If you're having trouble with crate training, dealing with an overactive pup, or simply trying to alleviate puppy boredom, this blog post is a must-read!

Keeping dogs mentally stimulated is a key to their overall well-being and trainability, and making them work for food is an easy way to provide this stimulation! By replacing the traditional food bowl and introducing food dispensing toys, you can give your puppy a fun and engaging challenge. This approach is especially helpful for fast eaters, puppies with separation anxiety, and those who need in-crate entertainment. 

Oh, and these are fantastic for retreating to your room in peace for a long enough period of time if you haven't had any "intimate time" since getting your dog… (sorry, it had to be mentioned).

EASY AMUSEMENT: SNUFFLE MATS & SLOW FEEDERS

Snuffle mats are common tools used by breeders to facilitate weaning and playtime for puppies. Work up to serving a full dinner by beginning by concealing some top-value treats in this mat. High-quality kibble can be placed on the mat to limit your dog's eating, keep them occupied in a crate or pen and teach your puppy or dog to hunt for food. The majority of LierChonPoo dogs & puppies have experienced one of these possibilities:

Small Snuffle Mat: This mat is portable and reasonably priced. Both puppies and adults can use it.

Medium Snuffle and Play Mat: We adore this medium mat since it has several areas to hide meals and treats for larger breeds, households with multiple little dogs, or an entire litter. We also appreciate the simple washing and suggest doing so once a week.

Slow feeders: Although similar to snuffle mats, slow feeders are intended to slow down a rapid eater and do not provide the same stimulation level. You can maximize the slow feeder's fun value by combining your kibble with top-quality wet food that takes a lot longer to consume when distributed on the feeder's walls.

LEVEL 2: SNOOPS

Snoops are marketed as an interactive treat dispensers, but we frequently use them as bowls to feed & occupy puppies by filling them with a combination of kibble and other food. Due to their simpler manipulation by the puppy, we start snoops before feeding in Kongs. You can buy the smiley face insert to make it more challenging, but we've found it's simpler to stuff food and bulkier parts into the hole to increase the difficulty. To introduce these, we will combine a little kibble with a few high-value treats. Once the dog is familiar, we'll switch out the rewards for chunkier bits of cooked chicken or jerky that are harder to get to. The difficulty can be raised by filling the Hole in the bottom with treats or kibble or adding items like peanut butter or plain yogurt inside. We appreciate that Snoops are covered in mint oil to help keep breath fresh and that they can be put in the dishwasher on the top rack. Our young dogs will play with these for twenty to thirty minutes, providing us with times as we tidy up around them, run errands, etc.

Level 3: KONGS 

Possibly the Kong is the most well-liked "work for food" toy available. In order to keep pups clean & stuff, you should start them off with the little binkie Kong and purchase the multi-pack. Go up to the medium as your puppy develops and matures (or to feed complete meals). We have written a full blog post HERE about stuffing the Kong from the simplest to the most complex. We will reiterate that the Kong is an excellent tool for rewarding and entertaining puppies in crates, as well as for making them work for their food.

Level 4: PUZZLES & INTERACTIVE TOYS

It is uncommon for us to serve an entire meal in one of theses toys or puzzles, but it is possible if you give your dog a high-calorie kibble like PawTree.

Although our dogs love the Bob-A-Lot Interactive Dog Toy & the Tug-A-Jug, we utilize them sparingly because they can be challenging to clean and are truly only appropriate for kibble or treats. Depending on how the dog learns to give the treats, they may also be noisy.
Again, if you use these frequently, ensure you only use top-quality treats with one component and account for these calories to prevent your puppy or dog from becoming overweight.

Puzzle Toys are entertaining as well, but with certain cautions. With these kinds of toys, you MUST watch over dogs & puppies because the majority of them feature bits that, if handled carelessly, can be chewed and even eaten. They can be challenging to clean as well.

Lick Mats: Our pups and dogs also love these well-liked lick mats. Typically, we only use these on occasions when we want to treat and amuse the dogs for a while. If you're going to use these mats effectively, you must discover a mixture to distribute on the mat that is nutritious and tempting to your dog. Various ideas are covered in the Kong stuffing section also apply here.

For our dogs, we take it a step further and store these fully prepared in the freezer: natural peanut butter combined with plain greek yogurt, pureed pumpkin mixed with peanut butter or yogurt, Ollie dog food spread & re-frozen, or Ollie mixed with yogurt.

We hope you found this post helpful and will let us know what is effective and what doesn't.
Remember that any toy or bowl that doesn't support your pet's entertainment can be donated to your neighborhood shelter for a needy dog, so trying new things is never a waste. Please also check out our post on keeping your pup occupied!

​Many puppy owners complain that their dog is a fussy eater, but more often than not, we've discovered that the owner may be half (or more) of the problem). If owners are not careful, they may find themselves physically feeding their dog fillet mignon from their hands without even realizing what is going on. A finicky eater is incredibly simple to produce if you're not attentive.

Try these suggestions before you categorize your dog or puppy as a finicky eater:

1. IS YOUR FOOD FRESH? Buying in bulk is tempting, but step one is making sure your dog's food is fresh. If you purchase in large bag of puppy food, consider dividing it in to several Ziploc bags to preserve freshness. You would be amazed how many people post on Facebook that their dog looses a taste for his/her food every couple of months without ever realizing that each time they purchase a large bag, it's going stale and becomes tasteless to their dog.
2. WHAT'S NORMAL? Don't worry if your dog skips a few meals and resist the temptation to immediately offer table scraps or treats as replacements. As puppies get older, their feeding requirements decrease and many prefer to eat only once per day. Around 7-9 months, when many puppies don't need multiple meals, we see many reports of picky eating when it's really just a normal transition.  Additionally, keep in mind that people frequently eat for causes other than hunger, such as stress, emotional, and social reasons and therefore we assume dogs also want to eat when they may not be hungry. Resist the urge to impute human emotions on your Cavalier. 
3. IS YOUR DOG FOOD DRIVEN? - Some dogs simply aren't motivated by food. Individuals have trouble comprehending this because the majority of us "live to eat" while dogs only "eat to live." Consider yourself fortunate because this will make it easier to control your dog's weight. Your struggle will be finding one to two treats your dog enjoys for training purposes or motivating training through attention or toys. 
   
4. ARE YOU CONSISTENT? Establish a schedule for your Cavalier. Serve him/her at the same time every day in a designated area. After 10 to 15 minutes, remove the food to teach them that missing meals will not be rewarded. Any dog will hold out for something better (how much kale do you want to eat with a pizza on the way?), so if you keep giving treats after a poor meal, you are only making the issue worse.
5. ARE YOU OFFERING TOO MANY TREATS? - Dogs enjoy sweets just as much as people do. Consider carefully how many calories your canine may consume from rewards like training treats, table scraps, and snacks. This might be disrupting their desire for their regular meal.. Remember, if you give your Cavalier treats when it refuses to eat, your teaching them that not eating will result in positive rewards.
6. IS YOUR DOG FEARFUL?  - When dogs are afraid, they may eat less (visitors in the home, fireworks, travel). If your dog's anxiety is impacting their eating habits, provide your Cavalier with calming and anxiety-relieving aids to see if the issue goes awaybe fore switching your dog's food, which can exacerbate anxiety. Examine this CALM DOWN KIT from PawTree, which treats calming and digestive problems. We adore their calming bone as well.
7. DOES YOUR DOG NEED MORE EXERCISE? - Before supper, try taking your dog for a long walk to increase appetite. Consider going back to the day you first observed the "picky eating" and consider if the change was related to lack of exercise. Maybe bad weather or an illness stops you from taking your dog for a walk and your dog doesn't finish his meal. Less exercise lowers calorie requirements for the dog, but you don't connect the dots and think they don't enjoy their food. Instead, you start giving your dog treats or leftover food from the table, and before you realize it, your dog is refusing to eat because you unintentionally taught them that doing so will result in rewards. Bam — a week of rainfall gave rise to a "picky eater."
8. IS THERE A MEDICAL CONDITION?  - Refusing to eat can indicate a medical condition. Contact your vet if the change is dramatic and lasts more than 24 hours. If your dog will eat table scraps then it's likely not medical but keep an eye out for other symptoms of illness like lethargy, refusing water, etc. 

Now that we've discussed some of the causes of lack of appetite, here are the steps you should take (in order) before giving your dog treats, changing food or hand feeding: 

1. Expand activity.
2. Only give your dog treats or table scraps that are actually part of the meal you want them to eat. Save those special treats or scraps and add them to your dog's normal meal. You could also boil an egg and mix it into the meal for healthy added appeal. Give the dog 10 to 15 minutes to consume before pulling up the food. Don't give food between meals if he or she isn't eating at that time, and try again at the next meal time.
3. Consider using just a food topper or add-in that makes the meal extra tasty and provides extra nutrition before switching the food. Here are some choices we loved after reviewing them:
   
   1. The PawTree Superfood Spices-Adds flavor to your dog's current diet and provide a concentrated source of 8 fruits and veggies. It is a strong blend of Natural Vitamins, Minerals, and Antioxidants. These are frequently used to add variation to meals or for picky eating during pregnancy. Unsure if it will succeed? To access some complimentary samples, click this link!
      
   2. Instinct Raw Mixers- Instinct offers a variety of raw boost blenders that can be used for a variety of tasks, including giving an essential component to your dog's diet, enhancing flavor, and tackling particular dietary problems (see the gut health or coat versions).
      
4. If switching food is the only alternative, obtain some samples before making large-scale food purchases. To ensure you are considering high-quality options, browse our nutrition posts for puppies and dogs. Consider these options:
   
   1. Get 50% off when you purchase an Ollie starter box to supplement or replace your existing diet. This is just enough to test a home cooked diet for your dog and see if you can increase their interest in food. 
      
   2. To determine which foods your dog is most interested in, speak with a PawTree Pro and contact your nearest boutique pet shop.

I have volunteered in our community shelters for 30+ years, and during that time, I have never encountered a picky eater or a canine that starved themselves to death. Try not to worry or become fixated on your dog's feeding patterns. Take these steps and consult with your vet to create a feeding routine for them that doesn't involve them actually eating out of your hand