Humans are obsessed with food. We spend hours making it look pretty and taste great, and we're stuck on the subject of variety. That's all well and good, except when we impose this behaviour on our pets.

Some pet owners are even convinced their dog or cat needs a different meal each day. But pets aren't little people - they don't need or even enjoy variety, nor is it particularly beneficial for their health.

For example, a client of mine couldn't understand why her dog had constant diarrhoea.
I could, once I learnt it chomped through turkey, grated carrot, lettuce, cream cheese and peas on Monday; fish, prawns, chocolate milk and a vegetable medley on Tuesday; chilli con carne on Wednesday - and the list goes on.

 

Foiling fussy eaters

A gradual approach using willpower usually works best for fussy eaters. Decide on the diet you want your pet to eat and mix it well into the current food. Over a week you can increase the amount until you're feeding it 100 per cent of the chosen food.

Don't feed table scraps, and don't panic if your pet is leaving the food. It's rare for a dog to starve to death. Cats can be a different story, and you may have to give a small amount of something else occasionally if they just won't eat at all.

As for the best diet, I'm a fan of a good-quality raw meat and vegetable diet. If you can't manage it, give the best-quality dry food you can afford.

 

Little beggars

Many people have a problem with dogs begging at the table. The answer is a mix of obedience training and common sense. If no one feeds the dog at the table, it's less likely to persist.

Teach the dog that it must sit and stay out of reach while the family is eating. I taught my dog not to beg by making her sit every time she looked longingly at me eating, and giving the command ‘no begging'. Now when she hears ‘no begging' she loses interest. Whenever possible, put the dog outside while you're eating.

 

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