# Can you train a dog to become a picky eater?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-train-a-dog-to-become-a-picky-eater/826813>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [December 28, 2018, 12:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-train-a-dog-to-become-a-picky-eater/826813 "2018-12-28T00:52:32Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 3\
**Page:** 1

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Jay\_Z](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/a3d4f5/32.png) [@Jay\_Z](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jay_Z)\
**Post date:** [December 28, 2018, 12:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-train-a-dog-to-become-a-picky-eater/826813/1 "2018-12-28T00:52:32Z")

</div>

Many if not all dogs will gobble food down as soon as it is presented to them. Can you train them to become more choosy?

Suppose you regularly set 10 plates of food in front of a dog, well more than the dog can gobble down in a minute or two. Will the dog learn to pick its favorites rather than just what’s closest?

How about if the dog has to press a lever to get food. There are several choices. All levers dispense food. The choices do not change, and every effort is made to demonstrate to the dog which lever dispenses which food. Perhaps a small sample is provided. Once one lever is pressed, all others are locked out. Will the dog start making choices based on preference?

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Kimstu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/ecd19e/32.png) [@Kimstu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kimstu)\
**Post date:** [December 28, 2018, 3:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-train-a-dog-to-become-a-picky-eater/826813/2 "2018-12-28T03:44:50Z")

</div>

It appears that dogs [do have somewhat specific food preferences when given a choice](https://www.americanveterinarian.com/news/new-study-shows-surprising-food-preferences-among-cats-dogs).

> [@](#):
>
> For the current study, the investigators masked palatability, causing long-term food choices to be based on physiologic requirements.
> 
> "When you balance palatability, both dogs and cats prefer significantly different macronutrient content than what they would choose based on taste,” [study co-author] Dr. Hall concluded.
> 
> Over 28 days, 17 healthy adult dogs and 27 cats were given the choice between 4 experimental foods with similar palatability but varying in macronutrient composition. […]
> 
> Each day, dogs had an hour to eat whichever food they wanted up to a predetermined caloric intake […]
> 
> Once flavor was taken out of the equation, cats on average chose to get 43% of their calories from carbs and 30% from protein, while dogs preferred fat (41%) over carbs (36%). Not a single cat or dog chose to get the highest percentage of its calories from protein. […]
> 
> Study findings also showed some correlation between food preference, age, and lean body mass:
> 
> Among younger cats, those with less lean body mass preferred protein more than did those with more lean body mass.  
> Younger cats in general preferred protein more than older cats did.  
> Younger dogs with less fat body mass had the strongest dislike toward protein.  
> Dogs with greater fat body mass had the strongest preference for protein.

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Beckdawrek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beckdawrek/32/3647_2.png) [@Beckdawrek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beckdawrek)\
**Post date:** [December 28, 2018, 4:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-train-a-dog-to-become-a-picky-eater/826813/3 "2018-12-28T04:43:40Z")

</div>

I had a Rat Terrier who would eat nothing but old Roy ( Wal-Mart brand) dog food. She lived into her 20s. By that time her teeth were mostly gone. I had to soak it in milk for her to eat. She would not eat ANY canned food or people food, except bacon occasionally. She created her own preference.