We just adopted an abused Lab/Weimer Mix dog who is terrified of her water bowl and refuses to drink out of it

Question

We've only had her a couple of days, and she came from someone who provided her a good home for the last 6 months but before that she apparently was put through a lot of abuse. She's a sweet, but timid girl, the only problem we've had is that she won't go near her food or water bowls, I've even tried switching to different colors and sizes, even just a small glass people drink out of scared her, I've stuck my hand in the water and let her lick my fingers many times, and she will eat the food if I pick it up and hold it in my hand or lay it on the floor, but if I try to put her bowl down close by her she gets up, backs away and starts whimpering. I've been giving her water out of dropper and she laps up rain water when we are walking but she's a 50lb dog and I'm concerned that she won't get used to her food dishes anytime soon. Anyone know what to do?

Answer 1

My dog was terrified of his water bowl (we had one of the ones that goes glug glug like a water bottle, and he didn't like it at all). It's different from your situation, but perhaps the same method will work for you. We just had to pet him and talk reassuringly until he drank. He got used to it, but it did take some time.

But in the shorter term, how is she about drinking out of the toilet? It's gross, but at least it's another water source for her.