Your Questions About [get Your Dog To Eat]
Linda asks…
Dog refuses to eat, help?
I asked this once before (the problem got fixed last time).
We own a 15 (aprox.) year old husky/retriver mix & has a slow-type cancer (he’s not on any medication, just esiac). Last time he was checked by a vet they said that he’s physically healthy. He’s not lethargic in the least.
He’s naturally always been a very fussy eater, now he got into another of his bowl-shoving moods. He shoves his bowl, licks his food then walks away. He does seem interested in our food, but not his food. There’s nothing wrong with his food & he did it suddenly. He was constipated, but we helped fixed that so now he’s regular. Force feeding sucks, so how do we get him to eat HIS food? Anything natural, like something to increase appetite or something? Or, as I’d hate to say or even think this, but is it just “his time”?
We dont have much money for a vet visit and hope to get some answers elsewhere. We just don’t know what to do. Your suggestions please…?
admin answers:
Maybe try to make it a bit more tempting by maybe adding a little brown gravy (you know the type that comes in the jar or the powder you mix with water and boil) and maybe heating in the micro briefly warming a bit will increase the odor and maybe make it more tempting. Another idea dogs ive had in the past really go nuts for canned cat food like 9 lives or friskies something like salmon or whitefish flavor and add half a small can to each of his feeding and mix for added odor. Good luck and God Bless.
John asks…
slowing down a dog while he eats…..?
again my 6 month old lab eats SUPER fast….he gets 2 cups of food each time he is fed….he devours the food within a minute or two tops…..this morning he ate sooo quick he threw it up shortly after….what do i do to slow him down or get him to clam down….he is so hyper while he eats…why is this and how is it fixed?
admin answers:
You can try putting a really large rock in his bowl – make sure it’s big enough he couldn’t possibly swallow it. Having to eat around it will make him slow down a bit.
Don’t know for sure why your dog does it. One of mine did it when I first got him. Before he was rescued from the track, he got only about 15 minutes to eat before the food was taken away. Dogs get conditioned to gulp their food down too quickly or they lose it. Once he learned that his food wouldn’t get taken away after a short time, he did slow down some.
Steven asks…
How do I get my Husky Shepard mix to slow down and eat something?
-I have a Siberian Husky Shepard mix, and she’s about 7 now, Not old, but she’s starting to get up there. We worry about how active she is however because about four years ago she was hit by a state plow truck, leaving her leg close to shattered. It was repaired, but she has the tendancy to ‘escape’ and run off. Once she’s out, she dosn’t like to stop and let us catch her, (and catching her is a task that lasts the whole day).
I am worried that when hunting season comes around she is going to get out and not come back, or that she is going to get hit by another car. she has taken off several times in the past, even when she was with dogs that stayed in the yard. Bribing her does NOT help, we have tried this multiple times and it has failed everytime, not only with food, but with rides as well and everything else she enjoys. Another added problem is that we just got a puppy and are worried he is going to take after Dakota and run off.
*She has broken 2 metal-braided cables in half (in the middle of the cable, not a weak spot) and has forced us to use a small-linked chain for when she goes to the bathroom.
-Our other problem is that she won’t eat almost every dog food that’s out there. This causes her to look thin, like we don’t feed her anything, and it makes taking her out difficult because we don’t want people thinking we mistreat her.
We love our dogs very much and want the best for them without using harmful alternatives such as shock collars, electric fences, and other cruel methods for keeping dogs in a designated area.
admin answers:
Typically a dog that tends to run away is a dog that doesn’t get enough exercise. Huskies and Shepard dogs require a lot of exercise, and you have a mix. I’ll give you a few tips that will help you if you implement them.
1. No matter how big your back yard is you need to take your dogs out for a good walk every day. I recommend you take your dogs for a walk first thing in the morning so you drain their energy, walk at least 45 minutes, huskies are high energy dogs so they require a lot of exercise.
2. When walking her, or any dog, don’t use a harness, these are for pulling, use a regular collar or a choke chain and place it high on the neck because the bottom of the neck is for pulling, by placing the collar or choke chain at the top of the neck you have more control over her. DO NOT let her pull you when walking, if she starts to pull swiftly pull the leash up or to the side and release the tension when she behaves. NEVER pull the leash back because this triggers their pulling instinct. The walk should be a pleasant experience for you and the dogs so be calm but assertive and that way they instinctively follow you. The dog should be behind you or on a side, never in front. This triggers their submissive instinct and with time she will listen to you wherever whenever you are.
2. DO NOT try to bribe her with food if she does something you don’t want her to do, don’t pet her or give any sort of affection wen she misbehaves, ONLY give her treats and affection when she is calm and behaves well. Dogs don’t rationalize like us humans and by bribing her you actually encourage unwanted behavior.
3. Because huskies are pulling dogs and have high levels of energy, I recommend you buy a dog back pack and put a few water bottles in it so it drains their energy faster during the walk.
Frustration or depression might be a reason why she doesn’t eat and runs away, by walking her on a daily basis they release all that energy and frustration and that way they will have a better physical and mental health.
Dogs are wonderful, loyal creatures, we just need to provide them with what they need and they will be life long friends.
I took these advices from Cesar Millan’s show called “The Dog Whisperer”, I Implement what he advices on a daily basis with my dogs and the change is incredible, I highly recommend you research him a little on google, he even has a book that you might be interested in, just search for it.
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