Some dogs are naturally picky eaters. Some are deemed as ‘spoilt’, whether we’d like to admit it or not. Either way, it’s a tough pill to swallow. Kuro has been fussy since day one. As a fussy eater, she creates her own rules which frustrates the living daylights out of us.

1. Food must be fresh.

2. Food has to be of good quality (angus or wagyu beef yes, generic no).

3. Hot food will just have to cool down.

4. No overnight food.

5. The same food type cannot be given for more than 2 meals.

6. At best, only 95% of the food in the bowl will be eaten.

7. Kibbles must be left to air for at least a few hours.

8. No commercial snacks (maybe one or two pieces, but no more than that).

And the list goes on and on. It’s one of the many reasons for the birth of Kuro Snacks. When dogs are picky eaters, what we fear the most is that they aren’t getting enough nutrition, not of healthy weight (skinny) or there is something wrong with their health in general (digestive issues? gum and teeth problems? and of course we start to imagine the worse).

How dogs can be spoilt is when we try to cater too much to their whims, beg them to eat or give them rewards as a consequence of eating. It actually encourages their picky eating. We still struggle sometimes, but these days, it’s gotten a whole lot better. Here’s what we do with Kuro.

Strict Regime

Time of Meals - What time they eat can affect how much they eat, or if they eat at all. This may differ from one dog to another, so it’s best to keep close tabs on this. For us, we feed Kuro first thing in the morning, at about 6.30pm and again at about 10pm.

Definitive Quantities - Dogs tend to be a little consistent, they almost eat the same amount everyday, through experimentation, you are able to then discover how much they eat per meal. As every dog is different, some may eat heavier in the evening. This goes hand in hand with their meal times. Kuro usually has some goat’s milk and a hard-boiled egg in the morning as a light breakfast. She generally won’t eat until the evening. We give her either a home cooked meal of air-fried or boiled meat or Small Batch Dog Food (dehydrated-raw) for dinner at 6.30pm and later at night she will either get kibbles or whatever she didn’t finish for dinner. Some dogs require frequent meals and some dogs just eat their entire' day’s worth at a go. You have to figure this out or condition them appropriately.

Eat Or Starve - When dogs eat, they really eat. It should not take them more than 10 to 15 minutes to finish their meal or to stop eating. If they don’t, remove the food. If they were fooling around, this will teach them the importance of their regular meal times. So if your dog misses a meal, your dog won’t get to eat until the next meal time. Depending on the type of food, you can store it in the refrigerator and re-heat it at the next meal time. And keep repeating this routine, if they don’t finish, they’ll eat at the next meal time. This is what we do with Kuro all the time.

For some dogs like Kuro, in between these meal times (you have to use your discretion), they might ask for food. You have to be careful that it’s not too close to their next meal schedule. You know that would affect their next meal. However, if this is out of the window and if they have skipped a meal before, you can consider giving the meal they skipped or feeding them a little more, if they ask for it. We are able to tell when Kuro is hungry for real food and not just snacks.

Do also note that it is in the nature of some dogs to just not eat and go easy for a day or two, especially if they have hit a certain weight. Sort of an auto-diet, it is known that some dogs do that. If your dog is a female and is either not spayed or has gone through ovary sparing spay, then when they are in heat, their eating habits could be affected as well. For Kuro, sometimes when she’s in heat, she eats a whole lot. But sometimes she will go on a hunger strike. There are instances however, where a dog may be truly full and has not gone to pee/poo. That would affect their eating habits as well. If they don’t have regular bowel activity and go for their walks (getting exercise), then that will affect their eating. The remedy for this is to store the food aside after 15 minutes, take them for their walk to do their business and try again.

In order for your dog to have consistent eating habits, you have to be consistent with their meal times. There is no need to scold or punish them for not eating, as they will become anxious and it may affect them psychologically and view meal times as a negative experience, that’s the last thing you want. Do not let them get distracted with their toys, no playing. Kuro used to have this problem preferring play over food as a puppy, but remember not to lock them up while eating as that also will trigger a negative association. Don’t start hand-feeding them as well. They will get used to it fast and won’t eat unless you feed them.

Never worry about them not eating or starving themselves. It’s all part of the training. For most dogs, if they don’t have enough food in their system, they may throw up white/yellow bile. That’s very common, so don’t panic, especially if you know they are running on empty. This also means that they will likely eat their food at the next meal time. There is no need to rush and break the meal time by giving them food immediately, chances are they won’t eat right after they’ve thrown up.

However, you would want to bring them to see a veterinarian if they are not only not eating their food, but if they are also displaying other worrying signs at the same time.

• Abdominal pain

• All their food in their vomit

• Complete disinterest in all food (even favourite ones - this is when you try giving them snacks)

• Diarrhoea

• Lethargy

• Senior dogs 6 and above

• Thick blood in their vomit

• Vomiting for over a day (more than 3 times)

• Vomiting if there has been food change recently

• Any other unusual behaviour

Lastly, you are going to adjust your dog into a strict regime, then it is important to do away with the extras like snacks. Be persistent, it might take them a while to get adjusted to the strict regime, especially if they haven’t had one before. Only give them snacks if they eat their food well. It is also good to note that snacks should only constitute a maximum of 10% of their overall daily diet. You can reward them with Kuro Snacks if they stick to the strict regime.

We try not to waste food, so if food goes uneaten and can be salvaged, we try to do so for the next meal and perhaps mix in a hard boiled egg or use some Kuro Snacks as a topper, especially Bites by Kuro Snacks. But this should be a bit of a last resort.

Do you have any other tips for your picky eater? Share with us in the comments below on what worked for you.