If your dog has decided to stop eating the dog food you put in his bowl, you have a fairly common issue that many dog owners have to deal with.
This is nothing to worry about health-wise because if your dog is not feeling well he would reject both dog and human food. Only refusing to eat dog food is a different issue altogether, and is often caused by bad habits that humans tend to instill in their pups.
Why your dog might only eat human food
Feeding your dog table scraps and sharing your own meals with him is not a good practice. Maybe you and your family just can’t resist him giving you that adorable puppy look, or a neighbor has been throwing food scraps into your yard.
Not having a clear feeding schedule and receiving too many treats throughout the day can turn your puppy into a picky eater. He will consciously decide not to eat the ‘boring’ dog food from the bowl in order to manipulate you into giving him more tasty food or treats.
If your dog has been eating low-grade commercial dog food, he probably isn’t getting enough essential nutrients in his diet. This happens rarely but sometimes malnourished dogs decide to start resisting low-quality dog food since it’s almost always bad for their health and doesn’t provide enough vitamins and nutrients. It’s like they know what they are eating is not good for them and they are craving something healthier and more nutritious.
Is it okay for your dog to eat human food?
Yes, it actually is. Let us elaborate:
Human foods are much healthier for your dog, as they are real foods and real ingredients, and you can control what your dog is eating.
Vegetables, eggs, and different kinds of meat should be part of a dog’s diet and they should be eaten on a regular basis.
Dog’s require certain nutrients in order to grow, develop, and maintain good health. If your dog is lacking the required intake of these essential nutrients, particularly when they are still growing, it can cause some serious health issues, such as obesity, underdevelopment of muscles, or a weak immune system. If this type of malnourishment goes on for a long period of time it can cause serious health issues or even cause premature death.
This is why you should either feed your dog homemade meals with real food or buy organic and healthy dog foods – which are usually the more expensive ones.
Tips for Encouraging Your Dog to Eat the Right Food
The first thing you should do is decide whether you want to go homemade or store-bought. Making your own dog food at home is the healthier and less expensive option, but it will take up some of your daily time, which might not be convenient if you’re an extremely busy person.
Going for a good commercial dog food is a good time saver, but only if you make sure you’re purchasing the proper brands. You should educate yourself on which ingredients are not good for your dog and carefully read the packaging in order to avoid them.
Keep in mind that if you take the second option, you aren’t allowed to be a cheapskate. Cheaper dog foods are usually made with cheap filler ingredients that are not great for your dog’s health. Your dog should get only the best quality dog food in order to remain healthy and happy.
Buying higher quality food will most likely be cheaper for you in the long run anyway as you will save tons of money on medical expenses and veterinarian trips because your dog will be much healthier.
Homemade Meals
Making your own dog food isn’t actually all that hard. You might even discover a hidden passion for culinary activities, you never know!
Using different types of meat will instantly fix your dog’s pickiness problem. He will smell the organic, tasty meat in the bowl and get excited about it. Meat should be served boneless and cooked.
Adding different vegetables to the mix will make it even more attractive to your dog while providing additional nutrients and vitamins. Carrots, potatoes, and green vegetables are always a good option.
Getting a cheap dog food cookbook is a great idea if you want to spice up your dog’s meals and make it fun and full of variety. Variety is the key to getting your dog to eat the right foods.
If you want to further explore the science behind why human food is actually better for your dog, check out Andrew Lewis’ famous Dog Food Secrets. It includes almost a dozen different eBooks that will educate you on the dog food industry, show you which brands are healthy for your dog, and also provide great alternative solutions.
The Best Store-Bought Dog Food
Don’t be discouraged if you don’t have the time and patience required to prepare homemade dog meals. There are some brands which are doing their work in an ethical way while making sure the dog food they provide is healthy and nutritious.
Look for ones that are completely grain free, or contain only organic whole grain, as dogs can be allergic to processed grain. The best dog foods will use ONLY organic ingredients and contain no additives, preservatives, and meat by-products.
Our recommendation is Honest Kitchen Human Grade Dehydrated Organic Grain Dog Food. You can choose from three different flavors – cage-free turkey, free range chicken, or range raised beef. It’s also dehydrated for the best nutritional value, so you can just put in the bowl and add some water. Your dog will love it and probably won’t ever be a picky eater again.
Fix Your Dog’s Diet Now!
If your dog won’t eat anything except human food it’s most likely that someone has been feeding him table scraps or he has been receiving too many treats.
This will cause your dog to become disinterested in eating regular dog food. He will expect to be fed more tasty treats if he refuses to eat from his own bowl.
You can easily fix this problem by following some simple steps. First of all, stop giving him any food outside of his daily meals. Next, make his diet more nutritious and interesting. Finally, start using higher quality dog food, that is made out of real ingredients, or prepares your own dog meals.
You will find your dog will start eating his meals again in no time!
For more on what to feed your pup, see our article on Dog Food Secrets.
Or find out how to get your dog to eat dog food again.
