My toy poodle is a very picky eater

Question
My toy poodle is about 1 year a 3 months old. I have had her for about a year. In the beginning i used to feed her soft puppy food mixed with a little milk. She loved it but after a while she got tired of it and refused to eat. So i bought her assorted ceaser canned food. She loved it and would have a different flavor every day. But again she seemed to get tired of it so switched to pedigree wet food pouches. Those she loved and ate every last drop of it twice daily. But she started having diarrhea problems and really bad gas. My mom went out and bought her some dry food and since then she has had no diarrhea problems or bad gas. But im worried about her because she barely eats. She will eat one bowl of food a day sometimes even less. And the bowl is only like three handfuls. She is always desperate for people food and is constantly begging for us to give her some. Is dry food the right way to go? Is it normal for her to eat so little?

Answer
How little is so little?  Small dogs don't need much food.  Dry food is fine.  If the dog chews it, it helps clean the teeth.  

If the dog never did eat very well, and has seen the vet since the problem existed, you may be over feeding it. A vet check still won't hurt. Many dogs will snarf down more than is good for them and look for more. Others refuse to eat more than than they need. Evaluate the dog as illustrated in this link, http://www.longliveyourdog.com/twoplus/RateYourDog.aspx You may want the vet to confirm your judgment. Adjust the dogs food and exercise as needed to reach its ideal body condition. Some German Shepherds and other breeds may refuse to eat enough to completely hid their ribs. As long as you are feeding a concentrated, meat based chow, the best thing is to accept it.

The worst thing you can do is to bribe a dog with rich foods into eating more than it needs. Instead, Put down the dish with what the dog should eat, and give it 15 minutes to eat. Then take it up. Do not give it anything to eat until its next scheduled meal. In a few days, it should be eating what it needs. Continue to check its ribs and adjust the food as needed. This is not easy. I had a Shepherd go 3 days on a few nibbles. I was a wreck, but she was fine. It is almost unknown for a healthy dog not to eat what it needs. Unfortunately, in too many cases, it is less than the package says, and less than the owner thinks the dog should have. Many dogs are quite good at holding out for tastier chow. Like kids, sometimes it calls for tough love.