Most fussy dogs come round with small changes. Take the fridge chill off, add a strong-smelling topper such as green tripe, try a different protein or texture, and keep mealtimes to 10 to 15 minutes. Change one thing at a time so you know what worked.
Plenty of dogs dive into raw food from the first bowl. A few sniff it, look at you, and walk off. If yours is one of the few, these are the things that tend to win them over, roughly in the order we’d try them.
1. Take the chill off
Food straight from the fridge smells of very little. Let the portion sit for 10 to 15 minutes before serving, or stand the container in a bowl of warm water for a few minutes. Don’t microwave it: cooking any part of a mince with bone in it makes the bone brittle.
2. Add a topper
A spoonful of something strong-smelling on top is often all it takes.
- Green Tripe is the classic. It smells strong to us and wonderful to dogs. Our green tripe guide has more.
- A raw egg cracked over the meal works for a lot of dogs. See can dogs eat raw eggs.
Once your dog is eating well, you can taper the topper down.
3. Try a different protein
Some dogs simply prefer one meat over another. If chicken isn’t doing it, try beef or veal, and the other way round. Fussy Mix is worth a look: it’s veal and chicken with liver and offal, and it’s one of our five products marked “For Dogs & Cats”.
4. Change the texture
Some dogs care about how food feels as much as how it smells. If your dog picks at mince, try mixing it with something they already like, or try a roll instead. Our rolls have had great feedback from customers. Our guide to dog roll versus raw mince explains the difference.
5. Keep mealtimes short
Put the bowl down for 10 to 15 minutes. If it isn’t eaten, pick it up, put it back in the fridge and offer it again at the next meal.
Count treats too. A dog who’s had a few snacks between meals won’t be hungry at dinner.
6. Change one thing at a time
It’s tempting to try everything at once. Try one change for a few days before moving on, so you know what actually worked.
Switching a fussy dog to raw
For a dog that’s new to raw, go slower than usual. Mix a little raw into their current food and increase it over two or three weeks rather than one. Our guide to switching to raw has a day-by-day plan you can stretch out.
If a dog who usually eats well suddenly stops, call your vet.
Products in this guide
More guides
Can dogs eat raw eggs?
Why to feed the whole egg, how many to give, and what to do with the shell.
Read the guide →
Green tripe for dogs: what it is and how to feed it
What green tripe is, where it fits in a raw diet, and how to live with the smell.
Read the guide →
How to switch your dog to raw food
A one-to-two week plan for moving your dog onto raw food, starting with a single protein.
Read the guide →