by Sasha Riess | 08.07.26. | Nutrition
When dealing with a companion who rejects their meals, learning how to handle a picky eating dog is the most important step an owner can take. When your dog turns its head away from a bowl into which you have invested your effort and love, it is not showing that it is “spoiled” or “stubborn.” Instead, it is placing you into the simplest possible trap.
Dog behavior, throughout evolution, has always been inseparably connected to food—from the wolf, to the village dog, to the one now sleeping on your couch. Food is not just a meal; it is the thinnest layer of your relationship and a key means of communication.
Evolution in the Bowl: How to Handle a Picky Eating Dog Through History
The entire relationship between human and dog revolves around one question: will there be food tomorrow, and who is responsible for it? In that relationship, the dog does not seek luxury; it seeks its place.
When it refuses to eat, it is not choosing flavors. It is showing you where your place is, or trying to understand where its own place is. This is a subtle game of power in which the dog casually rejects your investment of love in order to observe your reaction. Recognizing this dynamic changes how to handle a picky eating dog, shifting your focus from culinary desperation to calm consistency.
Consistency as the Only Solution
The solution is neither punishment nor indulgence. If you have prepared a meal, that is what is eaten. The dog is neither picky nor greedy; it is simply testing the boundaries of your authority.
If the dog senses that it can manipulate your emotions through food, it takes the leadership role in your small pack. A healthy relationship is built on clear rules: “I prepared this, and this is what is eaten.” If the dog believes there is a better place or a better leader who will offer something else, it is free to look for it. But in your home, you are the one who sets the standards.
A healthy relationship is built on clear household standards: the leader provides the meal, and the follower accepts it without manipulation.
Reclaiming Balance in the Household
Only when you understand this does dog behavior stop being a stressful problem and become a balanced partnership. When you hold the boundary calmly, without anger or bribery, the dog relaxes into its natural role as a follower.
To explore more about how freshly prepared, raw meals and natural enzymes restore internal balance, read our holistic nutrition guidelines.
At Sasha Riess, we look past commercial labels to honor the unique biological blueprint of your companion. True health requires addressing the subtle internal patterns that create lasting vitality and pureloveandharmony. Discover the customized path to your dog’s longevity: Linktree Sasha Riess
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by Sasha Riess | 06.07.26. | Nutrition
Many owners, especially those with smaller breeds such as Yorkies, panic when they notice that their dog has not approached the water bowl all day. The first question they ask is: “How can I make my dog drink?” However, the answer is simple. Do not force it. A dog is not a number in a nutrition table. Instead, it is a living being of nature that drinks water only when it is truly thirsty. Proper dog care requires understanding the dog’s unique ecosystem rather than blindly following general recommendations. Therefore, learning why dogs stop drinking water requires examining their specific lifestyle and diet rather than forcing a universal standard.
The Trap of Kibble and Dehydrated Food
The main reason we remember dogs that constantly drink water is kibble. Dry, dehydrated food requires a large amount of water simply to soak in the stomach before digestion can even begin. Consequently, when a dog eats kibble, the body often uses its own internal water reserves to process it. This unnatural strain can lead to constant thirst and the disturbance of stomach acid balance.
On the other hand, if your dog eats freshly prepared, moist food, most of the required hydration already comes through the meal itself. In that situation, the dog simply does not need to drink additional water.
This is because the body is not dehydrated by the digestive process. This stark dietary difference explains why dogs stop drinking water from their bowls when they switch to species-appropriate nutrition.
Cooling Biology and Environment
Dogs do not have sweat glands across their entire body as humans do. Instead, they cool themselves mainly through rapid breathing and through their paw pads. If your dog lives indoors in a temperature-controlled environment and is not exposed to extreme heat, it will not lose significant fluid through evaporation.
For instance, a dog walking on hot asphalt and a dog breathing cool mountain air do not have the same hydration needs. If there is no environmental dehydration, there is simply no need for active rehydration.
If your dog eats freshly prepared, moist food, most of the required hydration comes through the meal itself.
Observe Your Dog, Not Numbers
Just as two different humans cannot have the exact same water requirement, dogs cannot fit into a single, generic hydration formula. Therefore, you must carefully observe your dog’s specific ecosystem. You should consider what the dog eats, where the dog spends time, and how active the dog is throughout the day.
A dog will not allow itself to reach dangerous dehydration if fresh water is always available. Your responsibility is only to provide continuous access to clean water. Ultimately, the dog’s body will know exactly when it needs the first sip. To explore more about how freshly prepared, moist meals and vital nutrients support your dog’s hydration from within, read our holistic nutrition guidelines.
See you next time.
At Sasha Riess, we look past commercial labels to honor the unique biological blueprint of your companion. True health requires addressing the subtle internal patterns that create lasting vitality and pureloveandharmony. Discover the customized path to your dog’s longevity: Linktree Sasha Riess
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by Sasha Riess | 05.07.26. | Nutrition
When a Bichon owner says their dog is “itching all the time,” the first thought usually points to fleas or an improper shampoo. However, if the dog eats a diet consisting strictly of kibble, the problem is almost always internal. Constant scratching and chewing on the paws are not just surface-level skin irritations. Instead, they represent the body’s ultimate cry for help when it cannot process the substances entering it. Therefore, understanding what causes constant bichon itching requires looking beneath the fur, because the issue stems from the digestive system rather than a topical condition.
Microbiome: The Invisible Army Losing the Battle
The absolute core of the problem lies within the microbiome, which is the delicate community of beneficial probiotic bacteria in the digestive tract. Unfortunately, poor-quality industrial food and chronic stress rapidly destroy these protective bacteria. Consequently, when the microbiome weakens, the dog’s immunity drops significantly. The body then begins to produce histamines in response to everyday substances that would not normally act as allergens. Commercial kibble is frequently filled with ingredients and artificial elements that the dog’s body simply does not know how to process. This internal failure explains exactly what causes constant bichon itching from the inside out.
The Brain Commands: “Push It Out Through the Skin”
An allergy is, in its essence, a highly active defense mechanism. When a dog consumes something its body does not recognize or cannot safely process, the brain makes an urgent survival decision. Since the liver, kidneys, and bladder cannot fully handle or filter out these unfamiliar elements, the organism utilizes its largest detoxification organ: the skin.
“Push it out!” the brain signals. Consequently, histamines appear directly on the surface, causing intense itching, redness, and persistent wounds from compulsive scratching.
Ultimately, scratching is only the final, visible stage of a complex metabolic process that began directly in the food bowl. Therefore, if you want your Bichon to stop itching permanently, do not look for another medical cream or a temporary chemical spray. Instead, look for real, living food that will naturally rebuild the microbiome and restore internal peace. To explore more about how a clean, species-appropriate diet transforms your dog’s health from the inside out, read our holistic nutrition guidelines.
See you next time.
At Sasha Riess, we look past commercial labels to honor the unique biological blueprint of your companion. True health requires addressing the subtle internal patterns that create lasting vitality and pureloveandharmony. Discover the customized path to your dog’s longevity: Linktree Sasha Riess
by Sasha Riess | 03.07.26. | Nutrition
Transitioning to living food is a process of awakening the organism. This transition requires patience and careful preparation. Many owners give up at the very beginning. They become frightened by sudden reactions in the digestive tract.
To avoid this, you must first prepare the dog’s microbiome for a new type of energy.
Inflammatory Processes: A Sign of Awakening, Not Disease
When the digestive system receives living nutrients, a kind of “overflow” occurs. Lifeless food suppresses the gut for years.
Therefore, the inflammatory processes that may appear are not a reason to step back. These reactions show that the body is awakening and cleansing itself.
To make this process easier, we introduce prebiotics such as bone broth and broccoli. These ingredients serve as a foundation for the development of healthy bacteria. This step is essential to properly prepare your dog for healthy food.
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Preparing the microbiome begins with gentle and healing foods.
A Protocol for a Safe Transition: Micro-Steps to Prepare Your Dog for Healthy Food
To successfully navigate this process of change, you must follow a clear protocol. Preparation includes specific recipes such as medicinal cookies and light soups. These meals gently prepare the dog’s microbiome for what is to come.
On the portal formula.sashariess.rs, we share daily steps. You will find recipes for breads and meals that will help both you and your dog go through this process safely and consciously. Do not retreat at the first sign of cleansing. It is only a sign that life is returning to your dog’s body.
At Sasha Riess, we teach that true detoxification is a sacred step toward vitality. Walking this path with patience and understanding brings ultimate pureloveandharmony to your companion. Start your conscious journey today: Linktree Sasha Riess
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by Sasha Riess | 30.06.26. | Nutrition
Why Generic Dog Food Does Not Exist: The Power of the 7%
Many owners wonder why generic dog food does not exist as a permanent health solution, and the answer lies in the hidden 7% of nutrition that shapes a dog’s life. Commercial pet food relies on one idea we have all unconsciously accepted. We assume that if a formula covers basic nutritional needs, then it applies to every single dog.
Standard education taught us to look strictly at composition. Consequently, we turn the bag around to search for protein, fat, and carbohydrate percentages. We compare numbers, analyze labels, and look for a “better ratio.” However, by doing that, we only look at the surface.
The physiological diversity of dogs does not begin in the percentage of protein. Instead, it begins in the unique way their organism uses what it eats. Two dogs can consume the same amount of nutrients. Yet, they build completely different biochemistry, energy levels, stability, and longevity from them. This is the main reason why generic dog food does not exist when you look past the label.
93% Versus 7%: What Is Written on the Label and Why Generic Dog Food Does Not Exist
To understand why, we must break down daily nutritional needs. About ninety-three percent of a dog’s daily nutritional intake consists of macronutrients. These are proteins, fats, and carbohydrates. That is what we measure. Furthermore, that is what we monitor and what the industry promotes.
The remaining seven percent consists of micronutrients. This means roughly one percent vitamins and about six percent minerals. On paper, that seems marginal. Seven percent looks small. However, those seven percent shape how the body uses the other ninety-three.
Proteins function as essential building material. The body uses them to repair tissues, muscles, enzymes, and the immune system. Additionally, the organism can recycle amino acids. It can redistribute them, and it can even meet part of its energy needs by breaking down its own protein reserves when necessary.
Fats act as an energy reservoir. They function as long-term fuel, organ protection, and carriers of certain vitamins. The body stores them and uses them when energy demand exceeds intake.
Carbohydrates provide quick fuel. They regulate blood sugar and supply cells with immediate energy. Yet, the organism can synthesize them from other sources when needed.
In other words, macronutrients are highly flexible. The body can store them, redistribute them, and transform them. Vitamins, although essential, also have a certain degree of internal regulation. Indeed, the body can synthesize or activate some from precursors. It stores certain types, while recycling others through metabolic processes.
Minerals: The Foundation of Life and Proof Why Generic Dog Food Does Not Exist
But minerals are a different story. The organism cannot produce them. It cannot synthesize them. It cannot create them from nothing. Therefore, the only reason a dog eats food is to obtain minerals. Without them, there are no enzymatic reactions. There is no hormonal signaling, no cellular respiration, and no nervous system stability. Energy production stops completely without minerals. Truly, minerals are the foundation of life, not a dietary supplement.
And this is where generic product formulas fail. Minerals do not function in isolation. Instead, they function in relationships, in patterns, and in balances that are unique to each dog. Deep within the organism, beneath calories and protein, a mineral dynamic unfolds. This dynamic determines how a dog will live, react, and age. This complex reality explains why generic dog food does not exist as a one-size-fits-all solution.
Cascade of Imbalance: The Dangerous Copper and Magnesium Relationship
Let us look at one of the clearest examples. This is the relationship between copper and magnesium. When copper in the tissues is stable and functional, it supports cellular respiration. It supports enzymatic activity and oxidative metabolism. But when it becomes imbalanced, a chain reaction begins. This happens especially when copper levels rise but remain biologically unavailable, bound, and inactive.
The body immediately loses the ability to properly retain magnesium. Therefore, magnesium begins to drop. This does not happen because it is absent from food, but because the organism cannot integrate it. And then a cascade of disturbances begins. You will first see this in the nervous system.
The dog loses stability. It becomes more tense, more reactive, and harder to relax. From the outside, this looks like behavior. Inside, it is mineral loss. As magnesium continues to decline, calcium begins to dominate. Consequently, tissues become more rigid, metabolism slows, and recovery weakens.
The drop in energy activates the adrenal glands. They attempt to compensate through stress hormones. Thus, the dog enters a paradoxical state. It is exhausted and overstimulated at the same time.
At this stage, owners often try to correct the condition. They use magnesium supplementation or “better food.” But as long as copper remains imbalanced, the body cannot retain magnesium. It enters, but it does not integrate.
As long as the primary stress and copper relationship is not stabilized, food begins to break down inside the organism instead of being incorporated. This is often seen through elevated sulfur levels in tissues. This is a clear marker of protein breakdown and reduced nutrient utilization. To learn more about conscious canine diet options, explore our holistic nutrition guidelines.
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A dog does not build energy from calories, but from perfect internal balance.
The Path to Longevity Through the Mineral Profile
And here we arrive at the essence of this column. The problem is not that the food is of poor quality. Rather, the problem is that it is generic. It does not consider the mineral pattern, stress history, glandular function, and metabolic type of the individual dog.
A dog does not digest food only through the stomach. It digests food through minerals. It does not build energy from calories, but from balance. That is why generic dog food does not exist in nature. There is only a generic product that hopes it will suit the majority.
But life is not lived in the majority. Life is lived in those seven percent no one looks at. Yet, those minerals determine how everything else will be used. And that is why the path to a dog’s longevity does not begin with choosing a brand. It begins with understanding its unique mineral profile. Everything else follows or it does not.
See you next time.
At Sasha Riess, we look past commercial labels to honor the unique biological blueprint of your companion. True health requires addressing the subtle internal patterns that create lasting vitality and pureloveandharmony. Discover the customized path to your dog’s longevity: Linktree Sasha Riess
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by Sasha Riess | 26.06.26. | Nutrition
When a dog refuses a meal and the veterinarian confirms that it is physically completely healthy, owners are often confused. Is the dog being stubborn? Is it trying to dominate? The truth is much deeper and concerns the relationship between you and your dog. Why a dog refuses to eat is often not a medical question but an emotional one that arises from an insecure affective bond between you and your companion.
Therefore, understanding why a dog refuses to eat requires looking beyond the bowl, as the issue stems from an emotional disconnect rather than a physical illness.
Anxiety Instead of Dominance
Refusing food, picking at bites, or turning the head away from the bowl is often wrongly interpreted as a “power play” or an attempt to prove who is in charge. In reality, these are anxious behaviors. The dog is not telling you that it is the leader. Instead, it is subtly telling you that it does not trust enough.
The dog does not eat because it does not feel safe. In its perception, the relationship with the human becomes unpredictable, and unpredictability creates fear—the fear that food may not be there tomorrow. Consequently, when the behavior of the owner becomes inconsistent or emotionally unstable, the dog loses its sense of ground. This emotional instability directly explains why a dog refuses to eat even when its health is perfect.
The Awakening of the Wolf: Survival Instinct
When a dog loses trust in tomorrow, the ancestral wolf awakens within it. At that moment, the survival instinct takes over completely. Instead of calmly enjoying the meal you offer, the dog enters a mode of extreme caution and conservation. Therefore, the problem with eating becomes a deeper problem of trust in the stability of the group to which the dog belongs.
Only when your communication becomes consistent and predictable will the dog return to its bowl without fear.
How to Restore Appetite Through Trust
The answer to why a dog refuses to eat does not lie in changing the flavor of kibble or adding expensive toppings to the bowl. Instead, the solution lies in building a secure, predictable emotional bond. The dog must know exactly what it can expect from you at any moment.
Only when your communication becomes consistent and predictable will the dog relax, believe in tomorrow, and return to its bowl without fear. To explore more about how a stable environment and conscious diet choices support your dog’s vital systems, read our holistic nutrition guidelines.
At Sasha Riess, we teach that a dog’s behavior is the direct reflection of your inner world. True wellness means living in absolute authenticity to bring ultimate pureloveandharmony to your companion. Connect with your dog’s true nature today: Linktree Sasha Riess
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