My dog is NOT motivated by food and rarely eats

[Emily]

My doodle is never interested in eating ( unless my kids have a hot dog and all of the sudden she will do anything for it- but we don't give people food to her). We have taken her to the vet on a regular basis and they say she is very healthy! She burps a lot but the vet doesn't seem to think that is a problem. I have changed her food over the years ( gradual food change over not cold turkey food switch) to see if she would like a different flavor and maybe be more excited to eat. Tried Taste of the Wild, Wellness, the Wellness Core (wouldn't eat even one morsel of it and would pick out the old food and leave that one behind), Natural Balance, Canidae, Nutro, California Natural...Still not excited to eat. Somedays she doesn't eat at all. Some days she eats a few small portions daily. I know dogs will eat when they are hungry...but as a mom, I worry when my babies aren't eating on a regular basis.

She has allergies in the spring and gets stinky butt every few weeks recently which is why I'm thinking maybe a food switch would be good?

  

[Jen, Lachlan, and Declan]

She sounds a lot like Lachlan, who is quite possibly the world's pickiest dog. The only one I've found that he actually enjoys, as opposed to looking put-upon while nibbling enough to survive, is the Acana duck and pear. I've tried samples from many companies - most of which he spits out (I kid you not) - although he's shown some interest in a few of the Fromm formulas.

Like yours, if I try to mix a new kibble that he doesn't care for in with the old he will very carefully pick through the bowl, although he actually picks out the bits he doesn't like and drops them on the floor - all the while looking at me like I'm trying to poison him. He's been eating the Acana for over two years now quite happily. You might try picking up a range of samples and seeing if she gets excited about one.

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

It doesn't matter, because after awhile, she will lose interest in that one too. :)

[Jen, Lachlan, and Declan]

That's a good point. Admittedly I didn't switch Lachlan's food around much. Natural Balance (if I remember correctly) to start with until I saw grain (rice?) coming out looking exactly as it did going in (to be delicate). ToTW Pacific Stream for a while, which he was ambivalent about but would eat. Then Declan came along and the gas on ToTW was still unbearable after three months, so I went and gathered up as many samples as I could find from the recommended list and said "here's your chance to pick your own bloody food. You've got one shot, so get it right." He went ape over the Acana Duck and Pear and that's what they've been eating ever since.

I'm not an "oh-please-eat" kind of person, honestly - more of a "yeah, you'll regret leaving that in your bowl" type, and with Declan around (he'd eat gravel if I dumped it into his bowl, I swear) anything Lach leaves won't still be there 30 seconds later.

Agreeing with you 100% about the tip for picky eaters - leaving that food down so that the dog decides if and when to eat is just asking for fussiness.

[Emily]

How did you obtain samples from the companies? Did you call them? I would love to have 5 or 6 tiny packages and open them all to see which one she actually perks her ears up and goes for. She is probably thinking...STOP GIVING ME SWEET POTATOES, I DON'T LIKE THEM..gimme hotdogs mom!

or something really simple like that. I haven't noticed Acana before, I will have to see if our one pet store in our city carries it.

Thank you for the funny story..poisoning? Yes, my doodle must be related to yours. Haha.

[Jen, Lachlan, and Declan]

For samples, I just went to our local high-end pet supply shops (we have three - lucky me!) and asked. The Acana and Orijen samples I had to pay for (but they're bigger than the typical sample). All three stores loaded me up with what they had available. I stuck to brands on the recommended food list and then over about a two-week period we did taste tests and divided the sample bags into piles of "eww, forget it", "okay, that's a maybe", and a very lonely little pile of "oh yeah, gimme more o' that!" He's been very happy eating that three times a day for, like I said before, over two years now.

Having said all that, some dogs just aren't interested in food. You may never find one that she really drools over. Like Karen says though, once you've settled on one stick with it. Trying to coax her to eat with toppers will ultimately turn her into a little food diva, I'm afraid. "If I hold out I'll get something really good."

I do on occasion give them healthy toppers and/or mix a little warm water into their food as a treat, and they get healthy snacks regularly (sodium-free green beans, fresh pea pods, bits of apple or banana, plain fat-free yogurt, and home-made sweet-potato chews are favorites) but if I got the "I'm not eating my kibble until you put something nice on it" attitude my response would be "sucks to be you, then."

[Jen, Lachlan, and Declan]

Sorry, just to reiterate something Karen said below - her health is the important thing, and if she's healthy and a good weight then she's eating enough and it's not something you need to stress about. I'll freely admit that the exercise I went through with Lachlan and all those samples was for me, not him. He was getting enough nutrition and calories with what he was eating - I, being human, wanted to feel like he was enjoying it too.

[Emily]

I do know of one speciality place an hour away that has samples, maybe I will see if they will sell me some Orjen so I can try before purchasing a large bag. I've spent the last hour reading about their food and I'm impressed. Love that there is Chondroitin and Glucosamine in there since she is older and her hips are getting a bit tricky. And to your second post...EXACTLY...she always stares me down when I'm cooking something good-pot roasts, chicken, pork, bacon etc. I don't give her any and  I know she would gobble it down in 2 seconds flat if I offered it to her but Because I give her dog food in a bowl, and she won't eat it happily..I do tend to think she doesn't like it and only eats it to survive. It is a human flaw.

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

That's exactly the point of the discussion link I posted. Read it, you will identify completely. 

[Jen, Lachlan, and Declan]

I've read it - and laughed so hard I had tears running down my cheeks. Yup yup yup!

[Emily]

I enjoyed that link.  :) Thanks!

[Emily]

Jen, I got sample of orijen. The fish one stinks to high heaven!!! Yucko. I opened the fish sample and the regular adult sample. She was in the kitchen in a  flash. I put a small pile of each on the floor and she smelled the  fish and walked away. Went to the adult and chowed it. She won't even eat the dog food of my mom or sisters dogs!  Kibble is just not and never has been exciting. I wrote in a post in this thread that she she was bugging me for more so I put 1 cup in her bowl. She chowed it. Then I was in the living room when she came to me and bonked my hand with her nose. She will poke me with her nose when she wants things... it's not often but when she does it..I know she needs something. When I looked at her she sat and did her "pretty" trick and held the position for a long time!!! So I walked into the kitchen and she chased me. I tossed another handful into her bowl and she ate that. She is 3 and I have never seen her this interested in food ( except the hot dog). I know she will probably loose interest over time, but for me this is a huge leap in the right direction and the food is so much healthier for her too.

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

I hope she continues to like it for a long time. :)