How to Get a Yorkie to Eat Dry Food (2023)

Wanna find out how to get a Yorkie to eat dry food? ARF, is your Yorkie a picky eater who keeps turning his nose at kibble, even the “expensive” kind? WOOF, I’ve got you covered with tips and tricks to get that tail waggin’ during meal time!

Posted 1/3/23

Before we start with the strategies, let’s sniff out the pawblem! Why don’t Yorkies like dry food? Even though kibble is convenient for humans to store and feed, it is certainly not the first choice for any dog, let alone Yorkies who can be picky eaters. WOOF, let me bark some honest barks about dry food for dogs.

First, it’s no shocker that kibble isn’t as appealing as wet food (and arf course, table food a.k.a. human food). I mean, just look at it. GRR. Or smell it! The smell of heavily processed kibble doesn’t help either, which is far from lackluster. Remember dogs use scent to perceive and understand the world, and food is no exception. Oftentimes, your Yorkie turns his nose at dry food until he gets really hungry or excited (as for me, it was always right before a walk).

Second, Yorkies are sadly prone to dental disease due to their small jaws. Hence, their difficulty in chewing (from tooth decay) may make them find the hard-textured kibble unappetizing. Third, Yorkies who are spoiled (like me) KNOW that there is much tastier food lying around and are willing to wait it out until better options get into their bellies.

Any-HOWL, sniff out these tips and tricks to get your Yorkie to eat (and wag his tail to) dry food!

#1 Soak the kibble

One of the easiest ways to get a Yorkie to eat dry food is to SOAK the kibble! When dry kibble softens, it releases the aroma of the heavily processed meat, helping your Yorkie find it more edible (or at least, compared to dry kibble). It helps restore the original form of the kibble, which was soft and moist from the get-go. As carnivores, Yorkies will appreciate the added moisture to their meals (arf-ter all, meat is juicy and warm). Besides improved palatability, soaked kibble also aids digestion (for those sensitive, GI-prone Yorkie tummies), increases hydration, and slows down eating (which means fewer calorie intake and potential weight loss).

Put a half cup of kibble (or one-third to one-half of your Yorkie’s daily food intake) in a small bowl and then pour filtered water until it reaches roughly the same level as the kibble. You can adjust the water level to your Yorkie’s taste preference later. You can use warm water, room temperature water, or even slightly cold water, but NEVER use hot or boiling water as the heat may destroy the nutritional content of the kibble. Since we are on the road as nomads, my human tends to use bottled water (at room temperature), which works very well.

EXPERT Tip: My human likes to do the first batch of soaking in the morning right before my walk, so my breakfast is ready by the time we’re home.

Since every Yorkie may have slightly different taste buds, you can play around with the water level to determine what suits your Yorkie’s palate. Some Yorkies don’t like mushy kibble; however, for a senior Yorkie with only four teeth remaining, mushy kibble is my kind of food! If you’re worried about potential tooth decay with soaked kibble, decrease the amount of water used to retain most of the hard texture but enough water to release some irresistible aroma.

ARF yeah, don’t forget to brush your Yorkie’s teeth regularly, even if he only has a few teeth left!

The rule of claw is to have the water reach at least one-third level of the kibble volume. Depending on the size and amount of the kibble and water temperature, the soaking time should be anywhere between 10 minutes to 40 minutes before feeding. However, keep in mind to not let the soaked kibble sit out for more than 2-3 hours tops to prevent bacterial growth – think of it as “meat” just sitting out. Refrigerate any uneaten soaked kibble for up to 48 hours to serve the next meal to your Yorkie. Hence, it’s best not to soak a whole day’s servings but to divide them into smaller portions.

#2 Give dry food throughout the day

Many pawrents tend to feed their dogs two big meals a day with treats in between. If you want your Yorkie to eat dry food, you should try splitting the kibble meals into three or even four times a day. Smaller portions are not only healthier but also likelier to spark a better appetite for your Yorkie.

You can even try to use kibble as a “treat” to entice your Yorkie. Throughout the day, try tossing a few kibbles for tricks and quick games of hide and seek, an ARF-mazing game if you need to conduct carrier training to prepare your Yorkie for a travel day. Create an ambiance where kibble is a real goodie deserving of his attention and palate.

#3 Add a topper

ARF, make mealtime interesting! Toppers are often an easy fix to your Yorkie’s dry food dilemma. These days, dog food toppers are plentiful, affordable, and easily accessible online. From fish pour-overs to pumpkin pour-overs, you can find healthy, human-grade toppers that make your Yorkie lick his chops over and over. Again, a little moisture on dry food goes a long way – even a few drops of topper can make a BIG difference in your Yorkie’s appetite. Not to bark, they can add nutritional value to your Yorkie’s meal – if you carefully select the right ones. Woof Hooo! Don’t forget to follow the feeding instructions.

Sniff out these chops-lickin’ toppers!

Be sure to follow the general 10% rule when feeding treats, toppers, and human food to your Yorkie:

A dog should eat 10% of total daily calories from treats, vegetables, and fruit. Just like any treat, remember to feed human food used as treats or snacks in moderation (again, no more than 10% of daily treat/snack limit), even after safely introduced.

#4 Mix in shredded chicken

Whether you boil your unseasoned chicken (and rip it into pieces) OR grab some from a pet supply store, shredded chicken is generally a safe meat to add to your Yorkie’s dry food due to its low-fat content. With Yorkies being genetically predisposed to pancreatitis (an inflammatory reaction within the pancreas resulting in abdominal pain, inappetence, and vomiting :(), a low-fat chicken diet (with shredded chicken and chicken kibble) is a suitable option. If you prefer a different meat topper, any juicy meat bits or shreds should suffice – given that your Yorkie doesn’t need to be on a low-fat diet.

Mixing the succulent chicken juice with the kibble will make your Yorkie gobble down all the dry food ASAP. An ideal proportion should be 4:1 or 3:1 (e.g. 1 cup of kibble is supplemented by either one-fourth or one-third cup of shredded chicken) – if your primary goal is to get your Yorkie to eat dry food. If it’s not your goal, going halves on dry food and shredded chicken will serve as a paw-lickin’ meal that your Yorkie will appreciate even more.

Sniff out my favorite shredded chicken HERE!

Be sure to follow the 10% rule when feeding treats, toppers, and human food to your Yorkie:

#5 Mix in with wet food

Besides the shredded chicken, wet food mixed in with kibble never fails to make me lick the bowl clean! Yet, the same concept goes for the wet food of your choice for your Yorkie – the ideal proportion should be 4:1 or 3:1. Again, don’t forget to spread the juice!

#6 Mix in a little human food

In addition to shredded chicken, there is an array of human food that is safe for Yorkies – from unseasoned lean meat to crunchy, hydrating vegetables. As long as your Yorkie is healthy and doesn’t need to be on a strict diet, mixing in a little human food is not only enticing to your Yorkie but also offers incredible nutritional value and health benefits. Again, don’t forget the 10% rule when feeding human food to your Yorkie!

The 10% rule when feeding treats, toppers, and human food to your Yorkie:

Sniff out my list of favorite human food for Yorkies HERE.

#7 Hide treats in the bowl

Breaking apart some tasty treats and hiding them in the kibble is the easy way to make a Yorkie’s dinner smell ARF-so-enticing! Your Yorkie will likely rummage through the dry food with his robust nose in search of these tasty treats. Soft treats are the best since you can easily break them apart. Plus, they’ll easily stick to the dry kibble, making the dry food inseparable from chops-lickin’ goods. As for me, I take a half beef-flavored glucosamine chew daily for my aging joints and collapsed trachea (as recommended by my veterinarian); despite being joint supplements, these succulent chews are like treats to me! Therefore, breaking apart a tasty chew and spreading it all over my dry food makes the kibble taste arf-solutely irresistible!

Once again, follow the 10% rule when feeding treats, toppers, and human food to your Yorkie:

#8 Add chicken broth

Adding a bit of chicken broth to your Yorkie’s dry food works miracles for a picky Yorkie’s appetite. With aromatic chicken broth added to the mix, it’s a safe bet that your Yorkie will lick that bowl clean. As barked earlier, (low-fat) chicken is generally a good choice for Yorkies due to their predisposition to pancreatitis and GI issues. As a matter of bark, chicken with rice is often prescribed by veterinarians as a “bland diet” to soothe tummy aches for any dog, not just Yorkies.

If you are buying chicken broth from the market, make sure you get one that’s fully cooked, low-fat, and low-sodium with no seasoning added. If you plan on cooking up some yourself, please don’t add any seasoning and remove as much grease as PAWsible. Be sure to let the broth cool down AFTER heating it BEFORE slowly pouring it into your Yorkie’s dry food. The broth level should stop at roughly one-third of the kibble volume, and then you can stir it thoroughly to ensure every kibble is splattered with some hearty, mouthwatering goodness.

Dog beer, although it may not be as healthy or low-fat, can be an alternative to chicken broth – if your Yorkie is healthy and doesn’t need to be on a strict low-fat diet. Don’t worry, there’s no alcohol in dog beer! It’s basically a bone broth brewed especially for dogs. And, for the record, no dog or Yorkie should drink any type of alcohol.

#9 Alternate the dry food OR Mix two types of dry food

Unless your Yorkie is on a strict diet due to medical conditions, a good strategy is not to limit your Yorkie to only the same dry food but to feed a variety of dry food. Can you imagine eating the same thing every single day? Not very arf-exciting, right? Rotating the kibble selection or mixing two types of dry food aims NOT to get him tired of his food quickly (GRR, this bowl of uninspired yuckiness again?), which in turn, helps stimulate a better appetite. Plus, it could combat manufacturer recalls if your Yorkie doesn’t stay on the same diet all the time. Due to the heavy processing of dry food, recalls are common and almost unavoidable these days, even with “high quality,” expensive dog food.

#10 Use a blender or food processor to break kibble apart

If you suspect that your Yorkie’s dental issues are causing him to turn his nose up at dry food, you can break the kibble into ultra-small pieces that will be easy on sensitive teeth and gums. ARF course, you can always mix in all the options barked above arf-terwards – toppers, shredded chicken, wet food, chicken broth, and so forth.

As all Yorkies are individual beings, there may never be a one-size-fits-all policy. Try all these tips and tricks and see what works best for your Yorkie. If you’ve narrowed it down to a few strategies to get your Yorkie to eat dry food, you should alternate them so he doesn’t get bored of the same food or setup every day. And, arf course, consult with a veterinarian with any concerns.

Woof, that’s all I have! Hope you enjoy sniffing out my 10 tips on How to Get a Yorkie to Eat Dry Food. If you’ve got a tip of your own, BARK AT ME! Sharing is caring. 🙂

Markin’ it up,

Roger Wellington a.k.a. The Doob