 |
|
| Browse | Ask | Answer | Search | Join/Login |
|
|
||||
|
My dog won't eat when I am present
Three weeks ago we bought a 6 month old Goldendoodle (Retriever/Poodle cross) from a breeder. The dog had been sold to a family at 2 months old and returned 3 months later because the family could not cope with it. He then spent just over a month back with his parents and several other dogs on the farm where he was born, with little human interaction. We believe he was over-crated and may have been physically harmed while he was out with the family, perhaps they beat him for pooping on the kitchen floor. We're not sure, but he is a nervous dog and lacks the fun and energy that you would expect from a dog of this age.
When it comes to feeding time (which we do at 7am and 7pm each day) he will not go and eat until we leave the room, even if we're at the other end (20 feet away) and paying him no attention. However as soon as we leave the room, he will go eat. It also took 2 weeks to get him to take a treat from the hand. After 2 weeks of love and gentle encouragement he will most times take a treat now. However he takes a treat almost reluctantly and so it is not really a training tool. Today I put a row of three treats from where he was sitting towards me (I was about 4 feet away) in an attempt to get him to come to me. He would take a treat that was close to him but nothing further than about a foot away. However once I turned my back, he took all the treats and came over to me. What is the problem and how do we address this? At the moment we struggle to get him to get out of his bed and go for a walk and it's difficult to begin training if he's not keen to take a treat! |
||||
|
||||
|
First, I've never rewarded a dog with food so in my house whether he'll take a treat doesn't matter. I reward with praise, a great deal of praise, and a pat on the head.
He needs time and love and patience and encouragement. This dog has, at best, been ignored and has had lots of changes in its life. He needs to learn to trust, and he needs consistency in his life. I don't know that I would necessarily care if he wouldn't eat in front of me, as long as he eats! I'm not a big fan of designer dogs. I see a lot of problems with them and people often pay very high prices for what is basically a mongrel. Why a Goldendoodle? |
||||
| Question Tools | Search this Question |
Add your answer here.
Check out some similar questions!
My dog will not eat his dog food (Beneiful healthy weight) He is approx 18 lbs I have tried everything Now I finally got a flat plate put his dog food and other little flavors added olive oil a touch he nibbles but when I add a hard cooked egg he eat it all. Is it healthy for a dog to have a...
I have a 15 week yorkie he will not eat his food but if I dump it on the floor he will but he does not eat all of it and it is hard to picup because it sticks to the floor but when I take him to my moms he eats all of her dogs food what should I do
When I put food out for my dog to eat, he will not touch it. He will only eat if I am around telling him to do so. Once I leave to another room where he can't see me, he will stop eating. I have tried leaving the food out for him without being present and he went 3 days without eating, at which...
:confused: I have two dogs pal and buddy now buddy is 2 and pal is 8 I have had these dogs for there hole life and about a month ago we had to change there food now pal was fine with this she eats her food all at once so did buddy but once we put them back to there regular diet pal was fine and so...
View more questions Search
|
