What Should I Feed My Fussy Whippet

Why is my Whippet a Picky Eater?

It isn’t uncommon for me to be told that their whippet is a fussy eater and that they can struggle to get them to eat. I have memories of Marley being the same when we first got him and Arkle currently can be picky too. It can be so frustrating to see your dog being fussy and uninterested in food, especially when you buy brand after brand and your whippet turns their nose up at it looking at you like “nope..what else what you got? Like humans dogs can have different preferences and tastes.

Causes of Fussy Eating

Sometimes there can be reasons your dog is fussy rather than anything taste wise. It is important to consider how we offer food may impact their feelings about food. Here are 3 things that may be causing your whippet to be fussy.

1. You are free feeding them

If you leave your dogs food down all day (free feeding) Then you may unintentionally be teaching them food is not of value. If your dog sees food down constantly and they walk by it all day until they feel a bit peckish, they may be losing value every time they walk by it and ignore it. I don’t recommend free feeding because it makes it difficult to establish how much your dog is eating, and more difficult if they become ill. Instead try offering their food for 30 minutes at a time and then pick it up after that time, offering it again later in the day. This helps to get them onto a schedule.

2. They find the presentation a bit “lacking”

Your whippet may refuse their food in a dish simply because it is not particularly motivating. Many dogs will much prefer to eat as an “experience”. When working to build their motivation for meal times, you could try giving some food in a puzzle, doing freework or hiding some of their food in a rolled up towel for them to find. The goal is the food becomes a scavenging game, this creates positive feelings about food and often encourages them to eat more.

3. They may be being over fed

Very often with the best of intentions, we may simply be accidentally over feeding our dogs. The packaging on food is often a vague guideline and it will naturally often recommend a bit more than needed to ensure your dog is not going to be underweight on their food! Along with this the guidelines don’t account for your dogs individual level of exercise, rest, how many treats they may be having, chews etc. Very often offering less food can help reduce that overwhelm about eating too!

I am not one of those people who passionately believes you should only feed your dog a specific type of food. This is because every dog is unique and different in their needs. So I won’t insist you change your whipper to raw food, or cooked food, or a specific brand of dry / kibble. Instead I believe hugely that what you feed is down to what your dog enjoys.

With that in mind, I have tried the following foods which different dogs in my home have enjoyed best. Arkle is currently fed Pure Pet Food, and after trying nearly every other brand he actually gets excited for this! While Arthur previously was obsessed with Butternut Box.

Pure Pet Food - Use code WHIPPETWONDERS for 30% off your first box and free treats for life.
https://www.purepetfood.com/?f=WHIPPETWONDERS

Butternut Box Use code WAGGINGWONDERS for 75% off your first box and 25% off your second.

https://butternutbox.com/WaggingWonders?share_source=copylink

These are affiliate links and give me a little something back if you use them, thanks!

If your dog is consistently fussy and underweight then a vet trip to rule out medical issues such as parasites or infections is really worth doing as this can be a common cause of these issues.

If you need whippet expert support for training or behaviour get in touch.

www.whippetwonders.co.uk