Expert: Jill Connor, Ph.D. - 1/23/2012

Question
A few days ago my girlfriend fed the dog's while i was at work. She said she did everything i normally do. Make there bowls and take them to where they eat. My youngest dog (14month old pitbull) started acting very timid and just backed away when she put her food down and told her to come and get it.  That night she ate when i came home and fed her in a different room. But now she does the same thing every time i try to feed her. No matter where i try. I have read pushing her will just make it worse so i just put the food up after a lil while of her not touching it (I have other dogs that will eat it if i don't put it up)

What should i do? Why would she be acting like this?

Thank you, mike

Answer
It's possible the dog had a fear reaction when your GF "told her to come and get it" and that fear immediately associated to the bowl.  Attempting to persuade a dog to eat can sometimes elicit frustration in the human (because of worry) but the dog misinterprets this.  This is definitely the result of something that happened when her feeding schedule was suddenly changed and a "stranger" fed her.

Choose a location where the other dogs can't get to her food.  This must be a room with a door you can close.  First, purchase a Buster Cube which is a "toy" that the dog pushes around with its nose and as she does so food falls out.  You can sit on the floor with her in this room and roll the cube to demonstrate what happens.  Even if she doesn't participate, after demonstrating it get up and leave.  Leave her there for 30 minutes with the Buster Cube, then go in and casually remove it.  If you see she has used it and the food has been consumed, the next time you so confine her leave the Cube AND a dish of food.  Do this 2x daily.  Once she realizes no one can interfere with her food and especially if she's emptying the Cube, remove the Cube and leave her with her bowl, twice daily.  At the end of the 30 minute period, calmly open the door and call the dog out, ask for a "sit" you can reward, then pick up the bowl.

No dog will deliberately starve itself.  I don't know how many dogs you have, what breeds or ages, but there also might be a factor involving social hierarchy since you state the other dogs will eat her food if it's left down.  She may not feel "entitled" to eat because of her place in your "pack".  Bending over a dog, standing over her, making direct contact, using her name in an annoyed manner, in order to get her to eat all contribute to her cultural reaction: what's yours is yours, not mine, and will prevent her from eating.  Try the above and then report back after a few days using the followup feature.  The goal is to slowly restore her eating habits to the same place she was originally fed.