how do you break a ridiculous routine at meal time?

Question

my dog won't eat. she lays down. she slinks away. averts her head. she's not sick. she eats her food with gusto eventually. what do i do? are there any dog trainers out there? i't so annoying.

thanks for the awesome advice, everyone! i will try what you say. but do you think a dog can hate raw food like most people feel about sushi? she makes faces of distaste. any experience with that?

Answer 1

First check the gums and teeth. If they are dirty, sore, or infected they may be causing enough discomfort that the dog doesn't want to eat.

If you're hovering or cajoling her to eat, stop. That just adds stress to mealtime and she may associate your stress with food.

My prefered method is to give the dog a set amount of time to eat. I put the food down and the dog has 15 minutes to decide to eat. If it decides to eat then it can keep its food until it is done or I've decided enough has been eaten. If it chooses not to eat, I pick it up without any fuss and put it away. It is served again at the next meal. I repeat as necessary until dog eats. Usually the most they hold out is three days before they realize that they are not the ones controlling the food. NO treats in between until the dog does eat.

You can also try fasting her for a day if this is a recent thing. She may just have an upset tummy that needs to settle. Make sure clean water is available but skip a day's worth of food. If this does no stop the behavior or it has been going on for a while, it's not an upset tummy.

If you can't do that (I understand that some people can't), go with bribery. Add something yummy to the food so that she wants to eat.

If she's just bored with mealtime, try scattering her food over a section of floor or yard and let her hunt it down. Mental stimulation can make her much more eager to eat if boredom is the problem.

*** To the person who said to give grapes: DON'T FEED GRAPES! They can kill your dog. Raisins can as well. As few as six can kill a dog though generally it takes more than that. The link below gives more information on what happens though why it happens is not yet known. For more information, research grape/raisin toxicity.

Answer 2

Put down the food. Pretend to eat a bit or eat something beside it. Leave the room. Alpha dog eats first.

If there is still a problem, then just dont allow it. Put down the food, walk away a bit. Come back after enough time to eat it and put the food out of reach. Youre in charge, not the dog.

Answer 3

First make her sit while you get her meal "ready" and until it touches the floor and step away so she can eat in peace. Give a set time, say 15 or 20 minutes and allow her to eat. If she's not done in that time pick the bowl up. It doesn't go back down until the next meal and do NOT be tempted to give extra treats to help with the fact that she's possibly hungry. It will not kill her to miss a meal. With time she'll learn when the food it put down she needs to eat it or it will be taken away. You are the alpha and in charge of the food so it needs to be on your terms.

Answer 4

Just a suggestion~
Feed her in a quiet, calm area away from other people and/or pets.
Make sure you are not over-feeding your girl.
Try introducing a new kind of food. She could be just a picky eater and just finishing her food only when she's super hungry.
I would reccommend not leaving food around for her to eat only when she wants. If she refuses to eat when you serve her, calmly pick up the bowl, put it in the fridge, and walk away. Try again in a couple hours. She needs to know that you are the only supplier of food and she needs to eat when YOU want her to.
One more thing: make sure no other family members or friends are slipping her treats or table scraps on the side. That could really disrupt her feeding schedule and food preferences.

Answer 5

When you put her food down, walk away. Leave the room if possible. Do not stand over here while she eats. She is intimidated. I know you have done nothing to intimidate her, but dogs are pack animals. She feels that if you put the food down, it is YOUR food and you are under control.

Just put the food down and very kindly say, "go ahead," and then leave her alone.

Answer 6

I'm not a trainer but dogs eat when it hungry and maybe at the time you set it meal out it not hungry so just leave the food in the dish like your doing and it will eat when it ready.

Answer 7

We have the same problem with one of our Danes. We put his food dish in a corner of the kitchen, and we leave the room while he eats. We've found it's easiest to feed him before we have our own meal.

I have no idea why he is scared to feed with us around, must have been something that happened before we got him.

Answer 8

pat the dog and wait to feed her. make getting the food a reward . put it in a different bowl too that one might have scarred her .
feed her the food like treats and sometimes you can get right down and pretend to eat the food too.

Answer 9

Try a new bowl. Sometimes just little changes will break the cycle of strange behaviors..
There may be something in the kibble that he doesn't like, or like the smell of..If you are not feeding a premium kibble, this may be the preservative ingredient or such..My own dogs won't drink water from my relative's house, as it is more chlorinated than our own..so I always have to take water from home..Dog's sense of smell is super developed...
Be sure to check her dental health..It amy be causing pain for her to chew.
Try one of the better kibbles, such as Canidae, Innova, Wysong, Wellness, Natural Balance, or Solid Gold..thse are made with quality meats as the first ingredient, and with natural preservatives...they actually cost LESS per month to feed than Purina or Pedigree..as dogs need less and eat less..

Answer 10

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