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How to get my picky puppy to eat her dog food and stop begging?

Updated On September 23rd, 2025

Pet's info: Dog | Mixed Breed | Female | unspayed | 10 lbs

My chihuahua mix is 5 months. She goes scavenging around the house for anything but her food to eat. She also begs for human food since her previous owner used to feed her table scraps but our family strictly never gives her any human food. We try changing up her kibble a few times but after a day or two she gets bored of the food. We also mixed in wet food but all she does is lick it off and if she eats a kibble along the wet food she spats it out. Please tell me how I can fix this.

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1 Answer

Most Helpful Answer

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Answered By Bette Isacoff

Dog Trainer

Published on June 17th, 2018

It is your job to decide what Zoe's diet will be . . . not hers. It is good that you are not giving her human food. Put regular dog food in a bowl on the floor without fuss and leave it for 15 minutes. After that time, pick it up whether she has eaten or not. Do not give her anything--no treats, snacks or human food--until her next scheduled mealtime. Then repeat the process. It may take several times for her to realize that this is her dinner, and that she must eat the food that's in front of her. Try settling on one food brand and sticking with it, as frequent changes may be upsetting her stomach. This could be part of why she doesn't eat. Remember that you are not starving her–she is choosing not to eat. This is a battle of wills. When she is hungry enough, she’ll give in and eat, and your problem will be solved. Do not weaken or "feel sorry" for her. It will only make it harder to correct.

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