When you are ready to bring your puppy home, one of the best things that you can do is find out what kind of food the puppy was eating before you got him. This however is not always possible. A lot of times, the puppy comes from a place that doesn't keep records of such things. Most puppies will adapt to whatever food their new owners decide to give them. There are always a few though that will turn their nose up to the new and cry for the old. If you were blessed with a picky puppy, there are a few things that you can do to help your puppy make the transition from what they were use to eating to what they will be eating from now on.
The very first thing that you should try is putting warm milk over the dog food. A lot of the food on the market, even if it is marked "puppy" is still rather hard. Maybe the puppy is not taking to the food because it is hurting his or her teeth. The milk will soften the food and make it easier on the puppy's teeth.
If the milk doesn't work, try hand feeding our puppy. Make a game out of it. Try just giving them one piece at a time, while saying something like "who is a hungry puppy? I bet you are a hungry puppy." use the same voice that you do when you are praising them for something. This will get them excited, and make them want to do something to earn them more praise. This is a good time to teach a new trick too. You are feeding the puppy one piece of food at a time so why not make them think that it is a treat for a skill well learned. You will want to try this method with only dry puppy food however, since doing it with moist food would cause nothing but a big mess.
If the two prior attempts fail, there is one last thing to try before you may need to consider a trip to the puppy's vet. Try putting the puppy on a schedule. Feeding it two or three times a day depending on the age of the pup. What you will need to do is figure out how often you are going to feed them in one day. Once you do this and decide on the times that will work best for you, it is important that you stick with the schedule for at least three days before you give up. Ok, you have a time so what you need to do now is get the puppy's dish. Fill it with the food that you are trying to train him or her to eat. Now go get your puppy and place it beside the bowl. Walk away. Return in about twenty minutes, pick up the bowl (even if it has not been touched), and put it out of the puppy's reach.
Go about your day until it is the next assigned time on the schedule and began the twenty-minute process all over again. It is important to not give the puppy anything in between the feedings, making sure they are hungry when it is time to eat. Give these three days if your puppy isn't on a schedule and eating the food, it is time to make an appointment with the vet to make sure there is not a more serious problem than just a picky pup.
Do not raise your voice at the puppy when you are trying to get it to eat. If you are yelling, the puppy is going to associate the bowl of food in front of him with your voice. He will see the food as something bad and will not eat it in fear of the punishment.
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