What can I give our shepard to eat more, he is very picky

I think we may want a little more information before we start giving our opinions on dog foods and diets.

What do you feed, how much, is the dog underweight, have you been to the vet, etc.

Julie are you a bad cook?

Likely your case is covered in the sticky at https://www.askmehelpdesk.com/dogs/information-articles-our-dogs-expert-labman-53153.html#post254171

Unless the vet says otherwise , the best thing is for the owner to accept the dog being a little on the this side. Very seldom is chow the problem if it is eating a dog chow and little else. Tempting the dog with richer food is seldom the answer.

My Ex-wife used to pour chicken broth over my German Sheppard's Beneful dog food. It was one of many things we argued about which led to the Ex part of the relationship. I told her the dog didn't need to be encouraged to eat. When he was full he would stop and what ever was left over could be used the next time. The German Shepard was a healthy 85 lbs at that time. After the 18 month battle to get him back (custody battle), I got him back at a plump weight of 108 lbs. Now I have him on a diet and am slowly trying to get him back down to a healthy weight.

German Sheppard’s I have noticed in my experience with them seem hesitant to take food from strangers. Sometimes it takes a Shepard a day or two to trust me enough to accept treats from me when they are staying with me for boarding. I find this true in the adult Sheppard’s not so much in the puppies.

What always worked for me was to sprinkle a little parmesan cheese on my dogs food or chicken broth from a can.

Julie wanted to know how to get her dog to eat. I don't think a little sprinkle of cheese would hurt the dog.

She said her dog was a picky eater. If he is under weight that is another matter. I have taken dogs in who have been fed mostly junk food (table scrapes) before coming to me. I put a well balanced diet (beneful) in front of them and they don't eat. I give them 30 minutes and then I pick up the food. I have yet to have a dog starve itself to death before deciding to eat the food I put down for them. They will be much better off in the long run by maintaining a healthy weight and with my sheppard he has some hip problems and the extra weight she put on him certainly doesn't help him. If I can get him back down to 85 lbs he will feel so much better and be able to move around better too.

Jack my German Sheppard went 3 days before he decided to eat the beneful without the chicken broth. But he did begin eating it...

While it is true the OP asked how to get the dog to eat, there was nothing in post to suggest it is one of the rare cases where the dog needs to be encouraged to eat. Mr Pipin has made some very good points. Shepherds are notorious for flaunting their ribs, and seldom suffer for it. Many good people claim a dog will never harm itself by not eating enough. Almost always if a dog isn't eating what it needs, it is sick and needs to see a vet. If I hadn't rushed my one Lab to the vet when she missed her first meal, she may have died. In contrast, I let a Shepherd go 3 days without eating and never did contact the vet.

I would advise anybody to read the sticky before tempting a dog to eat more. Certainly let your vet examine the dog first.

My Puppy Raising Manual says put the food down 15 minutes, but I won't quibble over minor details. Labs aren't good readers. Most of them eat like it said 15 seconds.

Labman is right and many dogs will eat all they need in 15 minutes. I give Jack a bit more time as he is one of those dogs who likes to make laps around the room while he is eating. Take a bite, make a lap around the room, take a bite make another lap. Not sure why he does it, but doesn't seem to effect his digestion.

OP is you, the original poster.

Yes, the Shepherd I had would take a bite and walk to the other side of the house to chew it. One weekend I had 2 Lab guests, and had to leave them in their crates until she finished.