My dog is a picky eater at home. Does she need other dogs to eat?

Question

My dog won't eat her food. She eats when I am at home with my mother and her dogs but once we are back at my apartment she loses interest in her food. I've tried many different things to get her to eat. Chicken, broth, heating the kibble up. These have worked in the past but I know she can eat kibble without anything in it or done to it because she eats all of her food at my mother's house. It seems that once we are back at the apartment she is uninterested since there is not another dog present. Pet's info: Dog | German Shepherd | Female | unspayed | 2 years old | 65 lbs

Jennifer Summerfield, DVM CPDT-KA · Accepted Answer

It's very common for some dogs to be more motivated to eat right away when there are other dogs present, since there's an element of competition involved in a multi-dog household - she likely knows that in that environment, if she doesn't eat right away, it may not still be there later! With dogs who are picky eaters, the major question I always ask is - is the dog a normal healthy weight, and acting normal otherwise? If so, then I don't worry about it. Some dogs are naturally "grazers" and may not be all that motivated to eat right away as soon as food is offered. Or you may be feeding more than she really needs, and she may simply not be very hungry sometimes. If the dog is underweight, or showing other symptoms of illness such as vomiting, diarrhea, acting lethargic, etc., then a medical work-up would be indicated to help figure out what the underlying problem is so it can be treated appropriately. But if the dog it not overly thin and otherwise acting normal, then I don't worry too much about it - she'll eat when she's hungry! I'm also not a big fan of dressing up the food with tasty "extras" to entice the dog to eat, since this is generally not necessary and can teach the dog to hold out for better and better things over time if she learns that you'll keep adding extra treats if she doesn't eat right away. So you could certainly take your girl in for a check-up to make sure she's healthy, if you're concerned - but if your vet doesn't feel that there is a genuine medical issue present, I'd just put her food down at her regular mealtime and leave her alone. A healthy dog won't starve themselves, so she'll eat when she wants to. :)

My dog is a picky eater at home. Does she need other dogs to eat?

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