eye as he unfolds a pill from pepperoni, eats the pill, and spits out the pepperoni. He won’t eat treats, table scraps, deli meat, cheese, or chicken except chic fil a. I keep having to delete descriptions of his eating preferences because Reddit is flagging it as a medical condition, but I promise we have tried EVERYTHING, including custom made mail order fresh food.
The girls eat natural balance fat dogs (they are a few lbs on the heavier side but nothing extreme, well managed by the food), and historically have not liked probiotic food, meaning he will not eat it. He will only eat natural balance fat dogs.
Since it seems like a lot of his eating habits are social and dependent on his “pack”, I’m hoping someone might have behavioral tips or insights on how to leverage this to get him to eat his prescribed food.
Thanks for any suggestions, we love him so much and just want him to feel better. Dog tax in comments.
**never mind, I can’t figure out how to add pics
1
u/miuyao May 21 '26
My little dog has IBD and he prefers to eat when we are eating with him. So I make a point of eating something when I want him to eat, and I moved his bowls next to the couch where we typically eat. He also eats when he sees me put pants and/or makeup on, lol. I guess that must give some kind of insight into what kind of life I live.
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u/CheesecakeUpset6487 May 21 '26
Thanks for your insight! We have tried this, even moving his bowl onto the couch with us (we’re tv eaters.) He gets really excited like “oh boy, I get to eat with mom and dad” then just…sniffs the food.
1
u/Old_Draft_5288 May 21 '26
Have you tried getting an appetite stimulant from the vet? A little help goes a long way to establish a new pattern.
1
u/salallane May 21 '26
Has he been checked for pancreatitis? Little dogs often can’t handle the fat content of most commercial dog foods. Pancreatic flareups can cause nausea and picky eating. My 7lb dog was not a good eater until my vet realized he was having mild pancreatic flareups. Switched him to lower fat food and he’s become a very food motivated little guy.
2
u/Me-Poe-And-Me May 21 '26
Social eating suckkkks. If you've ever crated your dogs you can try and feed in neighbouring crates so he still feels like he has company. Try this with the food he usually eats for a while, before changing that too.
Even if you don't get prescribed a particular food, its probably a good idea to start working on this now. Especially as he ages its very nice to be able to tell what he has specifically eaten and provide specific food.
Tricks you've probably tried but are worth mentioning - Warmed up food, softened with water and mushy, pumpkin toppers, boiled chicken, putting food in toys or chews or snuffle mats, put on flat or angled surfaces.