Fussy Eating Dogs

Solving your dog's fussy eating will often lead to improvements in other areas of your dogs life.  The issue is actually coming from the same source as a dog with a lack of recall and is easily distracted. 

(please note this information assumes your dog has been checked by a vet and has no veterinary concerns that could be affecting your dog's fussy eating behaviour)

I get lots of e-mails from people very concerned about their dogs fussy eating. They have tried all kinds of different foods which will often help in the short term, but usually their dog will continue to display fussy eating behaviours. This is because the root of the problem has not been addressed. 

Fussy eating in dogs is not about the quality of the food you are offering them......read that again!!!

Obviously there are different nutritional benefits to different food, but that is a whole other area that I am not going to consider in this blog. 

Today we are talking about dogs that have been offered all sorts of food.  They will always eat enough to survive and have plenty of energy.  However, they eat  very much on their own terms and the owner feels anxious and worried that they are not eating enough. 

In its very basic form, food is required for your dog's survival and as such is a very powerful tool that you can use to show your dog in a kind gentle way that you are responsible for their life and their wellbeing.  You will provide a supply of food on a regular basis.

The fussy eating starts to happen when there is a breakdown in communication between you and your dog.  Your dog starts to feel that they are responsible for you and they try to take control of the food by eating when they decide and eating how much they decide. When we allow this to happen we are affectively raising their position in the family and this leads to all sorts of behaviour issues. I often see fussy eating dogs with recall problems, excessive barking, pulling on the lead, overexcitement/aggression with other dogs. Generally being unresponsive to their owner with a tendency to struggle to relax. 

The good news: everything is connected and solving the fussy eating will really help in other areas of your dog's life. They will become more relaxed and more responsive to you. 

The solution is to start The Practice of Dog Listening. Dog Listening is made up of 4 simple rituals, the first of which is FOOD, not only will this solve the fussy eating, but will lead to a much improved relationship with your dog where they will become relaxed and responsive to you in all kinds of situations. 

If you have never heard of Dog Listening and you want to find out how to get your dog's fussy eating under control. You can access my free dog workbook here and start to implement the first ritual. It's simply called FOOD. 

An introduction to Dog Listening. 

If you are already familiar with Dog Listening, but have a dog who is super smart and you are feeling frustrated and anxious and want to become an expert Dog Listener quickly....

Let me help you get your dog's behaviour "sorted, asap" come and join me for

Dog Listening Boot Camp (Transform your dog's behaviour in 6 weeks)

You kick off with a relaxed yet super effective 1 2 1 call with me where I can point you exactly where to start and what to focus on for your personal situation to get the the best results.  

Peaceful paws always. 

Julie x