Kibble-Training Your Puppy? 4 Tricks to Help Your Dog Eat Right

Especially if your puppy is a picky eater, the following are some tips on how kibbles can be seasoned, scheduled, encouraging, and otherwise create a good experience both for your pet and for you:

Find simple-ingredient kibbles

I think most of us think of “kibble” only from seeing the ads for “Kibbles and Bits,” and it was interesting to learn from the Merriam-Webster Dictionary that the “kibble” dry and small grain or meal pellet of processed pet food goes back to 1905, and the word was used as a verb back to 1790! It certainly has endured, and it is no wonder that it can help train your puppy in its eating and other activities.

Offer food on a schedule

It is important and also very helpful to have your puppy on three well-balanced, high-quality, and healthy meals a day at the same time every day. Recommended is the first meal at about 7:00 a.m, lunch at noon, and dinner at 5:00 p.m. That last meal gives the pup a chance to exercise, digest its food, and eliminate one more time before bedtime, which should be around 9:00 p.m. Once the puppy reaches between 14 and 18 weeks old, your veterinarian might suggest going to two meals per day and exactly how much food should be eaten.

Use healthy dog food toppers and seasonings

Puppies aren’t likely to try something new unless they have a good motivation, and sadly, they aren’t the best at picking up cues from their owners on what you want them to do in their puppy years. Kibble can often be dry and somewhat lacking in flavor, especially the healthier varieties that don’t contain tasty grain fillers. The best thing to do if your puppy just doesn’t like the kibble’s taste is to mix it up with healthy toppers. Toppers can come as dog food seasoning, gravies, or even just little treat bits that can be added to kibble to help add flavor and attract your puppy’s attention. If the goal is to have them eat healthier kibble, however, make sure that your toppers are equally healthy with natural ingredients and free of empty filler ingredients.

Give verbal encouragement when the pup eats

Your pet is similar to humans at not wanting to eat the same thing every day. Different taste sensations will help to alleviate the chance of boredom by giving variety to many meals, especially if the seasonings will not upset the puppy’s tummy while they add to nutrition.

Make mealtime fun by giving encouragement and your company, which will make mealtime “yappetizing” for your beloved four-legged family member when the pup is one of those who likes to have you nearby to provide an approving audience. Your pup will really appreciate meals that can be looked forward to with relish.