Maltese & eating habits

Question
my 1yr old Maltese is a very picky eater. I got him back in December 2006. The breeder feed him Euckanoba & Caesar with occasional roast beef & chicken nuggets. I continued this until i noticed he refused to eat his dog food completely. Then we just proceeded with feeding him roast beef and chicken nuggets. After words, he decided he didn't want chicken nuggets anymore so we stopped that too. He was only eating roast beef. I didn't like the idea of him eating just roast beef since it doesn't have the nutrients he needs. So then we went through the worst week of our lives - we switched to Merrick. He went literally 4-5 days without eating anything to the point were he got sick. I give him a variety of Merrick canned & dry food so he doesn't get tired. But Of course, he liked the canned food for a while and now we are back to square one. He doesn't want to eat dog food, period. i spend so much money weekly on it which i end up throwing out. He will go days without eating or will just eat a little nibble at a time. I am afraid for him and i don't know what to d, I created a monster. But how do i reverse it, i am uncomfortable about starving him since when we made the last transition from roast beef to Merrick it was hell. He was getting sick and very thin. I don't want to go through that again but i don't know how to get him to eat dog food, preferably dry dog food.

Please give me advice?

Answer
Hi dont worry, we need to get this sorted out sharpish though. Funilly enough my maltese went throgh the same kind of thing i used to hate it and literally spoon feed and encourage him to eat.
What you need to understand is what you are feeding him now basic roast beef is tasty for him, but not giving him anything that he needs and is not benefiting him in the future plus he is still developing. i know you appreciate this but what i would suggest is starting from scratch.
Start this week by feeding him boiled chicken and rice. do it for a few days encourage him to eat it he should love it most dogs do i use brown rice its also good for the stomach as its easy to digest as his tum may be sensitive from lack of food. Then gradually introduce dry food i use Royal canin mini sensible, it is particularly made for fussy eaters and i believe its the best food around try pets2home.co.uk they sometimes do offers eg free toy with purchase. thats if you are emailing me from the uk lol.
gradually mix this with the chick n rice and sometimes soak in hot water for an hour first to make it moist and give variety. now wein him off the chick eventually.
Let me know what you think good luck with the little monkey.