# Finicky Shih Tzu...



## ChloesMom (Aug 31, 2009)

Chloe is my 5 year old Shih Tzu (my 20 lb baby). She's had no health issues, skin problems, etc.

For the first 3 years of her life she ate Wellness Chicken dry food with no problem. Then they 'improved' their food and upon opening a fresh bag she proceeded to rub on it rather than eat it. I had a bit of the older food and we mixed it for a few days. She wouldn't touch it. Vet said to leave her with it for a few days and she'd get hungry.. fat chance.

After trying tons of sample packs of various high end dry foods (many of which she rubbed on also), she decided she liked Flint River Ranch regular kibble. She's been on it the past two years. 

Then my son and daughter-in-law come to visit with my 16 month old grandbaby. Chloe starts getting Lila's leftovers and floor droppings. Prior to this she only got a bit of people food here and there and ONLY in her dish. When I realized she'd stopped eating her dry food, I put a stop to the extras, put fresh dry food in her dish... 3 days and she hadn't touched it. I'm getting her to eat it if I add in some "Fresh Pet" Homestyle food or a bit of gravy, but otherwise she's not going for it.

Twofold question here.....

Any suggestions on getting her back to just her dry again? 

And.. I'd love to get her off the Flint River.. I've tried ever so often by offering samples of foods again.. all the good high end standards, but she doesn't even nibble. Any suggestions regarding what to try? Of course that's once I've got her back eating dry solely.

Thanks,

Beth


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## RawFedDogs (Jun 16, 2008)

Hey Beth, 
This problem is so easy to solve. You are going to have to realize a few facts first.
1. She is not a baby
2. She is a dog
3. You are the human. You make all dietary choices for her.
4. This dog is playing you like a fiddle.

Ok, here is how to solve the problem.
1. Put down the food you want her to eat.
2. Stand back and get out of the way.
3. Don't hover over her.
4. Don't encourage her to eat.
5. After 10 minutes of no interest, take it up and put it away.
6. No treats or between meal treats.
7. Next meal time put out exactly the same food.
8. Go to #2 above and start over again.

Your vet is right. She will eat when she gets hungry enough. She is used to you pandering to her silly whims so she will battle you for a while. You must not give in to her. No dog will starve himself in the presence of food. You are not starving the dog. You are offering food at each meal time. It is the dog who is choosing not to eat. The only thing you are doing wrong is giving in to the dog's whims. You are the human. You are the boss. It's not the other way around.

In the future, stop the free feeding and have at least semi regular feeding times. Once or twice a day, whichever you prefer.

One more thought. The "people food" she got to eat was probably more nutritious and better for her than the dog food you want to feed her.


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## wags (Jan 31, 2009)

I agree with RFD. 
Dogs will never ever starve themselves. Stick with trying to feed her maybe smaller meals 3 times a day and do the 15 minute rule down 15 minutes and see if she eats the food, pick it up, wait till the next feeding. Dogs love to eat and she will as I say never starve herself!
I have my dogs at times pull this and I feed them twice a day funny when they dont eat the first meal, gee meal # 2 is usually snarfed up haha! They learn its for them twice a day miss a meal go hungry till the next and they will eventually eat both meals! Dogs are smart and learn very quickly! 
Try like you are differnt foods in your rotation of foods! They love variety!:smile:


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## BabyHusky (Jul 21, 2008)

gotta love how smart dogs are and how easily they train their owners without even realizing it. my little munkie (the pup) will huff at me while eating her dry food if she wants whatever I'm eating. But she knows that if she doesn't eat her food, shes not getting it till the next day.


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## ChloesMom (Aug 31, 2009)

Well..Three days down and she's still being a willful dog.

Purchased three dry foods to try. Acana Prairie Harvest, By Nature Organics chicken, and Evo Small Bites chicken.

Putting down a small portion of two foods for 15 mins in the morning and 15 mins at night. No regular treats, no people food. She's used to getting a treat when she goes out to do her biz, but instead I've offered her a couple of pieces of the kibble. Of course she looks at me like "What the heck?"

She's not touched a morsel as of yet.


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## rannmiller (Jun 27, 2008)

Good job! Stay strong and she'll learn eventually that _you're_ the boss, not her!

Are you putting down a mixture of two foods or two foods next to each other or how is that going exactly? 

Also, what are you doing with the food between meals? It's best to put it back in the bag/storage container or whatever you have to keep it as fresh as possible so it's still appetizing and palatable at the next meal. 

Trust me, she'll give in eventually. I think the longest I've heard of a dog going was 5 or 6 days, so you're doing fine :smile:


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## ChloesMom (Aug 31, 2009)

It's two different foods in two separate bowls... when I take them back up, I put each bowl in a big ziplock baggie so it stays fresh. 

Since what she had been on was primarily chicken-based, I've been sticking to chicken-based dry to try to get her back on. Almost wondering if I should try something totally different..like something fish-based. I believe she likes salmon as I'd given her some WildSide freeze-dried salmon treats a while back that she gobbled up.

Question... when a dog rubs on the food is it because they think it stinks? I remember her doing that with something not long ago.

She's laying in her bed staring at me as I type.. giving me the "you're such a mean mommy" pout.


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## RawFedDogs (Jun 16, 2008)

ChloesMom said:


> Almost wondering if I should try something totally different..like something fish-based. I believe she likes salmon as I'd given her some WildSide freeze-dried salmon treats a while back that she gobbled up.


No, that would be catering to her whims and thats a thing of the past. Just put down food. Same food each time until she eats it. Keep up the good work. You are going to win this struggle and become head of the house again. :smile:



> Question... when a dog rubs on the food is it because they think it stinks?


No, just the opposite. They are "perfuming" themselves.



> She's laying in her bed staring at me as I type.. giving me the "you're such a mean mommy" pout.


See? You're winning. :smile:


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## Guest (Sep 3, 2009)

Picky eaters are created, not born.


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## wags (Jan 31, 2009)

Your dog has seen the vet aboput this I am assuming no hypoglycemia nothing but being stubborn and not eating correct?

Shih Tzu - Why Won't My Dog Eat?

I read this and found it pretty interesting!

If the pups healthy then shes being stubborn and she will I just know she will eventually eat! Two dogs here pull this at times its very frustrating they can be so willful! They tug at your heartstring becasue you feel they are needing to eat and they are playing us haha! But if your dog has no health problems yep shes going to eventualy eat what you give her! I hope that article kind of of helps!


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## ChloesMom (Aug 31, 2009)

wags said:


> Your dog has seen the vet aboput this I am assuming no hypoglycemia nothing but being stubborn and not eating correct?


Her last checkup was just over a month ago. Vet always comments about how hardy she is. When she did this after Wellness changed formulas a few years back I took her in just in case and got the "She's the healthiest looking sick dog I've ever seen".

She's being stubborn.

And dang it all.. last night I was gone for a while. There were several samples of various foods here. My son is all excited when I got home. Seems he'd given her a couple of nuggets of Naturapet Healthwise after a potty trip and she'd gobbled them down. 

Now I've hidden all the samples from my kids too... LoL..

I know that Healthwise is made by the same people that make Innova.. but how does it compare? I'm wondering if she ate them because the kibble is larger than what I've been putting down.


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## wags (Jan 31, 2009)

We all have to love the finicky ways of dogs!:biggrin: I thought of you today as I sat outside feeding the dogs and my two labs (gee of course) ate their cup of food with glee (gee of course they probably think I am starving them hahahahaha)(which they are certainly not) anyway my other two the beagle came sauntering over and he sniffed walked alwa did his thing and then came back and ate (he gets 1/4 to 1/2 cup usually 1/4 he needs no more haha) and he ate gee 3/4 of that walked away. The youngest of the 4 the ori~pei he looked at his Orijen and then walked away then he did his thing walked back to the bowl sniffed it went by the shed to try and sniff out a rabbit, came back took one bite now I do mean one bite and promptly went back to find that rabbit haha! So I called him, told him this is it I am not doing this much longer he did saunter back over looked at me like ok I refuse to eat and that is that! So he did not eat! UGH! They are finicky haha! He will then eat later! I am not playing these games! He must have eaten enough yesterday to satisfy himself then! Oh and yes he did eat his meals yesterday today hes playing games!
Well, your pup has had her checkup and shes healthy so no problems, just being stubborn! Ahhhh gotta love that willpower which eventually yes will crack! She will give in! You just dont want her blood sugar going low thats all! And I believe with what you have said she is starting to want food! 
Ok with healthwise their lamb one is the better of the ones. they have chicken and weight one and some other one but I think with this they say innsuffiecient meat content but not with the lamb they say this one is good. I would just add a topper then but then again that defeats the purpose of dry food! But what I do is plain food in the mornings and a topper that I split like a can of evo or merrick or whatever premium brand food wellness whatever and I split this between 4 dogs. but that is only once in the evening meal, not the morning one!
And Innova seems to have a better meat content. But I would go with what the dog likes they are both good quality products! So that is IMO Innova is a bit better than Healthwise!!
Happy eating!!!!! Dogs gotta love them!:biggrin:


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