Anonymous wrote:I have a 60lb dog, picky. He’s currently putting himself on a hunger strike. I made the mistake of giving him some human food now he will paw me at dinnertime looking for scraps.
I try switching foods around, right now he’s loving dehydrated food but it’s unbelievable expensive. Even can food is expensive. How do people pay for this? Do they just mix cheap food with the good stuff? Yo think Ai wanted a second dog.
Your dog has trained you well.
The good news is, you're the human and can flip this if you are so inclined.
The vast majority of dogs in the US are over-fed, some grossly so. If your dog is overweight/overfed, there are some savings to be captured there.
Step one is to read the label and feed according to the amount specified based on the weight of the dog. If your dog is overweight but is otherwise healthy with no other conditions begin gradually cutting down the amount fed daily to the the amount of the target weight.
Step two is to feed on a schedule, ideally 2 to 3 times a day, dividing the amount determined by the weight and label on the feed bag. You put the food down for 15 minutes. Whatever they don't finish is then removed - do not leave it there for free feeding. Keep repeating this and stick to it as if your life depended on it.
If you follow through with this and don't waiver, you dog will be habituated and re-calibrated within 2 weeks, typically less.
You should not do this with senior dogs or dogs with other health conditions. Other than that, I've never failed at re-setting a dog with this approach. But, the whole family needs to be on board.
Good luck and keep us posted on how it goes.