why wont my dog eat dog food?

My dog has never eaten dog food ever since we got her about 4 months ago. She loves every other type of food apart from dog food! I could give her a bowl of cereal, she would eat it all. Same goes for every other food I try to eat! She just won't eat her own food. Is it the smell? Because I don't think she has ever even tasted it. She is a lhasa apso if that helps.

Would you?

Well, if you keep giving the dog people food of course it will not eat dog food! They dog won't go hungry, it will eventually eat its food as long as you stop giving it table scraps and cereal.

What have you been trying to feed her?My guess is that she just knows she'll get better things if she doesn't eat her food. Try getting a high quality food like Canidae (http:/canidae.com) and leaving it out and not giving her ANYTHING else. She isn't going to starve herself, she'll eat if she knows that she's not getting anything else. Dogs are smart and it's not safe to feed her people food.

Did you adopt her? Maybe her previous owners spoiled her with human food, and now she won't "stoop down" to her own level. Have you tried feeding her the canned types of dog food?

I've been told that if you leave the food down and dont offer anything else then the dog will eventually eat it's food. I have never however practised this as i just give in to my pampered pooch and give him something else.

Have you tried canned as well as dry food or both mixed? She may not like the kind you are getting her. Try different brands, varieties until you find one she likes.She may also know that you will give her people food instead and wait for you to feed her your food.If she is hungry enough and you don't give into her, she will eat her food.

Are you sure that she knows that she is a dog? Do you allow her on the chairs, beds, etc. Doe she or you own your house?What would she eat if you did not put any other food but dog food down? Or do you take pity on her and throw it away. A little starvation will change her mind and turn her on to dog food.

The reason why she is not eating her food is because you have been giving her table food or people food. My dog did the same thing. Your dog needs to get used to eating its own food. If your dog doesnt eat its food just leave it there and once it sees that your not going to give it any table food then it will come around and eat its own food. Keep doing this until everytime you feed it, then it will automatically eat its own food and everytime it eats the you should give her/him a treat.

Try getting some canned gravy and putting it on top. Then, over the course of a few weeks, decrease the amount of gravy on the food until there is none. Good Luck!

Oh yes I have a very fussy Lhasa, she is now 12 and has Never eaten dog food, they are really fussy. I have fed her on ham mixed with Bakers dry food since I got her and she has survived for the 12 years. You must be carefull with rich foods though and anything spicy but if she has the constitution of my one they are fine don't worry, just love her , she must be well cute as that age , ooh send her to me .xxx lol

Some dogs are like that, especially if they know you will give in and give her people food. However, all dog foods are not created equal. There are several good dog foods out there. Do your research and choose a good one. (Search YA for the question since it has been asked many times: What dog food?) You really need to make sure your dog is getting proper nutrition and table scraps rarely provide for all the dog's needs.Other hints (I do this), mix dry dog food with raw meat and a little water. Yes, raw meat. It is healthy and many top dog breeders feed nothing but a B.A.R.F. diet to their pedigrees. BARF stands for Bones and Raw Food. Here is an EXCELLENT link to a boatload of information about dog food. Bookmark it and read it when you have time.http://www.dogaware.com/dogfeeding.html

Im am an ex v et nurse and during my time in thew practice i worked for i encountered many people with the same problem.1 if you have only ever fed her the food you eat then it is probably that she expects to eat what you have. you can try mixing a small amount of dog food with some meat and over a period of time reducing the amount of meat.2 if you put down dog food in the morning and she does not eat it leave it down all day she will have to eat it eventuallyit is really important to get eating food made for dogs as they find it more difficult to digest things like cereal and it can cause serious medical issues. try talkng to your vet for further infomation

The breed of the dog does not matter. The level of education concerning dog behavior on the part of the owner is critical. You have created a picky eater. I think you are on your way to creating a really badly behaved dog. Get some education, go and enroll yourself and the dog in a good puppy class.

Dog's much prefer our food to there own but its not good for them at allIf its brought up on human food then it wont want to revert back to dog food. Try to not give in and just leave her food out with nothing else and she should give in if she gets hungry enough. If she doesnt and your worried she hasnt eat in a while consult a vet on what you can do x

did you gave the dog human food to much and its used to eating it.

Because, your somehow feeding her "people" food...if you want her to eat dog food only, feed her that and eventually she WILL eat it when shes hungry........good luck:)

I have Dalmatians, and just like them there is no 'one' food for all dogs. I recommend going to ( http://home.att.net/~wdcusick/LhasaApso.html ) So that you can understand about your dog and his needs, you will see that there are no commercial all-breed dog foods manufactured in the U.S. that use the nutrients of this breed's native land. The diet for the Lhasa Apso should contain poultry, fish, rice, soy and wheat. You should avoid feeding a Lhasa Apso foods that contain beef, yellow corn, beet pulp, or white potatoes. I would recommend if you have in your town a food called 'solid gold' it is made in USA and not in china, and it has all of the ingredients the Lhasa Apso seems to need in their diet. By the way, Lhasa Apso loves moist food. I give solid gold to my 5 dogs and add a little warm water, they don't eat it while it's still hard but once the water is absorbed they love it.Good luck,

dogs will always eat 'our' food. its not as bad thing if its good food. not too much carbs. but sdog food has all the correct stuff in it for dogs so it be lacking in goodness - try getting a really good dog food and not feeding it your food. dogs never starve. dogs can eat vegetable a little rice or pasta but not too much. chicken is also good. cut down on rich red meat. good luck.

I sometimes have this problem with my dog, however once she realises that the dog food is all that there is to eat she will eat it. Trust me if the dog is hungry it will eat the dog food. try putting the food down at a certain time eavh day and leave it two hours before removing it until the next day, this way the dog will get into a routine and start appreciating it when you give it food. Also dont give treats etc... before meals.