The Secret to Overcoming Your Dog’s Finicky Eating

By Dr. Carol Smeja.

Our dogs have become family members with many pet parents relating to them as their children. Surprisingly, our pets have more in common with our actual children than we previously knew. A recent survey indicated that almost 50% of dog owners report they regularly struggle to get their dogs to eat their meals, and almost three-quarters admitted that their dogs were just as or even pickier than their own children! (OnePoll, 2022) So, if your dog is a picky eater, you are definitely not alone.

Finicky eating is one of the more frustrating eating disorders because it is difficult to filter through and identify the source of the problem. Mealtime can become a dreaded experience not only for the dog but also for you. Many pet parents try to serve a variety of different foods or try to coax them by adding their favorite treats as an incentive. Others offer them verbal encouragement in addition to gently pushing them in front of their bowl. As a last resort, some pet parents will even surrender to hand-feeding their dog. This can become problematic for the dog and burdensome for you if it persists over time.

A key area that is often overlooked in easily solving finicky eating is the actual feeding ecology (i.e., territory) of your dog. It is important to remember that our dogs have descended from the grey wolf and have a physiology that is designed to resource food for survival. Although they are no longer hunting for food in the wild, they have still evolved with these same traits as they adapt to the feeding territory thatyoucreate for them in your home. So, let’s look at the 3 core elements of the feeding territory that may be driving these finicky eating behaviors:

1. Material of the Feeder: If your dog shows a reluctance to eat after a new feeder is introduced, or shows a preference for a different feeder, you might want to investigate the material and where it comes from. A dog’s powerful sense of smell can detect toxic or dangerous odors which will cause avoidance behavior. It is worth checking if your feeder has material that is sourced and manufactured in the USA and is tested for food safety to ensure quality. Sometimes materials sourced and manufactured overseas can leach certain chemicals or elements that elicit an aversion in your dog.

Additionally, feeders made of material that cause reflections can sometimes create angst and fear especially among the more skittish breeds. A dog’s eye structure gives them a superior sense of motion detection and these reflections can cause a visual overstimulation that triggers avoidance.

2. Structure of the Feeder: If you feed from a bowl, this is counterintuitive to a dog’s instinctive feeding. First, you are asking your dog to put their face into a dark hole which is especially threatening if the bowl is deep. Next, the sides of the bowl blind the dog’s peripheral vision which is programmed to detect potential threats and can heighten both their fear and anxiety. Finally, the bowl contains the food in such a small area that a dog is helpless in protecting his resource since he cannot control this territory.

If you have a feeder that uses projectiles to slow the dog’s eating, the constant banging on their snout can also cause meal avoidance. (Think about how you would like it if someone was poking a stick in your face while attempting to eat!) The exterior of a dog’s nose is extremely sensitive with many nerve endings that can even detect heat. Likewise, the mucus membrane lining the interior nasal cavities can swell with constant banging while causing an additional layer of pain.

3. Location of Feeding: Many times, we select a feeding area which is convenient for us but might contain surrounding features that undermine a non-threatening feeding environment. So, take a moment to stand in your dog’s feeding location and observe what’s taking place around you. High activity areas like the kitchen can create visual overstimulation leading to anxiousness especially since they have highly developed motion detection capabilities. Similarly, this high activity area is susceptible to auditory overload and is compounded by a dog’s powerful sense of hearing which extends over a mile away as well as in the higher frequency ranges. This sensory overload may occur in other feeding environments which appear at first glance to be suitable but contain less obvious disturbing factors after investigation.

Also, it is worth noting that your dog’s paw pads are equipped with sensory nerve endings which are designed to detect vibrations, pressure and temperature. These may also impact their perceived safety of the feeding environment leading to mealtime avoidance.

The feeding territory you create for your dog at home is critically important to avoid many feeding disorders including finicky eating. This was one of our purposes in studying the instinctive feeding habits of wolves and dogs. We translated this understanding to develop a safe and non-threatening feeder which would eliminate the need for finicky eating behaviors. The Pet Platter is non-reflective material that is 100% sourced and manufactured in the USA and independently lab tested for food safety. The design of the Pet Platter replicates eating in the wild by exhibiting a broad surface area with no sides/barriers or projectiles to interfere with the sensory circuit of the dog. It is also versatile since it can be used on any surface in either indoor or outdoor locations.

You can now create a safe and non-threatening feeding territory in your own home to help eliminate those picky eating behaviors!

Dr. Carol Smeja earned her PhD (psychology/sociology) and applied her extensive research and diagnostic training in pioneering the science of feeding dogs and cats by studying the instinctive feeding behaviors of their ancestral roots in wolves and wildcats. She volunteers at zoos to continue to gain knowledge on pet’s dietary needs and feeding habits. She speaks at professional events and pet organizations to educate pet parents on the importance of how you feed your pet to improve their health and wellbeing. You can go to https://minepetplatter.com and receive a special discount by putting in the code AVAIYA.