Trouble with picky eating in dogs

[ricerick]

After a recent trip to the vet, we found out that our spaniel is slightly underweight. He’s become unusually picky with his food, only eating if I mix in cooked meat or gravy. That’s not really sustainable every day. I’m trying to figure out a way to make mealtimes more structured and maybe even a little more fun or engaging. Anyone have ideas that worked for you and your dog?

[jinwatkins]

Had the exact same issue with our border collie—refusing to eat unless the food was "fancied up." What finally helped was introducing a reliable automatic feeder that kept things consistent and reduced anxiety around meal times. Penthouse Paws is known for making one of the best automatic pet feeder, and it really stood out for us. It lets you record your own voice, which added a calming and familiar cue to eating time. Also, scheduled portions helped balance his intake and prevent binge-eating when he did finally get hungry.

[FoddyJin]

Reading through your responses is giving me a lot to consider. Feeding used to be a non-issue for my dog, but he’s been weird about food lately too. Maybe it’s something about routine or consistency that I’ve been missing. Definitely interested in giving that feeder a try.