# Picky dog won't eat raw!



## Puff_The_Magic (Sep 1, 2011)

I would LOVE any advice from some of you raw feeders who've been at this a long time. My 4 little dogs, some rescues; have all taken wonderfully to eating raw. A friend of mine has a shihtzu who is a very picky eater, not to mention itches when he eats anything that contains (cooked) chicken. I've told her all about raw, the benefits, etc. and helped to set up a meal plan for him.

She went out and got him turkey necks to start with; and is going to stick with turkey for the initial few weeks before going to the Prey Model Raw ratios of 80/10/10. 

Well, she went to give him his first try at raw with a neck today; and he acted "repelled" by it, backed up, lowered his tail; and shows no interest. 

I could go on and on about the raw vs kibble debate with anyone; but it's hard to promote it when the dog has no interest. =( 

If anyone could give some advice that'd be wonderful. I've been feeding raw for a year now but never had any problems, so I'm not sure what to suggest! I was always told to just stick with one protein initially; and for it to be fairly bone-heavy just to start. It's worked for my crew. If anyone has other tips on what to try it would be much appreciated!

I'll probably send her a link to this thread too, so she can read first-hand from some of the more experienced raw feeders. Thank you!


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## GoingPostal (Sep 5, 2011)

A big old turkey neck might be pretty intimidating to a little dog, try getting him to eat a little snack of raw meat and maybe once he likes that, he can work up to bones.


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## magicre (Apr 7, 2010)

You could say that raw chicken is different than cooked or kibbled chicken...

not all dogs take to raw like it was the second coming.

the idea is to leave it down there for twenty or thirty minutes, depending on her (not the dog's) patience level and then pick it up and serve it at the next meal.

i don't know of any dog who will starve more than, what was that record? eight days? and as long as he or she has water, he'll be fine...

shih tzus are notorious for spoiling their owners....i had four of them and they had me wrapped. had they lived long enough, i guarantee at least one of them would have given me a hard time....hell, he had a hard time if we moved the furniture around.


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## KittyKat (Feb 11, 2011)

I'd try something small like a chicken or turkey wing, maybe even without the bone at first... i'd also only offer it after a good run (something to bring up their appetite).


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## DaneMama (Jun 27, 2008)

The longest I've known a dog to refuse raw food was ten whole days. She finally caved. Been a raw eating champ since. 

Lots of people switching their dogs to a prey model raw diet are faced with the battle of picky eaters. Their dogs show pretty much no interest in the food that is put in front of them. This can be for many reasons from just not knowing what to do with it to being just plain picky. The best way to combat this is to follow the steps I have written out. Once you have overcome this small hurdle (trust me, its hard…I’ve personally had to do it with switching my own over) you wont regret it one second. Just keep telling yourself that

1) YOU are in charge of what your dog eats, when it eats and how much it eats

2) YOU are NOT starving your dog, your dog is choosing not to eat

3) Applying “tough love” is the way to go with stubborn dogs!
Good luck!

Picky eaters 101:

Picky eaters are created. If you allow your dog to pick and choose what to eat, they win and you lose. You must choose a good food that works well for your dog (health wise) and stick to it (in this case raw meaty bones). You are the parent and the one in control of your dog’s health, not your dog because they do not know what is best. You must regain pack leadership and respect from your dog by being in control.

1. Pick a good, healthy food (in this case raw meaty bones).

2. Stick to it no matter how “picky” your dog seems. Only change foods if you notice a health issue.

3. Get on scheduled feeding times.

4. Don’t at any time coax your dog to eat the food, whether that be vocal reinforcement or adding anything to it to make it more inticing to eat. Just simply set the food down and go about your business.

5. Offer a meal of the food you choose and give your dog no more than 15 minutes to eat it. If they doesn’t touch it, pick it up to
feed at the next feeding time.

6. Offer the food again at the next scheduled feeding. Same as before give no more than 15 minutes. If not touched, pick it up and save for the next feeding time.

7. Give NO snacks or treats between feeding times (until you succeed at this picky eater issue).

8. Keep offering the same food each meal time until it is eaten. Keep up this until it’s not an issue and your dog will eat what you choose. This may take days, it took my girls 5 WHOLE days of not eating anything to get the hint. I am so proud of myself for doing it!
Things to remember:

1. No healthy dog will intentionally starve itself. Each time your doesn’t eat what you put down, they are choosing not to eat…you are not starving your dog. You are providing them what you think is the best nutrition there is and that is what you have to keep in mind

2. Picky eaters are manipulative. Every time you cater to their wants, they win and are in control. Whether you give them added attention or additions, they are getting what they want. Nothing in life for them should be free and that definitely applies to your respect.

3. Patience is key in this situation. Some dogs are so set in their ways that it will take days for them to cave in and just eat. I have known some dogs (ahem) that will go five days until this happens…but it is worth the wait. If you get your dog to respect you in this situation it will respect you in more ways than you can imagine. Keep the “tough love” approach and you will be rewarded!


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## Puff_The_Magic (Sep 1, 2011)

Thank you all for such great advice! I let her know about this thread and will have her check it out. 

I think a lot of people have a hard time not giving in to dogs who are picky... anyone want to chime in with some incentives of why raw diet is worth pursuing? (I know there's stickies but remember she's not a member, and has only heard of raw diet from me and although I know it's "best" I'm not the greatest at explaining all the reasons why, and I'm always afraid of sounding preachy LOL.)


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## cprcheetah (Jul 14, 2010)

Because it's what dogs were designed to eat, they are carnivores and even their dentition (teeth) are made for carnivores. Raw has ELIMINATED allergies in Zoey my chihuahua she is off of 6 of the 7 pills she was on longterm, and the only one she is on is because she has hydrocephalus and she needs it to keep the pressure down in her head. She has gone from having throat infections every other week to having just 1 in the last 14 months. She is also seizure free since last October....to me those are more than enough reasons to pursue raw. Turkey necks can be quite intimidating to a dog who is new to raw. Have her start with Chicken, Zoey is allergic to chicken and beef in cooked form yet has yet to react to it in raw form.

Let her know raw is new, not every dog is going to take to it easily. Zoey took a while to accept organs, but now she loves them plain and simple. Every dog is different. Have her try cutting little chunks off and offering it to the dog that way in little chunks. To the dog who has eaten kibble it's entire life then you are giving them this totally foreign object to eat, they get confused.


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## Donna Little (May 31, 2011)

I have one Chihuahua with a mutitude of health problems that almost died in May. I'd been researching raw for a couple of weeks before that so I switched him then. I saw an immediate improvement and he's since been healthier than I've ever seen him in the 7 yrs he's been with me. The only thing that it hasn't helped with yet is his coat. He has a bad thyroid so has a lot of hair loss.
One of my other Chihuahuas isn't so much a picky eater as a dog that's just not food motivated. When I gave her her first raw meal she did the same thing your friend's dog did. Backed up and looked at me like I'd grown a second head. I waited until that evening and I cut some of the chicken off of the piece I was offering her and she took it. After that she did eat but not with much enthusiasm. In the days that followed though she got the hang of it and now she's standing on her hind legs begging for her turn. 
Tell your friend to give it a little time. It has helped my guys more than I can say and I'll never go back to kibble.


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## JayJayisme (Aug 2, 2009)

All good advice here so I won't rehash the whole "tough love" thing. I just wanted to add that you may want to start with cornish hen pieces. Not sure how small this dog is but a turkey neck is probably too big for a small dog new to raw feeding. The wings and drumsticks from cornish hens are ideal for small dogs to get started. Once they get the hang of it, you can probably "graduate" to larger pieces, like chicken wings, etc.


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## barneysmom2510 (Oct 12, 2011)

I was curious if this applied to puppies too. Barney is not as enthusiastic as my other dogs he is 14 weeks. He has been a bit underweight and since being on raw has been able to gain that weight. I don't want to do anything that could cause him to lose that weight or would it not be a big deal if that happened. He was super picky even when he ate kibble so weird for a basset.


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## Celt (Dec 27, 2010)

Having a dog that I can't tough love due to health issues, I found that "playing" with the food can help. I know I look demented but I "walk" the chicken neck around clucking, when Blaise comes up, I make it "run away and hide", pretty soon I let him catch it and he eats it up. Scotty, the problem child (lol), always treats his food like it's a bomb about to explode, looks at it, backs away, "crawls" closer, moves away and stare at it. It can take him up to an hour before he decides that it's not going to explode and it's not going to "get" him. And to get boneless (frozen) chicken eaten, we play "hockey", I throw small chunks across the floor and they chase them down and eat them. Occassionally one will stand at the end of the kitchen waiting for a piece to be "flung" at them like a goalie waiting for a puck.


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## xellil (Apr 4, 2011)

Celt said:


> Having a dog that I can't tough love due to health issues, I found that "playing" with the food can help. I know I look demented but I "walk" the chicken neck around clucking, when Blaise comes up, I make it "run away and hide", pretty soon I let him catch it and he eats it up.


We need a video.


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## Celt (Dec 27, 2010)

lol, thank God I'm technologically challenged, cause no way would I want that on the 'net. Can see it now, me sitting on the floor with a neck in my hand, bouncing it back in forth in front of my "skinny" little dog, going cluck-cluck-cluck. Then when he reaches for it, i squawk and run it behing my leg or corner. Then start the process over again 'til he grabs for it, then I let him catch it, squawking and twitching the neck until he crunches down a couple times. God, I'd never live it down. lol


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## barneysmom2510 (Oct 12, 2011)

If I hold up the piece he crunches it in his back teeth and will eat it. He just picks up the pieces on his own drops them and walks away. Usually I only have to hold a piece or two and it is only for a few seconds.


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## shellbell (Sep 24, 2011)

I'm so glad I have labs who will eat anything lol...well, except for the times when they are trying to eat sticks and leaves in the backyard.


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