Dogs keep going off kibble

[DonnyDarko]

I have some kibble delivered from tails, but they seem to keep going off of it. And I'm concerned that the wet tinned food we switch to from time to time isn't getting the good stuff in them that they need.

They don't like 50/50 of both. So am unsure how to get them to just eat the kibble.

Any tips?

 

[Caro Perry]

Harri will only eat kibble if it's either topped with a bit of cheese or in one of those interactive feeding balls. Have you tried anything like that?

 

[JoanneF]

Assuming no medical issues there are two approaches you could take.

One is tough love. Put it down, if it's not eaten lift it after 15 minutes and put it down again at the next meal. No snacks or treats in between. When they are hungry they will eat.

The other way is to find something they like. I'm a bit 'meh' over food, if they only eat kibble all the time I would rather they enjoyed it. And as with all types of food there are good qualities and bad - nothing wrong with feeding all wet if it's a good one.

And, tbh, Tails isn't as tailored as the marketing would have you believe. If you ask for something specific like low fat, poultry free (as an example, I don't remember the specific combinations) they actually can't deliver because they are just making mixes from a few core starter foods. It's an expensive food for just having your dog's name on the bag.

Have a look at www.allaboutdogfood.co.uk

It is an independent dog food comparison website which scores all types of foods (dry, raw, wet) on a scale of 0 to 5. You can set filters for your dog's weight, age etc and choose to view only the foods scoring, say, 4 and above. Then you can show them listed according to daily feeding cost so you can see what gives you best value for money. It has its limitations but it's a decent place to start.

 

[JudyN]

Sometimes adding a little salt-free gravy, stock or similar, maybe warmed a little to release the smells more, can help.

 

[Jack-Russell-Lover]

I agree with @JudyN, soaking it in either plain warm water or stock helps it smell more, smells gross to me but dogs love it. I would try that first before having to add anything to it like cheese etc. See if it works, rather than going straight to adding things, they’ll never eat plain kibble again!! Lol. So I think try soaking and doing the ‘tough love’ approach @JoanneF mentioned

 

[Flobo]

Sometimes just adding a teaspoon of good quality wetfood, tinned fish or you can get these 90 odd% meat,soft dog treats, Natures menu maybe, I can't remember, but crumble one of those over the kibble.

 

[merlina]

I'd try to find a brand and combo they enjoy. Whatever it is. For most dogs on any particular day, food is their absolute top pleasure in life. I can't provide a herd of cows for the corgi x to harass nor pheasants on tap for the spaniel to put up - but I can give then a tasty breakfast and dinner. Life's for enjoying whether dog or human.