[jb's elsa]

We just rescued and german shepherd from the animal shelter. She is very big, but only weighs 64lbs, she is also just a little over 1yr old. We are worried of malnutrition and her being under-weight. So, we got her some dry food for puppies high in protein content. But she refuses to eat it. She would rather wait until she gets a treat from her going potty outside than to eat that food. The only way she will eat the dry food is if we hand feed it in small amounts. (a small handful) Otherwise she doesn't eat at all. We also bought one can of the soft food almost a week later and mixed a very small amount in with the dry food and she eats the mostly covered bits of dry food and leaves the rest. But she also begs at the table for food. She is so stubborn and we are very worried about her. And the whole letting the dog go to the food is not working, last time she didn't eat for two days and then she finally ate from our hand. (she had gotten spayed on Wednesday of last week, but her eating habits should have resumed, shouldn't they?) Is there anything that we can do to break her of eating habits?

[labman]

Have you discussed this with the vet? It is rare for a healthy dog to harm itself by refusing to eat. It sounds like you have already gone through my usual recommendation of wait them out. Is the puppy chow you are feeding a meat based concentrated chow? I think for the average dog, the concentrated chows are of more benefit to the owner. They are the only way to go in this case. If cost is a problem, check with some of the high volume places for a house brand. Most shepherds are light eaters. This means for them to get the complete diet they need out of what little they eat, it must be a complete and balanced diet. It is almost impossible for the average person to achieve such a diet for their dog except by feeding a commercial dog chow. She may have been spoiled by table food in the past. May be part of the reason she is so thin now.

Being dumped at a shelter is difficult for any dog, and more so for the German Shepherds that need the person they are bonded to. I have seen many young Labs quickly take to new homes. Shepherds are different, much slower to bond with new people. Spaying would only add to the trauma. Give her lots of attention. Chance are she needs lots of brushing. Start obedience training. Even if she know all her commands already, drilling her on them, will help to bring order to her world and assure her she has a top dog looking out for her. The dogs see all the people and dogs in the household as a pack with each having their own rank in the pack and a top dog. Life is much easier if the 2 legged pack members outrank the 4 legged ones. You can learn to play the role of top dog by reading some books or going to a good obedience class. A good obedience class or book is about you being top dog, not about rewarding standard commands with a treat. Start at http://www.dogsbestfriend.com/.

Does she have a crate to sleep in? The dog may be
Happier in its den than loose in the house. It relaxes, it feels safe in its
Den. It rests, the body slows down reducing the need for water and relieving
Itself. Dogs that have been crated all along do very well. Many of them
Will rest in their crates even when the door is open. I think the plastic
Ones give the dog more of a safe, enclosed den feeling. They are harder for
Dogs to open too. Metal ones can be put in a corner or covered with
Something the dog can't pull in and chew. Select a crate just big enough for the full grown dog to stretch out in. When you must leave her alone, leave her some toys. Perhaps a Kong filled with peanut butter. Don't leave
Anything in the crate the dog might chew up. If she doesn't accept it well, do not insist on it. Continue to make it available. You may find she does use it when nobody is around. If your personal taste allows it, letting her sleep with you may help the bonding process. We choose to have our dogs downstairs in their crate at night.

I am so happy you rescued her from the shelter. Far too many nice dogs are killed for lack of good homes. I will do all I can to help. The one bad thing is that many dogs come from the shelter with baggage from their past life. Give her the leadership the dogs need and all the love and attention you can. Keep in touch, letting us know how she does.