Feeding Loyalty Issues with Shepherd

Question
My husband and I adopted a shepherd when he was 9 months old - now he is 2.  He is delightful, but has become so attached to me that when my husband feeds him, he will NOT eat (this can  go on for days if my husband continues to feed).  We were told that the prior owner was a woman who died of cancer, so wondering if her husband took over feeding when she become ill?  This issue is making my husband crazy, and is very annoying because I go to work early now and he is the one that has time to feed (we have 2 dogs, the other an older lab that eats anytime she can).

Cindy

Answer
''an older lab that eats anytime she can''  And looks for more?
Dogs, even Shepherds very seldom harm themselves by not eating.  Many picky eaters are over fed, although over weight Shepherds are less common.  Get tough.

Put down the dish with what the dog should eat, and give it 15 minutes to eat. Then take it up. Do not give it anything to eat until its next scheduled meal. In a few days, it should be eating what it needs. Continue to check its ribs and adjust the food as needed. This is not easy. I had a Shepherd go 3 days on a few nibbles. I was a wreck, but she was fine. It is almost unknown for a healthy dog not to eat what it needs. Unfortunately, in too many cases, it is less than the package says, and less than the owner thinks the dog should have.  You may need to have a door between it and the Lab.  

Your husband may also need to earn his respect.  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/  For more on being top dog, see http://www.dogbreedinfo.com./topdogrules.htm