Dog lovers? help with food??

my lab was like that, did you try diffrent types of dog food, my lab would only eat the more spendy kinds

Sounds like you have a smart dog. He knows better than to eat the junk they try to convince us is healthy pet food.Meat is great, HOWEVER, you need to make sure he is getting a balanced diet. Have you tried the RAW diet? You can get plenty of info on it online. You can either buy pre-packaged or make it yourself at home. It is way better than kibble. Look into Bravo, Nature's Variety, Primal, or Stella & Chewy's.

I use taste of the wild - Pup likes it...when I crack an egg over it, or mix w/ cottage cheese and bits of stew-chunks (beef).

My dog won't eat most dog food brands. She also won't eat most non animal product human food.

Try a higher quality food. These days you can even buy fresh raw prepared dog food. Supplement with whole meaty bones for teeth health.

You CAN make your own, but please do your research. Dogs don't need vegetables, and shouldn't be willing to eat them, haha. They're obligate carnivores, and don't have the correct kind of gut to deal with fibrous foods. Basically, dogs need meat. But you can't just give them meat - they need a calcium source, omega-3s, a non-grain carbohydrate source, etc. Calcium is the big one many recipes online miss, and I've seen puppies with malformed limbs because of poor calcium intake. Ideally you should grind up chicken or rabbit with the bones and some organs. Food grade bonemeal is an acceptable alternative.

Or you could just buy better food.

Make a broth,with no salt,to pour over his food.

He probably needs more fat/protein. We had a toy poodle who was picky like that, in the end the best thing that worked for her was duck. Talk to your vet, but because your dog is so picky a raw food diet might be best for him.

IMO I have found that when we spoil them with these things then they won't what they are supposed to. Is he healthy and normal? IF he is leave the dog food down. He will eat when he is hungry. BTW he is a toy? He may be getting all he needs and you don't realize it. A toy should be getting maybe an 1/8 a cup of food. They over feed our pets on the dog food bag. I was a vet tech I had a breeder that I worked with and her poms also a toy breed got a coffee scoop in the am and in the PM of a high quality dog food plus their little treat tid bits. His tiny tummy may be full up on the chicken bits. But you are right he needs more than that. IF you insist on cooking for hi boil him chicken hearts. Way more of the good stuff he needs.

Leaving the dog food down will cause the oils to dry up making the food unpalatable to the dog, if you are going to leave food down you should toss it back in the bin after about an hour and mix the bin about then pull out a fresh measure of food. Fresh oils make the food more enticing to your pooch.

Does he need carbs?

He likes a little cube of cheese, but I read that dogs are lactose intolerant?

Can he eat just protein?

I buy mashed carrot n swede (frozen) for me and I mix that in with his food, after I have microwaved it lol...don`t just give him frozen chunks

I don't feel confident answering the carb question, as I'm not a vet. Probably no since there's no way wolves get much carbohydrate. We do half high quality dog food half homemade dog food, and I include a small amount of sweet potatoes for carbs. Also, be aware that many seemingly innocuous foods are poisonous to dogs - onion and garlic, for instance. I consulted with our vet, and I suggest you do too.

Cheese should be a treat.

My dog won't eat most dog food brands. She also won't eat most non animal product human food.

Try a higher quality food. These days you can even buy fresh raw prepared dog food. Supplement with whole meaty bones for teeth health.

You CAN make your own, but please do your research. Dogs don't need vegetables, and shouldn't be willing to eat them, haha. They're obligate carnivores, and don't have the correct kind of gut to deal with fibrous foods. Basically, dogs need meat. But you can't just give them meat - they need a calcium source, omega-3s, a non-grain carbohydrate source, etc. Calcium is the big one many recipes online miss, and I've seen puppies with malformed limbs because of poor calcium intake. Ideally you should grind up chicken or rabbit with the bones and some organs. Food grade bonemeal is an acceptable alternative.

Or you could just buy better food.

I agree with your post, except dogs aren't obligate carnivores (cats are).

I feed mine Canidae all life stages. It's expensive, especially for my 3 piggies, but your little one should keep a bag for quite awhile. They love it and are much healthier on it than they were with any other food.