How to accustom a puppy to dry food?

Why do they switch to this food?

Of course, if it is possible to provide your dog with a balanced diet of natural products, then you should not switch your pet to dry food. However, completely balancing the menu with the presence of a sufficient amount of useful substances and microelements is far from easy, primarily in material terms and in terms of time. This is not to say that industrial feed will be cheaper: on the contrary, a high-quality product will cost more.

Elite dry food from well-known manufacturers is stated as a completely balanced diet that can replace natural food. But everything is far from so simple. There are nuances to using industrial feed on an ongoing basis. In addition, cheap dry food slowly undermines the health of the animal and is fraught with the occurrence of serious diseases, many of which are very difficult and sometimes impossible to cure: urolithiasis, diseases of the gastrointestinal tract, etc. To be sure that the food not only does not harm for your pet, but will also bring the desired benefits, you need to carefully read the composition and consult with specialists. The list of vitamins and microelements stated in the composition should also be carefully studied and take into account the fact that some beneficial substances not only neutralize others, but in combination can also be harmful to health.

There are several basic rules for receiving dry food:

1. You cannot mix industrial feed with natural products. But you can supplement the dry product with canned food of the same brand. Regular use of probiotics is recommended for bacterial balance. Due to the fact that at first a change in diet can cause constipation, you need to monitor your pet’s trips to the toilet.
2. The food product is changed gradually, from one to three weeks.
3. The consumption of this type of food should be carried out strictly according to the regime. If you are unable to provide regular feeding, consider automatic feeders.
4. It is necessary to provide 24-hour access to water.
5. The food offered should not only be of high quality, but also tasty. And the water is fresh and clean.
6. Observe the storage conditions of the product.

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How to accustom a dog to dry food

Dry food is currently the most popular type of food we give to our four-legged friends. It has its advantages, but - like any other food - it is not without its disadvantages. Does your dog not want to eat dry food? This is a fairly common problem. However, first try to find out what is causing the refusal.

The undoubted advantage of dry food from the owner’s point of view is its ease of storage and use. This is a convenient solution because dry food can be stored for a relatively long time compared to, for example, wet food or fresh meat. In addition, such food can be easily taken with you anywhere - either for a few hours of travel outside the city or on a longer vacation. It is worth mentioning another important point - when eating dry food, plaque is removed from the dog’s teeth. But why doesn’t the dog want to eat dry food? There could be many reasons for this. Here are some of the most common:

1) diseases of teeth and gums

– although dry food is safer for dogs’ teeth than wet food (dry food does not settle on the teeth), it is unlikely that you will be able to explain this important aspect to at least one dog. Dogs with dental and gum problems will be especially reluctant to eat dry food. If your pet, who until recently happily crunched dry food, suddenly starts avoiding the bowl, the condition of his teeth is one of the first things you need to check. Particular attention should be paid to elderly and sick dogs;

2) too hard food

– Even if a dog does not suffer from oral diseases, it may have problems eating solid food if it is too heavy for the dog. This can happen, for example, if the food is poorly suited to the size or age of the animal;

3) until now the dog has been eating wet food

– the reason why the dog does not want to eat dry food is obvious. Moist canned raw meats are more flavorful and therefore much more appealing than dry foods. You shouldn’t expect your dog to switch to a new type of food any day now;

Possible reasons for refusal

The possibility that the dog will refuse the proposed change in diet is quite possible. And very likely. It is unlikely that it will be possible to force her, and it can be fraught with stress and aggression from the pet.

First of all, you should understand the reason why the dog does not eat dry food:

• food habit: the dog is accustomed to eating natural food or another type, brand of industrial food. After natural products, the animal only needs to be retrained; in the second case, it is enough to buy the brand of food that the pet is accustomed to, if it suits you and is useful for it;
• in the case of a puppy, if he has just been taken from his usual habitat, stress is possible. Then you just need to wait, gradually accustoming the baby to the right food;
• haste and lack of patience: this process may take several weeks, so consult a specialist and do not rush;
• taste preferences: the dog does not like the taste, the shape or other qualities of the food are inconvenient;
• the pet has an intolerance or allergy to any of the components of the food.

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Should you force your dog to eat dry food?

It often turns out in practice that changing a dog’s diet is not so simple. The most typical pets completely refuse to eat dry food and prefer to go hungry rather than eat strange “crackers”. How then can you get your dog to eat dry food?

Using physical or psychological violence against a dog in such a situation is strictly prohibited. This will only make the situation worse and discourage interest in the new food.

Choose the right types of dry food from several manufacturers with an intense smell and taste that are suitable for your animal and offer your pet a choice. For example, MINI EXIGENT food is a dry food suitable for small dogs (adult dog weight up to 10 kg) older than 10 months who are picky about their diet. Try a handful of this food to replace the reward treat when the animal follows the command. Be patient but consistent, and the results will follow. The dog will become interested in the food offered and soon it will completely make up its diet, displacing other types of food.

How to attract attention to food

Don't despair if your dog refuses dry food. Experienced breeders and dog handlers share advice on what to do in this case and how to train a dog.

At the puppy's

After being separated from their mother, babies are under a little stress, this stress intensifies after moving to a new home and family. First, you should clarify what your pet ate at home: perhaps he is already accustomed to industrial food. If he was fed natural food, do not rush to retrain him, he needs adaptation (up to two weeks). To begin with, you can mix equal parts of the puppy’s usual food and soaked dry food.

After a certain time, try giving only soaked dry food. It is also possible to mix dry and canned products. One of the advantages of dry food is that it meets the pet's need for gum massage when teething. Therefore, until your pet starts eating solid food, buy him treats specifically designed for this need.

You don’t have to worry in advance that your dog won’t want to eat industrial food: its taste and smell may be more attractive than natural food.

In an adult dog

With an adult pet, you can act according to the same scheme, only more decisively. It is possible that the dog will boycott and stop eating altogether. Don’t worry, it’s better to spend time with your pet and try to convince him with praise and affection. Just make sure that the food you choose suits the dog; perhaps there are objective reasons for refusal - the dog does not feel well after eating, the fraction is too large, etc. In any case, you need to be patient.

Why does your pet refuse to eat?

When a dog refuses dry food, it is necessary to return to the previous diet and monitor the pet. This will help to find out the reasons for this behavior. If you cannot identify them yourself, you should consult a veterinarian.

Often the pet does not eat well or avoids dry food altogether due to illness. A dog may stop eating dry food due to problems with the oral cavity (stomatitis, gingivitis, etc.) or the upper respiratory tract (runny nose). Loss of appetite is a symptom of serious disorders in the functioning of internal organs.

An animal may refuse a new diet for the following reasons:

• unusual food that tastes tougher, less appealing and tasteless;
• sudden transition to a new diet;
• the nutritional composition is not suitable;
• your pet doesn’t like the smell of food;
• pickiness and spoilage;
• the food has become boring. You need to change the brand;
• lack of usual flavoring additives in the diet;
• increased serving size. The animal simply does not have time to expend energy;
• weak physical activity of the pet and rare walks.

Severe stress, as well as physiological features, can lead to failure. Often females during estrus lose their appetite. Even a male dog may stop eating if there is a “walking” girl nearby. This is why it is necessary to monitor the physiology of animals of both sexes.

Gradual transition to dry food

Too sudden changes in diet can cause stress and digestive problems in the animal. Therefore, accustoming to a new type of nutrition should be smooth. It is advisable to introduce a new product within one to two weeks, acting carefully and monitoring the pet’s reaction. First, replace 25% of the diet with dry food, then every day increase the share of the new product until you bring it to 100%.

At first, the granules can be pre-soaked with warm water or even mixed with wet food. In the future, these practices should be gradually abandoned, since using dry feed is much more rational. For example, if the dog hasn’t touched the food or hasn’t finished the entire portion, dry food can simply be removed until the next feeding, but moistened food quickly deteriorates and rots and requires storage in the refrigerator.

How to react to refusal of dry food?

If your dog refuses dry food, you should not scold him, otherwise he will form negative associations with the smell of the new product, which will only worsen the problem. It is better to simply remove the bowl until the next feeding, and then offer it again. As practice shows, most dogs, after missing 1-2 feedings, begin to gobble up any food offered with appetite. The main thing is not to give any other foods, including dog treats, between meals.

It is believed that 2-3 days of fasting are quite safe for a healthy animal. But if you decide to arrange such a “fast” for your dog, do not forget about water: it should be in the bowl around the clock.

There are also more democratic ways to interest your pet in new food. To introduce a picky dog ​​to dry food, take a bag of kibble out for a walk. When the animal comes running to your call and fulfills other commands, treat it from your hands, and do not skimp on praise. After several such walks, the dog will associate dry granules exclusively with pleasant moments, which will greatly facilitate accustoming to food.