I just adopted my beagle mix from the shelter she is 9. she seems very timid like she was abused, the shelter didn't give me any answers on this, she also won't eat out of her bowl I have to spoon feed her to get her to eat brought her to the vet for a wellness checkup and she does have dental issues. I am going to get them resolved I put the food in her bowl and she seems very timid to go near it I show her what it is and she will eat out of my hand

Is the bowl plastic or metal? If it's metal it could be the reflection that she's afraid of. I've had that happen with some of my dogs.

Have you tried putting a treat in her bowl to entice her to go to it?

It could also be that her teeth hurt her when eating out of the bowl. Perhaps this will get better once her teeth are fixed.

At 9 years of age it's going to take a while to gain her trust, but it can be done. Patience, love and understanding and before you know it you'll have a doggy bundle of love. :)

Bless you for adopting an older dog, many times they die in shelters because of their age.

First of all, I would like to say you are so sweet to have taken one of the older dogs from the shelter. So many people will take nothing but the puppies, and they don't know how much joy and appreciation an older dog will give you for rescuing them. I believe that they know that you've saved them, and they will repay you for that kindness.

We have a rescue organization where I live, called SOS. It stands for Save Old Souls. They have a really tough time adopting some of these sweet babies out. Some have disabilities. Some are missing a limb, some are deaf or blind, but none get turned away and none are put to sleep, just because they are older or may have issues. Sorry about the long story. ;)

Your dog may just be having a bit of trouble adjusting to her new home, and her surroundings. Although I know that you don't always want to hand feed her, this may help her bond to you, and gain trust in you. You're right. If you have no background info. she could've been abused, maybe she misses her previous owner, maybe she had always lived with another dog, or many other things.

Also, maybe she lived with someone that hand fed her all of the time, and that is what she is used to. That doesn't mean you can't train her not to do this.

I agree with Altenweg about the type of bowl also. It could very likely be that it's the bowl itself that is bothering her. Try using a different type of bowl and see what happens.

Good luck! :)