Puppy blues or failure to bond?

My partner and I got a puppy earlier this year. She’s now 7 months old. She’s an amazing puppy except for one thing – she’s an extremely, extremely picky eater. We’ve tried every suggestion. From changing food to allowing grazing to removing the food after 20 mins. Nothing works, or if it works it’s only short term, then back to square one. She’s not even particularly motivated by treats. (No suggestions on feeding her please. We’ve honestly tried everything, even consulted with vets and nutritionists.)

We’ve really struggled to bond with her because of the picky eating. Initially, I told myself it was the puppy blues – stress from trying to feed her. But we’ve had her for over 3 months now and quite honestly we often find ourselves wishing for a different dog.

Now she’s a great pup. Honestly. She hasn’t destroyed anything, doesn’t nip or bite, is smart and learns quickly, is confident and brave, settles easily and can entertain herself. Pretty impressive at her age. Logically, I know we lucked out. Everyone tells us we lucked out.

But neither of us realised just how much we love watching dogs be excited about their food. We love seeing our friends’ dogs get all excited when they hear the rustling of a treat packet, or licking their lips when their food bowl comes out. We invite our friends over with their dogs all the time for “play dates”, but really it’s for us to enjoy giving them some treats (with owner’s permission of course).

She is well taken care of, cuddled and spoiled beyond measure. She goes almost everywhere with us – if the place isn’t pet friendly, we choose not to go (if possible). We willingly pay for the best food/treats/training/toys/veterinary care for her, even if it means lifestyle sacrifices on our end, and would never think of rehoming her. Yet I can’t shake this feeling that she’s robbing us of something we both really enjoy. I find myself often thinking, “I’ll trade her smarts for a puppy who’s excited about food”. I also feel it’s unfair that she’s missing out on an owner who would love who she is (and she’s objectively great), rather than one who is constantly hoping she is different.

Of course I feel terrible feeling this way. Is this puppy blues? Will it pass?