I am told by countless owners that their dog will not eat dry food/ or many other types of food and that the will only eat smoked salmon/steak/or best mince etc. This is because we actually teach our dogs to be fussy and picky eaters by free feeding. That is leaving down food all day. The dog then comes to the realisation that it can eat at any time and does not fall into a routine. Free feeding can also have an effect on control complex behaviour also know as “dominant behaviour” though that term is vastly overused, free feeding can give the message to a socially mobile dog that he could be a pack leader as he has access to food at any time this can also encourage guarding behaviour. Time to re-educate, decide on how many times you will feed per day if he is over 1 year then this will be either once or twice. Feed the food of your choice not the food of his choice. I am a firm believer in a quality food whether it be raw cooked or dry. Put this down for ten minutes only, if the dog has eaten it in that time fine, if not pick the food up and put it away. When the next meal is due then only put out amount of food you would normally feed do not double up. It may take a few days for the message to get home, but it will in the end. Remember the dog comes from an animal (The Wolf) which is a feast and famine eater; they sometimes go many days or even longer between kills or scavenged food, so your dog will not starve, instinct and survival will take over and the dog will resume eating the food you choose not the food he chooses. Many people think that it must be boring feeding them the same thing every day. But do not realise that supplementing a quality food with cheap low quality tinned or pouch food is like putting tomato sauce on Lobster Thermidor. . We also assume that taste is a factor. It isn't’, dogs have only 10% of our taste capacity, lets face it if they can eat their own and other animals faeces which many do, then their choice of taste and quality must be in question.

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