I am so very happy that we are finally at the stage where Elsa eats everything. It took us a long while to get to this point because life got in the way. When she came into our family she was eating a specific brand of dog food. I very quickly starting adding lots of different foods to that base food to get her onto real food. Her system seemed to be a bit sensitive to change so I took my time introducing new things.
Life's change brought us our trip from CA to CT which meant the 6 day drive (you can read about that whole trip in my book PBJ and me). For the ease of travelling with four dogs across the country; everyone ate kibble as a base. I brought raw freeze dried and lots of good chicken type treats. Once we got to CT I got both Tilley and Luke onto their real food again right away and worked on Elsa. Well as you all know we had another trip then from CT to CA (working on that book). So it was back to kibble again. I fed about 1/2 canned and 1/2 kibble on that trip.
Back home and not going anywhere anytime soon we got to it again. She's been eating completely real food now for several months and I'm very happy about it. I keep dog food on hand at all times for those times when I just don't have any real food. I use it as food rewards and Luke likes a bowl before bed, in bed of course and he can surely use it.
What I love about the point we are at with feeding is that I can feed such a huge variety and I am constantly adding more to the list. With the twice daily meals they also eat during the day. I mostly share everything that I am eating. Luke doesn't like to eat during the day too often unless we are on a walk so he gets a lot then. For Elsa, if she does not beg for food I will almost always share. I like her to try everything and have lots and lots of variety.
Last night they had raw beef for dinner. Elsa isn't quite sold on the completely raw thing yet so I throw it in the pan for literally a couple of seconds in some coconut oil and they both chow it down. For breakfast they had meatloaf which was beef, turkey, kale, oatmeal and chia seeds. This morning for their wake up snack they have shared a cheese string and some dried chicken.
Most dogs have issues with eating a variety of food because they don't. The longer a dog is on one food or one type of treats the harder it will be to feed other things. Look at us, we are constantly changing what goes into us, they should be able to as well. In the wild, wolves eat what they can get and that will vary depending on the season and local. Our dogs should be able to eat whatever, without getting a complete digestive upset.
Of course each dog is an individual so as such they have specific tastes and they also will have foods that they cannot tolerate. It's all a learning curve. Last year I had four dogs to feed and each had their own likes and dislikes. They also each have foods that don't sit quite right so it is all trial and error. I cannot say enough how important variety is. It is the easiest way to offer a balanced diet; both in real food and dog food.
What's for breakfast? Are you sharing?
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