Neither of my dogs will eat.

[doggymama]

They have now both gone from extremely fussy eaters to being on hunger strike.

Seriously doing my head in.

I used to give them bisquits only, until a dog expert said it might be better to mix dry kibble with wet food to stimulate appetite. Also with the words ''would you want to eat the same food every day? No? Then you shouldn't expect your dog to either!'' - I'm sorry but I thought the whole point with dog training was to NOT humanise dogs. My dad, and many of my friends insist on ONLY giving dry kibble and not worry - a dog will eat when hungry. Anyway. So I mixed their dry kibble with other foods, like cheese, chicken or ham, or lamb mince, or white fish. Now - for whatever reason - they won't touch any of it. Including the ''topping''. They will literally just look at the bowl, then look at me. Sniff the food, then look at me and walk off. They won't even touch the yummy ''human'' stuff. It's been 3 days now and they have not eaten anything! I've caught them hoovering around the floor for scraps and they ALWAYS beg at the table. When i say beg, they literally will stand on their backlegs wanting whatever we are eating. I always tell them ''off'' and eventually have to move them to the pen as they become so annoying with their begging - especially since their bowls are left untouched. (well by this point the cats will have tucked into the delicious feast!)

It's as if they know it's now dog food and therefore refuse to eat. What do I do? Just put dry kibble down and start the whole feeding process again, keeping it simple? I'm really sick of making so much effort to make their dinner tasty when all they do is just walk off. They want whatever I'm having though - so there is not a medical problem. Also they are both exactly the same. Even if I'm eating a melon or tomato - they kind of force themselves to trying it, only because I'm having it. It feels like some sort of mind game - and they are very good at it. However, I don't have the time to ''make'' them start eating. I thought dogs are passionate about their food? Mine could easily go for days without any! Also - I don't give them my food, or treats anymore. But they are still on food strike.

They used to be fed in the morning and in evening 1/4 cup each of dry kibble. It's been pointless to do a morning feed because they won't touch it, so when I do their dinner in the evening I still only use 1/4 cup + the topping. They are small dogs. They only get fed once a day because of this, as it's a massive waste of food and time trying to feed them twice.
What should I do?

[SLWeber]

I wish I had an answer for you, but I am having the same problem. Our Redbone Coonhound does the same thing - looks at the food, looks at me, sniffs the food, and walks away. Then, as soon as I turn my back, he dumps the food on the floor and walks away again. It started when he got tired of the Puppy Chow our vet recommended. Each time we switched dry food, he would eat it for a couple weeks and then quit eating. We've tried adding canned food and people food. Each time he will eat it for a few meals, then not eat for 2-3 days. "He will eat when he's hungry?" That's what the vet says, because otherwise, he is healthy. Not him, he will vomit bile from starvation before he will eat (and boy, is that disgusting to clean up). He doesn't beg from me for my food, either, but he will sniff at it and go lay down. So, with you having two that are that way, I feel for you.

Please, does anyone have any suggestions?

[Sarah83]

What do I do? Just put dry kibble down and start the whole feeding process again, keeping it simple?

This is exactly what I'd do. I found that the more I added extras to Ruperts food to try to entice him to eat the more fussy he got. I'd put the food down, give them 20 minutes and if they've not eaten it pick it back up and they get NOTHING else until the next meal time. A healthy dog won't starve itself. Rupe initially went 5 days, then he had a couple of mouthfuls of food, then another few days of nothing, another few mouthfuls of food. We went on like this for a few weeks before he gave in and started to eat properly.

What food are you feeding? Given that both dogs are refusing it I wonder whether it's the food itself? Have you tried other foods? I've just switched to raw and he's gone from having a "meh" attitude about his meals to dancing whenever I put his towel out and tucking in as soon as his dinner's down.

[runlikethewind]

This is a not a 'holier than thou' reply but I feed raw (what I consider the ultimate canine diet and many on here do) - and I never have any problems with food refusal.

Feeding should not be a game of wit - there is clearly something not right about what you are feeding your dogs. What brands are you feeding and have you tried?