What would you say if I told you that you had to eat the same thing every day for the rest of your life? And you don’t get to pick what kind of food it is. You’re given little brown bits of food that’s been processed so much you can’t even tell what it is. Morning and night, day after day, this is the so-called meal you’re served. There’s no variety, no colour, no warmth, no fun. Sounds awful… right? This could be exactly how your dog feels.
Dogs rely on us to take care of them and make decisions for them. They can’t communicate with us the same way we can with each other. And although we’ve learned to communicate with them quite well by teaching them verbal and hand signal commands, many of us haven’t learned how to interpret what our dogs are trying to tell us. At Bone & Biscuit, we specialize in the animal-human relationship and work hard to understand your pets needs to live a long, healthy, and happy life!
Your Dog Might Be Bored If You See This:
1. Grazing
If your dog used to finish a bowl in one sitting, but now eats a couple bites and walks away they could be bored with their food.
2. Bowl Digging
If your dog pushes the food around in the bowl with their nose or digs around with their paws, it’s probably because they’re looking to see if there’s anything better hiding underneath.
3. Stalking
Most dogs are going to turn on their puppy dog eye charm when there’s a meaty steak on the table, but if you notice your dog is begging more frequently it could be a sign they’re not getting what they want in their bowl.
4. Refusing to Eat
Has your dog stopped eating? They could have a serious medical issue, allergy, or other health problem. OR they’re trying to tell you something. Hunger strikes are a common way that dogs use to say “look human, I ain’t eatin this crap anymore.”
5. Nothing Inordinary
Your dog might not like his food and will not display any signs. Imagine you had to eat the same meal every day and you don’t sense any way of communicating to the ones who feed you that you don’t like the food; if you’re hungry and there’s food in front of you, there’s a good chance you just go ahead and eat it. Like I said, dogs love food, and your dog might be content to just carry on eating its boring meal, because it might be boring but at least it’s filling.
How to Bring Joy Back Into Meal Time
So now that you’ve come to the conclusion that your dog is bored as heck with his food; here are some of our favourite tips here at Bone & Biscuit on how you can spice up meal time.
1. Rotate Flavours
Think twice next time you go to buy your next bag of dog food. Instead of getting the usual in the largest bag, settle for a medium sized bag in the same family of food and switch flavours every time you run out.
Many dry kibble brands offer different proteins in their line. Rotating proteins not only gives your dog a change in flavour but has the added benefit that different proteins have to offer. It also aids in reducing food allergies and sensitivities. A win-win!
2. Food toppers
Try a food topper to mix in with their regular food to make it extra delicious. Many food toppers on the market not only make meals times more exciting but has the added benefit of providing additional nutrients to your dog’s diet. Stella and Chewy’s and Petcurean GO! have some great meal mixer/topper options.
Have you heard the benefits of adding Kefir or goats milk to your dog’s food? These are great options to add a tasty probiotic to your dog’s diet with many other benefits. We recommend Open Farm raw grass-fed kefir.
3. Experiment with different food types
Always been a kibble eater? Try something new like canned, freeze-dried, dehydrated, or air-dried food. These foods can be given as a meal or used as a topper with the same added nutritional benefits! Just be sure to introduce anything new slowly.
- Open Farm freeze dried formulas contain multiple proteins that are all ethically sourced.
- The Honest Kitchen is a great option for a dehydrated food.
- Ziwi Peak Air Dried dog food offers a high quality complete diet that seems to be a fan favorite for picky dogs.
4. Supplement with raw
Giving your dog a raw bone is one of the best things you can do for them. Not only do they love the taste, but raw bones can help clean your dog’s teeth, support gut health and provide hours of mental stimulation a.k.a. FUN! We can walk you through what might be the best raw bone to introduce to your dog based on their size and chewing habits. Dogs should always be supervised when giving them something to chew on. We have many amazing locally sourced raw bones in different protein options. Want to explore the benefits of adding raw food into your dog’s diet? The Bone and Biscuit can help support you in introducing this to your dog.
5. Warm things up
Pour some warm bone broth over their food. The smell alone of a warm and healthy meal is sure to get your dogs attention. Bone broth does not just add flavour but has additional benefits such as joint support, digestion and adding moisture back into your pet’s diet. Primal offers a variety of frozen bone broth options.
6. Or cool them down
Freezing bone broth or goats milk into ice cubes or buying fun little doggy pupsicles are lots of fun for them to lick and chew. You can find all kinds of fun things in our freezer at Bone & Biscuit, like Primal raw goats milk or Flying Hound Hound pops, a great treat with all organic ingredients.
7. Skip the bowl
Make eating fun with a treat dispensing ball or toy. Or set up a little treasure hunt for your dog to sniff out his dinner around the house. Outward Hound, West Paw and Ruffwear offer some great puzzle toy options.
Article Submitted by Bone & Biscuit Hamilton
Bone & Biscuit Hamilton is a family owned and operated business located on 105-2172 Rymal Rd. East. Hamilton, Ontario.
To learn more about the new store and it’s owners check out their Store Spotlight.
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