Picky pups can be frustrating. You try to appease their selective palate with high quality food, with flavors that they seem to enjoy, only to be met with a disappointed stare. And in plenty of cases, even if your dog shows enthusiasm at meal times when presented with a new food, eventually they turn up their nose.
We get it! We’ve met a few of these persnickety pets, and have learned a thing or two about making mealtimes more appealing to our discriminating dogs.
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Warm it up! This releases the delicious aromas, which studies show is an important factor in activating salivary glands and heightening anticipation of high palatability. In other words, your dog’s brain is telling them to get excited about what’s in their bowl. Add hot water, or heat 1/2 a meal portion in a pan (without added oil) then fold back into their whole meal portion. Aroma = appetite.
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Add rotating toppers. Picky eaters often crave variety, so stirring in a cooked egg or a sardine can help pique interest and provide a little differentiation to get them to the clean plate club (use sardines sparingly, being mindful of fat and salt content; use sardines packed in water, not oil). Or, crumble dried liver bits on top of food (it’s recommended to limit liver to no more than 5% of your dog’s meal; Frank’s Fresh beef and chicken recipes already include 5% liver).
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Umami all day. Add a dog safe bone broth or sprinkle nutritional yeast on top of a warmed up meal. Green-lipped mussel powder can also accomplish an umami flavor, with the added benefit of contributing to joint health. Other powders include whitefish, sardine powder, or green tripe powder (all great options if watching fat content).
Another tip for managing picky eaters: observe their patterns and preferences. Some dogs will only eat if they have a private space to do so; others respond well to a strict schedule, eating at the same time each day. Time and place matters, so try to observe the environments in which your dog tends to respond positively to meals.
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