Uncomfortable Eating

[Treegirl]

Me and my brother live together and own a 9 month old dog called Foxi. My brother got her from a animal shelter when she was 5 months old. She was very submissive/scared/threatened when he first got her. We have both spent alot of time getting her comfortable with her new surrondings and making sure she knows she's safe here.

Just recently we have started giving her biscuits/treats throughout the day. To start off with, she would take them fine, but over time she became funny about it. Some days she would only take it from one person, or either of us or people who come to visit etc.

We changed the type of biscuits, we thought she might of been sick of the ones we were giving her. Now she is taking them, but stashes them in the study and doesn't eat them. The other night, my brother was out of the room, Foxi found her pigs ear (that we gave her about 3 days before) and started eating it (the door to the study was shut). That night I decided to take some of her biscuits into my room (she sleeps under my bed at night), in the morning I discovered that she had eaten them all.

She must feel comfortable in my room, under my bed. We are unsure why this is. Can anyone help us? Give us tips on how she can feel comfortable eating them anywhere? Why she might be doing this?

Hope to hear something soon. Thanks.

[Miss Helena]

Perhaps you could experiment with treats that she finds 'irresistable' like dried liver, cooked pieces of chicken etc and hand feed her in spaces she's comfortable in, gradually moving into more 'threatening' areas. It sounds like she 'likes' the biscuits, but can wait/stash them for later. You need to find her weak point (like chocolate for us!!) where she is so keen that hiding the yummy snack isn't an option.

[WreckitWhippet]

Just feed her, what, where and when YOU choose, put the bowl down give her 15 minutes and if she hasn't finished it, cover the food and give her nothing until the next meal.

Cut the treats during the day, until she eats what you give her for a main meal. If you got to snack all day , you wouldn't really want a main meal either.

Regardless of a dogs history , they do not dictate where and when you feed them.

Save your treats for when she's learning or just being good. Make them very small and use them as rewards, that way she won't/can't stash them away for later. It's not a bad thing that it takes her a while to eat a pigs ear, it will give her something to do. Maybe cut the biscuit treats and stick to large things like the ears/trotters etc, that she can spend time chewing and it won't matter if she comes back for it over the space of a couple of days.

[Treegirl]

Miss Helena: Thanks for your advice. That sounds like a good idea and I'm gonna put it into action right away. I'll go looking for some delicious treats after work tonight. :rolleyes: Will keep you updated on how it goes.

Warley: Thanks for your advice also. Foxi doesn't have a problem eating her main meal, she eats that really well. We have tried getting her to do her tricks (sit, shake, lay down) and then give her a biscuit and it doesn't make much difference.