Switched Tito to dry food, now he makes it a real pain to feed him

[titothepug]

Hey guys,

So its been 3 weeks since I've gotten Tito and we have finally switched him into eating dry food. Now, after a few days, a problem has arisen. He enjoys the flavor of the dry food (lamb) and he has eaten it willingly. But for the past few days, he won't eat it by himself. If I fill the bowl and lay it in his food/drink area, he will just walk over to it and walk away afterwards. HOWEVER, if I put my hand in that bowl and put a couple of the bits in my hand, he will come right over and eat it out of my hand. He will also eat it if I throw it towards him or on the floor. What can I do to get him to eat the food without me having to hand-feed or play with him to eat it. Should I try another flavor? I have been encouraging when he did start eating it in the first place. Appreciate the feedback!

[Tinker's mom]

Ty soaking the dry food in warm water and putting it in a shallow dish.

[Wonka & Nilla]

If he was eating wet/canned food before, he may just not like the feel of the kibble when getting it from the bowl. I agree with Jackie about soaking it in some warm water. That will make it seem more like wet food from a can if that's what he was eating before.

[Rossy]

It sounds like you are experiencing a similar thing to myself and some others on this forum.
Samoo (as I have said numerous times before) is a devil when it comes to feeding! He sometimes eats from his bowl, sometimes we have to play 'kibble hockey' and flick it at him (like a game), other times he will only eat from our hands.

We are avoiding the hand feeding though as we don't want him to become reliant on us feeding him 'manually'....and it could take hours...kibble by kibble he he he...

We literally have tried EVERYTHING in the book! If we soak the kibble in water, Samoo will not go anywhere near it (so whilst this works for some, it doesn't for everyone!). We have found minor success in switching between different foods and flavours and this seems to have improved things.

Although, last night I bout Marks & Spencer Sardines for Samoo (thinking this will be a sure fire hit), but boy were we wrong!

We currently feed Acana small breed for puppies, as it is the only kibble we have found that is smaller in size, and Samoo used to struggle with Orijen and the size. We then give him a topping for extra flavour.....scrambled egg, chicken, beef, fish (when he's in the mood).

Good luck !

[AussieThePug]

When I switched my guy to adult food from his soft puppy kibbles he has issues chewing it and refused to. I mixed it with canned food initially and he adore that, but his stool became soft because of it. Now I add probiotic powder and mix it with his food with a little bit water. It turns into a gravy and he loves that. Adding hot water to just the food will also work as a gravy. I switch my guy from lamb to chicken every other bag. Some brands have many varieties of flavors within the same formula. My guy is on Nature's Variety Prairie and loves it. They have great variety of flavors and I don't have to worry about upsetting his tummy when I switch.

[Nina_W]

... or you could just refuse him any other food until he eats it (this would include treats). Put the bowl down, give him 15 minutes, then pick the bowl up and have him wait for next mealtime. He won't starve, I promise.

Flooding kibble with water is a good idea, though, nevermind him being fussy about the texture. They can do with the extra water :)

Have his teeth checked out at the vet while you're at it.

[Ron]

Amazing to me. All of my Pugs would wolf down their kibble. In fact, i think that all of them would continue eating, if I gave them more, until they burst.

[CSollers]

I agree with Nina. Pugs won't starve.

[titothepug]

Thank you everyone for your thoughts and opinions. It really does help. I couldn't have found a better forum!

It sounds like you are experiencing a similar thing to myself and some others on this forum.
Samoo (as I have said numerous times before) is a devil when it comes to feeding! He sometimes eats from his bowl, sometimes we have to play 'kibble hockey' and flick it at him (like a game), other times he will only eat from our hands.

We are avoiding the hand feeding though as we don't want him to become reliant on us feeding him 'manually'....and it could take hours...kibble by kibble he he he...

We literally have tried EVERYTHING in the book! If we soak the kibble in water, Samoo will not go anywhere near it (so whilst this works for some, it doesn't for everyone!). We have found minor success in switching between different foods and flavours and this seems to have improved things.

Although, last night I bout Marks & Spencer Sardines for Samoo (thinking this will be a sure fire hit), but boy were we wrong!

We currently feed Acana small breed for puppies, as it is the only kibble we have found that is smaller in size, and Samoo used to struggle with Orijen and the size. We then give him a topping for extra flavour.....scrambled egg, chicken, beef, fish (when he's in the mood).

Good luck !

Haha it seems to be the same problem. I'll keep trying the ideas and see what Tito seems to prefer! Thank you!

When I switched my guy to adult food from his soft puppy kibbles he has issues chewing it and refused to. I mixed it with canned food initially and he adore that, but his stool became soft because of it. Now I add probiotic powder and mix it with his food with a little bit water. It turns into a gravy and he loves that. Adding hot water to just the food will also work as a gravy. I switch my guy from lamb to chicken every other bag. Some brands have many varieties of flavors within the same formula. My guy is on Nature's Variety Prairie and loves it. They have great variety of flavors and I don't have to worry about upsetting his tummy when I switch.

Thank you for the help. I'll be sure to consider all options.

... or you could just refuse him any other food until he eats it (this would include treats). Put the bowl down, give him 15 minutes, then pick the bowl up and have him wait for next mealtime. He won't starve, I promise.

Flooding kibble with water is a good idea, though, nevermind him being fussy about the texture. They can do with the extra water :)

Have his teeth checked out at the vet while you're at it.

Teeth came back clean, no problems. He did eat once he was starving, I am just hoping we can adjust it so I don't have to starve him for 24 hours to feed him. He does drink plenty of water so I can't be too worried.

[pugtown]

There is Nature's Variety Instinct Boost in powder form. It can be used as an enhancer to kibble. Just a tablespoon sprinkled on the kibble is enough.