Starting about a week ago my 4 month old golden retriever will not eat unless I am within a couple feet of him. His routine has not changed or his food - he gets a lot of attention and exercise from my husband and I. Previously he would eat even if we weren't in the house - now he won't eat unless we're right by him - even if he can see us but we're further than a few feet he won't eat. Any ideas what would cause this? We have tried leaving him and seeing if he goes back later to eat but he doesn't.
2007-08-14 03:44:05 · 9 answers · asked by Lindsay B 1 in Pets ➔ Dogs
By doing this he's getting your undivided attention and this is what he wants. Puppies are very crafty and once you give in to them you have set a pattern almost for life Has anyone in the family sat near him while he has been eating and offered him food from his dish? This could be a contributory factor.
I would just put his dish of food down on the floor and leave the room for about ten minutes, no peeping to see if he's eaten it! If he hasn't eaten it when you return just pick it up and offer it to him at his next meal time. Repeat this throughout the day. Believe me he will eat when he is hungry.
Don't give in to him or you will allow him to rule you.
One of the puppies I kept from my last litter went through exactly the same phase and if she decided she wasn't going to eat it until I stood near her I would just pick up her dish and walk away. When it came to her next meal she was really hungry and would devour it immediately. She soon got the message that if she didn't eat when it was put down to her
she would have to wait until the next meal. She soon fell back into the old routine.
I hope this helps. Don't let him get the better of you or you'll rue the day.
2007-08-14 05:18:10 · answer #1 · answered by Fields of Gold 6 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Well definitely more exercise, and some obedience training. People often underestimate how much mental stimulation such as training can tire out a dog. The younger they are the easier it is to train them. Someone wrote that you can't train puppies because they are too young, which I am sorry is absolutely wrong. When puppies are young their brain is developing, and the more they learn in this time the more confident and well rounded they will be as adults. Puppies can be very eager to learn, but keep sessions short so she doesn't get bored and lose interest, and always end on a positive note. Positive reinforcement is great. Give her treats and praise when she is calm and stays on the ground. Little bits of cheese cut into tiny pieces are great to use. Teach her that nothing in life is free. She must always do something for YOU before she gets anything. So you can ask her to sit before she gets anything positive. This includes getting fed, going for walks, putting on the leash, getting petted, playing with toys, etc. If she has more respect for you she will be less likely to treat you as her playmate. When she nips or gets too mouthy, give out a good yelp or scream, pull your hands away and stop moving. If you shuffle your feet or try to get away she might think its play and continue. When a puppy bites its siblings too hard they scream out and stop playing. This is how puppies learn bite inhibition. If she was adopted from a shelter she may not have gotten the puppy socialization with her litter mates when she was young, and never really got the feedback from them. I would also not let her on the couch at all, at least until she can learn some manners. If she constantly tries to get on the couch, you can put boxes or something on the couch to prevent her from jumping up. Get her a really nice comfy bed on the ground, and eventually she will learn that is her place. If you don't want her on the couch, you should NEVER let her on the couch, even if she looks extra cute. Dogs understand always and never, but they don't understand sometimes. If you let a dog get away with something even once, they may try it all the time after that, just in case you let them do it again. About the cat litter, sound aversion can be very successful. Watch her when she is around the cat litter. When she gets close to it, blow an air horn or bang some pots and pans together. Hopefully she will make the connection that being near the cat litter makes horrible loud sounds. But this might take a few times for it to work. And you don't want her to associate you with the loud sounds, so try not to look at her or scold her yourself. She needs to think that being near the litter makes the loud sounds, not being near the litter only when you are present. This should hopefully prevent her from eating the litter when you aren't there.
2016-04-01 11:10:33 · answer #2 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Now that your pup is older he has become alot more attached to you. You may not like my response but if he doesn't eat, he doesn't eat. He will eat when hes hungry! Dogs will not starve themselves unless they are not healthy. I feed my dogs and if they walk away, they have there food picked up and no more till tomorrow. They learned quickly they better eat if they want it. If you don't like this alternative then sit there while he eats. Its not like it takes him to long eat anyway right?
2007-08-14 03:53:27 · answer #3 · answered by Boxer Lover 6 · 4⤊ 0⤋
It's become a habit and you need to break it. Put him in a quiet room with no distractions, give him his food and leave the room. After 15 minutes, pick up anything he didn't eat (even if he didn't eat anything). Then don't offer food again until the next scheduled feeding time. A hungry dog will eventually eat. A dog will not starve itself to death.
2007-08-14 03:50:37 · answer #4 · answered by ? 7 · 0⤊ 3⤋
some dogs like company when they eat... but if you just leave out his dinner he will eat when he gets hungry enough. feed him around the same time every day & let him have access to the food. if you stay around to watch that's what he will get used to....
2007-08-14 05:07:34 · answer #5 · answered by lauren s 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
He'll eat when he is hungry. I leave my dog's food out always. They don't have "stupid human" schedules, they are dogs, don'g assign human characteristics to them.
Hope you are training him in the basic commands. My golden is 85#, yours has the same weight potential, manners are paramount with big dogs.
2007-08-14 03:54:44 · answer #6 · answered by reynwater 7 · 1⤊ 1⤋
Well, when he gets hungry, he will eventually eat, my dog used to only eat when we were eating, but now she will eat whenever. Its just a puppy phase.
2007-08-14 03:48:29 · answer #7 · answered by Anonymous · 3⤊ 0⤋
He'll eat when he gets hungry. Don't let him train you.
2007-08-14 03:49:42 · answer #8 · answered by DaBasset - BYBs kill dogs 7 · 4⤊ 1⤋
very cute. dont worry its just a phase and your doin nothin wrong ;]
2007-08-14 03:50:09 · answer #9 · answered by cdy_cambell 2 · 1⤊ 1⤋