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My dog is a picky eater. How can I get her to eat her food?

Updated On September 23rd, 2025

Pet's info: Dog | Yorkshire Terrier | Female | spayed | 2 years and 3 months old | 3.96 lbs

So we’ve had this issue with Molly not eating her food for quite some time. We’ve changed food and she’ll eat it and then stop and not touch it. She recently stayed at my grandmas and she was eating the Royal Canine adult food for small breeds, so we bought it. She’s not eating it. But she will eat Belle’s Stella and Chewys Raw Coated Kibble for Puppies. We don’t know what to do because constantly changing food is expensive and annoying. We also don’t wanna risk her not liking the S&C for adults

2 Answers

Most Helpful Answer

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Answered By Jennifer Summerfield, DVM CPDT-KA

Veterinarian, Certified Dog Trainer

Published on December 29th, 2018

Hi there. If Molly isn't underweight and your veterinarian has confirmed that she doesn't have any underlying GI issues that might make her not feel well when she eats, then there's no need to constantly switch foods trying to find something to interest her. Many picky dogs are good at training us to do this. :) Instead, you can just offer her food at her regular mealtimes. Leave the food out for 10-15 minutes, then pick up whatever is left and put it away. Offer it again at the next scheduled mealtime. It might take a few days, but she'll eat when she gets hungry. It's a bit like insisting your child eat his vegetables, when he'd rather have ice cream!

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1Pet Parents found this answer helpful

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    Answered By Dr. Melanie, BVSc MS

    Veterinarian

    Published on September 10th, 2019

    I would put Helena's food down for 15-20 minutes in the morning, then pick it up after that time. Even if she hasn't eaten any. The next part is very important. She gets NO MORE food. No treats, no human food. The next time she eats is at dinner. Put her food down for 15-20 minutes, and take it up after that time. She gets no other food until the next morning. You are teaching her she has to eat at those times, or she gets nothing. She will get hungry enough to eat.

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