racheal female dobbie pushes food with nose

Question
e have a female dobermann we have rescued and need to get her to eat better. She will only eat once a day, never the same time and she pushes it with her nose then wipes it on the floor. we have a great high calorie multi vitamin but still wont eat the food.

Answer
Hey, Armando,

Kudos for rescuing Racheal (or is it Rachael?). I'm sure she's happy you did.

What are you feeding her? Would you consider letting her eat out of your hand? It might help calm her down if you held the food in one hand while stroking her topline (from the back of her head down to her tail) and talking to her in a soft, encouraging tone of voice.

Make sure you're feeding her something tasty. If it's kibble, mix in some juicy pieces of chicken, for example. Try feeding her in the morning, after she gets some good, hard vigorous playful activity, like playing fetch or tug-of-war, or just running around the yard, or at a dog run. If she doesn't eat at breakfast time, don't worry about it. Just put the food away and try it again at dinner. If she doesn't eat at dinner time, put the food away and try it again the next morning. With some dogs it might take a few days before their appetite overpowers their nervousness, but it will eventually. Once it does you'll start to see a change in her overall confidence, and in her level of trust, as well as her general desire to obey you.

Make sure you always treat her with kindness and love. Dogs don't understand punishment and scolding, particularly if they've been abused. It sounds to me like the one thing Rachael needs the most is to feel safe in her new environment. Giving her play time, hand feeding her, and talking to her in a gentle, encouraging, even praising voice, will help her do that.

Good luck,

LCK