# Picky, picky Pekingese



## pekelover (Jun 3, 2012)

My Juicy is a female Pekingese and she is the pickiest dog in the world I think :doh: She will ONLY eat home cooked meals, which is not always feasible. She will not eat it if it was home cooked and frozen either  It has to have JUST been cooked!! grrrrr

We have tried (without success)
Evo
Wellness
Wellness Core
Blue Wilderness
TOTW
Blue buffalo
Science Diet
Royal Canin
Solid Gold
Nourish
Honest kitchen
plus a few others that I cannot remember right now!

She will nibble a few pieces of kibble but that is it. Canned she hates ALL of them! 

Any suggestions for my picky girl?


----------



## georgiapeach (Mar 17, 2012)

She has trained you well! I'd pick a good food (try one that has smaller sized kibble), mix in just a little water to bring out the aroma of the food, put it down for 30 minutes. Don't fuss over her when you do it, and don't hang around trying to get her to eat. After 30 minutes, whether she's eaten it or not, pick up the bowl. Do the same for each feeding (I feed twice a day). During this "adjustment" period, don't give her any between meal treats - she'll use these to fill up on (dog's aren't stupid, y'know!). A hungry dog is a less picky dog! 

I had a boxer do this to me a few years ago, so I can empathize, and I finally "saw the light", and applied tough love. He held out for three days, and then was quite happy to eat whatever I put down for him after that! He still had his picky moments, but he either ate or he didn't. The same thing happened when I took in my MIL's cockapoo. She had been fed only fresh cooked chicken DAILY for 7 years, along with an endless supply of milkbones. After three days of "starving", she was quite happy to eat the Core Reduced Fat kibble I put down for her (she was quite obese when I got her). Ignore the "stink - eye" looks you're bound to get - lol! There's always the next meal... 

Some good foods include: Acana, Instinct, Orijen (if your dog doesn't have a sensitive stomach), Wellness, Blue Buffalo, and Fromm. I'd stay away from Science Diet and Royal Canin - they're VERY grain heavy, and most of their varieties include corn, wheat, and soy - not good for dogs.


----------



## pekelover (Jun 3, 2012)

Thanks! I have been considering Orijen and Fromm, neither of my girls have a sensitive tummy, and Sassy will eat ANYTHING! except Honest Kitchen (I was so hopeful they would like this) I appreciate your advice, and yes! She has EVERYONE in our house trained! LOL she is a very wonderful dog other than her finickiness with food. She is great with other animals, good with new people (as long as they do not get right in her face and start touching her) she adores children and is gentle with cats. So, I cannot complain too much  Thanks again!!


----------



## georgiapeach (Mar 17, 2012)

Instinct makes a premade raw diet, that I've heard is good. My local kibble supplier sells a lot of it he says - it's kept in the freezer until use. I may have to try it on my allergy dog, Maddie. She's allergic to almost every kibble I've tried. She likes everything she eats, but it doesn't like her skin - very itchy.


----------



## pekelover (Jun 3, 2012)

Luckily the both of them seem to have no issues with their skin (even when they were eating the Science Diet and Royal Canin which are full of grains) (KNOCK ON WOOD) I ordered a few small bags of the Fromm in different flavors, hopefully she will like one of them  if not, Sassy WILL eat them as will our current foster!
I have considered a raw diet, but when we have offered her raw on a few occasions she would not even touch it! She likes cooked food with yummy broth and fresh fruits and veggies in it (she LOVES apples, blueberries, green beans, carrots and bananas) So i mix her meat, broth and veggies with a multi vitamin for dogs and some salmon oil or cocoa nut oil and she will eat it right up!! she laps up all the broth first, then eats the fruit/veggies then eats the meat! lol writing this I am realizing she IS spoiled!!


----------



## InkedMarie (Mar 11, 2009)

Georgia Peach is right, she has you trained well. I'm a firm believer in putting food down, give the dog 15 min to eat then picking it up.


----------



## KodiBarracuda (Jul 4, 2011)

InkedMarie said:


> Georgia Peach is right, she has you trained well. I'm a firm believer in putting food down, give the dog 15 min to eat then picking it up.


I agree. I was blessed with two dogs that are free fed that are able to moderate their intake themselves. If they started getting picky and not eating it I would pick up the tough love technique without blinking an eye


----------



## Gina_1978 (Jun 3, 2012)

One of my yorkies was EXTREMELY picky,but we could fix that by soaking her kibble in a little water (just to enhance the smell) and then adding some bits of boiled chicken.Works every time


----------



## pekelover (Jun 3, 2012)

We ordered some Acana and some Fromm, hopefully she will eat them  I have tried adding water and she still would not touch it, and she does not like any canned foods  However she liked the Honest Kitchen that you mix with cooked meat  so that is a bit easier than trying to balance it out myself. Thanks everyone! I am going to try the leaving it down for 30 minutes twice a day and see how that goes. I will let everyone know!!


----------



## pekelover (Jun 3, 2012)

Soooooo, The Acana nor any of the four varieties of the fromm (Ocean white fish, Chicken, Beef or Pork) or Grandma Lucy's Venison were a hit  Sassy eats them all with no problem except the Grandma Lucy's......Juicy does not like any of them  I did the 15 minute thing of leaving the food down for only 15 minutes and she only took a few bites and then did not eat any more.
Does anyone else have any other suggestions? She won't eat raw or any canned and if you check out the original post you can see all of the other foods we have tried.

I REALLY want to find a food she will eat, or I will be cooking for her every night


----------



## KodiBarracuda (Jul 4, 2011)

Give the 15 minute technique a week at least, eventually she will start eating it all, you cant expect it to work instantly.
I think part of the 15 min. technique is giving the dog only what they ate at the last meal plus a few kibbles, not the whole meal again, then gradually increase if the dog finishes the bowl.


----------



## Abbylynn (Jul 7, 2011)

Did you try adding some boiled chicken to the dog food and scrunch it up all together really well to make it all smell and taste like chicken? Then add a tad of warm water to bring out the aroma. I have been doing this for almost 6 years for Leeo and Blu Boy. I also do the same thing by using boiled chicken liver or beef liver or chicken gizzards once a week ... as too many organ meats are not good on a daily basis.

Also ... once in a while I add canned tuna packed in water to their kibble.

This is the only way they will eat "any" kind of dog food .... except for Mighty Dog and Alpo! :/ Not good for a steady diet IMHO.


----------



## pekelover (Jun 3, 2012)

I tried adding a bit of warm water, but did not try adding chicken etc. I will try that. I will continue to do the 15 minute rule. Thanks everyone for the tips


----------



## Abbylynn (Jul 7, 2011)

pekelover said:


> I tried adding a bit of warm water, but did not try adding chicken etc. I will try that. I will continue to do the 15 minute rule. Thanks everyone for the tips


I forgot to mention to be sure to make the chicken and such very small so they cannot pick it out and eat only that! Lol! You have to trick them! Good luck!


----------

