macoduck Posted November 7, 2011 Share Posted November 7, 2011 (edited) Two days ago Harold caught his ID tags on the wire stand of his food bowl. This is a double stand that includes a bowl for water. DH said Harold flung the stand every whichaway trying to be rid of it. The bowls went flying and banging. Obviously terrified, he wanted no more food that night. Harold started to eat his next day's breakfast from the evil food stand, but stopped after a few bites. I used vet wrap to tape up his tags to his collar so nothing hanging to catch on. He now refuses to eat from that food stand. So far I have tried: Tags remain wrapped so no jingling. Put the bowl on the floor and on a bed with no success. Refused trying to eat out of a plastic bowl (instead of the usual stainless steel). Will eat half his meal with me holding the plastic bowl. He gives the food stand a fearful look even though he's facing away from it while I hold the bowl. Yet all day long he will still drink water from the stainless steel water bowl in that double bowl holder. He appears to have no injuries from the incident - no yelping, can eat kibble bits off the floor, plays outside like normal. Can you think of anything else I can do to get him back to normal feeding? I don't want to push him yet I don't want to coddle him either. I also think he'll eat if he gets hungry enough. I've also ordered tagless ID collar from Dave Engraves so we don't have to worry about this happening again. Edited November 10, 2011 by macoduck Quote Freshy (Droopys Fresh), NoAh the podenco orito, Howie the portuguese podengo maneto Angels: Rita the podenco maneta, Lila, the podenco, Mr X aka Denali, Lulu the podenco andaluz, Hada the podenco maneta, Georgie Girl (UMR Cordella), Charlie the iggy, Mazy (CBR Crazy Girl), Potato, my mystery ibizan girl, Allen (M's Pretty Boy), Percy (Fast But True), Mikey (Doray's Patuti), Pudge le mutt, Tessa the iggy, Possum (Apostle), Gracie (Dusty Lady), Harold (Slatex Harold), "Cousin" Simon our step-iggy, Little Dude the iggy ,Bandit (Bb Blue Jay), Niña the galgo, Wally (Allen Hogg), Thane (Pog Mo Thoine), Oliver (JJ Special Agent), Comet, & Rosie our original mutt. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sambuca Posted November 7, 2011 Share Posted November 7, 2011 Try using some really yummy treats and canned food. Tuna is a favorite here too. Just like anything else they may be afraid of use lots of positive reinforcement. If you put the really good stuff in the bowl, he'll remember that the bowl is full of goodies. I wouldn't really do this with his food at meal time though because he may start to become picky, but throughout the day throw some good stuff in there. Even one treat at a time is good because he can grab and run until he's more comfortable. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Remolacha Posted November 7, 2011 Share Posted November 7, 2011 It's weird that he will still drink from the water bowl in the vicious stand that attacked him Sugar got to be afraid of her bowl , as far as I can tell, from when her tags clanked against the side I took the tags off until I could get her a tagless ID collar, but in the end, I had to move her feeding spot to a new location. However, she was a very timid, shy dog. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest madredhare Posted November 7, 2011 Share Posted November 7, 2011 My Dixie wouldn't eat with her collar on. She couldn't stand the tags hitting the stainless bowl. Poor thing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TwiggysMom Posted November 8, 2011 Share Posted November 8, 2011 It sounds like his fear is attached to the process of eating, like: "The last time I ate something, that stand attacked me!!! I better not eat anything else " I think Sambuca's idea is great, although it might be difficult with other dogs in the house. Good luck! (I wish I had something more helpful to add). Quote Wendy with Twiggy, fosterless while Twiggy's fighting the good fight, and Donnie & Aiden the kitties Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Batmom Posted November 8, 2011 Share Posted November 8, 2011 Try taking his collar off? At his age, I'd probably feed him wherever he'd eat. Good luck! Quote Star aka Starz Ovation (Ronco x Oneco Maggie*, litter #48538), Coco aka Low Key (Kiowa Mon Manny x Party Hardy, litter # 59881), and mom in IllinoisWe miss Reko Batman (Trouper Zeke x Marque Louisiana), 11/15/95-6/29/06, Rocco the thistledown whippet, 04/29/93-10/14/08, Reko Zema (Mo Kick x Reko Princess), 8/16/98-4/18/10, the most beautiful girl in the whole USA, my good egg Joseph aka Won by a Nose (Oneco Cufflink x Buy Back), 09/22/2003-03/01/2013, and our gentle sweet Gidget (Digitizer, Dodgem by Design x Sobe Mulberry), 1/29/2006-11/22/2014, gone much too soon. Never forgetting CJC's Buckshot, 1/2/07-10/25/10. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
macoduck Posted November 8, 2011 Author Share Posted November 8, 2011 I"ll try taking his collar off tomorrow. I still have his tags taped up so there's no jingling. Harold's on the Royal Canin kidney rx kibble. Normally he likes it. We just have to get him past this fear issue. Quote Freshy (Droopys Fresh), NoAh the podenco orito, Howie the portuguese podengo maneto Angels: Rita the podenco maneta, Lila, the podenco, Mr X aka Denali, Lulu the podenco andaluz, Hada the podenco maneta, Georgie Girl (UMR Cordella), Charlie the iggy, Mazy (CBR Crazy Girl), Potato, my mystery ibizan girl, Allen (M's Pretty Boy), Percy (Fast But True), Mikey (Doray's Patuti), Pudge le mutt, Tessa the iggy, Possum (Apostle), Gracie (Dusty Lady), Harold (Slatex Harold), "Cousin" Simon our step-iggy, Little Dude the iggy ,Bandit (Bb Blue Jay), Niña the galgo, Wally (Allen Hogg), Thane (Pog Mo Thoine), Oliver (JJ Special Agent), Comet, & Rosie our original mutt. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
XTRAWLD Posted November 8, 2011 Share Posted November 8, 2011 Yummy yummy treats in the bowl. Who wouldn't wanna stand there and eat all the treats? Perhaps stand there and drop in a couple pieces of hot dog, when he's done, drop in a few more, etc. Make him stay in the area on his own accord, just because you have good treats coming from your hand to the bowl often. The stand is there, he'll have to get used to it, cause mamma's got my good food! I vote for feeding with the collar off as well. I'd have to say it sounded pretty traumatic to him, poor guy. Might take a while for him to trust the stand again. My sister's American Eskimo will not eat kibble in a bowl, and instead will eat it only on the mat it's placed on. I guess at one point before they got the dog from the previous owners, something happened with him and the bowl and he just wants nothing to do with it, and is pretty content to eat off the mat on it's own. Quote Proudly owned by:10 year old "Ryder" CR Redman Gotcha May 201012.5 year old Angel "Kasey" Goodbye Kasey Gotcha July 2005-Aug 1, 2015 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cleptogrey Posted November 8, 2011 Share Posted November 8, 2011 (edited) sounds like silly annie. we have the same game here but i feed her in a plastic bowl w/ a non-skid bottom (http://www.cheappetstore.com/Dogs-Puppies/Dog-Food-Feeders/Dog-Bowls-Plastic/Top-Paw-Dog-Bowls-171051/) and she manages to drink out of stainless steel. we were camping and the stainless bowl slipped and moved after her tags hit it. she jumped straight up to the end of the leash and freaked. annie inhales her food in 20 seconds flat so she jerks the bowl around. moved the bowl to the ground and let her figure it out, for food she will do anything. i would not hold the bowl, use the plastic bowl, hopeful it has a non-skid bottom and something tasty and stinky mixed in(tuna, sardine juice) and wait. dice up some cheese and try that for treats in the plastic bowl and don't give in. he is probably doing the same thing scaredy cat annie does- attacking the food- and freaking if it moves! silly dogs hey, how about a heavy ceramic bowl? Edited November 8, 2011 by cleptogrey Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Walliered Posted November 8, 2011 Share Posted November 8, 2011 I don't like to leave my hounds in their choke collars, so I order their indoor collars (tag collars) from Two Hound Designs. The information tag is flat on the loose collars and will not choke them if they get tangled up with anything they are not supposed to be in contact with. They are machine washable and very durable. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
macoduck Posted November 9, 2011 Author Share Posted November 9, 2011 Slight progress. He refused dinner until my DH took him into the garage (man cave). He ate while DH held the bowl. In an effort to encourage eating we had reduced the amount of kibble. Knowing he had to be hungry we also stopped giving snacks. Five hours after dinner I gave Harold a piece of bread - his favorite snack. I broke it into very small pieces and dropped them into his bowl. Yes, the metal bowl in the scary bowl holder. He ate it all. Then I smeared a dab of peanut butter in the bottom of the bowl. He licked most of it but then licked so hard that the metal bowl clanked in the holder. He stopped licking but wanted to finish. I got a small towel and placed it between the bowl and the holder - no more noise. Harold finished his peanut butter. I hope this helps to give him his confidence back. And now to get him outside for last potty of the night. The Marines are firing the big guns on Base and Harold's not too fond of the big booms. Gracie barks back at the booms. Pudge ignores them. Quote Freshy (Droopys Fresh), NoAh the podenco orito, Howie the portuguese podengo maneto Angels: Rita the podenco maneta, Lila, the podenco, Mr X aka Denali, Lulu the podenco andaluz, Hada the podenco maneta, Georgie Girl (UMR Cordella), Charlie the iggy, Mazy (CBR Crazy Girl), Potato, my mystery ibizan girl, Allen (M's Pretty Boy), Percy (Fast But True), Mikey (Doray's Patuti), Pudge le mutt, Tessa the iggy, Possum (Apostle), Gracie (Dusty Lady), Harold (Slatex Harold), "Cousin" Simon our step-iggy, Little Dude the iggy ,Bandit (Bb Blue Jay), Niña the galgo, Wally (Allen Hogg), Thane (Pog Mo Thoine), Oliver (JJ Special Agent), Comet, & Rosie our original mutt. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest greyers Posted November 9, 2011 Share Posted November 9, 2011 WONDERFUL news. looks like you are on the right track! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
XTRAWLD Posted November 10, 2011 Share Posted November 10, 2011 Yay. Yummy treats prevail over fear yet again! Hurrah!! Quote Proudly owned by:10 year old "Ryder" CR Redman Gotcha May 201012.5 year old Angel "Kasey" Goodbye Kasey Gotcha July 2005-Aug 1, 2015 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike516 Posted November 10, 2011 Share Posted November 10, 2011 Great news on the progress. Poor guy is just sensitive is all. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
macoduck Posted November 10, 2011 Author Share Posted November 10, 2011 Breakfast was a bit difficult. He ate a few bites from the bowl, the rest with me holding it. I bought a different food stand today and put it in a different location. He's not as afraid of it but it still took some coaxing. I put a few little pieces of bread on top of his dinner kibble. He'd eat that and then some kibble. I'd put a few more little pieces of bread on top and he'd eat some more. He nearly ate all of his food in the end and all those little pieces of bread were only one slice. We're still stingy with any treats and those are placed in the food bowl. For your amusement, I'm posting a picture of Harold I used in our group's newsletter, ironically asking for kibble donations. Quote Freshy (Droopys Fresh), NoAh the podenco orito, Howie the portuguese podengo maneto Angels: Rita the podenco maneta, Lila, the podenco, Mr X aka Denali, Lulu the podenco andaluz, Hada the podenco maneta, Georgie Girl (UMR Cordella), Charlie the iggy, Mazy (CBR Crazy Girl), Potato, my mystery ibizan girl, Allen (M's Pretty Boy), Percy (Fast But True), Mikey (Doray's Patuti), Pudge le mutt, Tessa the iggy, Possum (Apostle), Gracie (Dusty Lady), Harold (Slatex Harold), "Cousin" Simon our step-iggy, Little Dude the iggy ,Bandit (Bb Blue Jay), Niña the galgo, Wally (Allen Hogg), Thane (Pog Mo Thoine), Oliver (JJ Special Agent), Comet, & Rosie our original mutt. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest greyers Posted November 10, 2011 Share Posted November 10, 2011 HA!!!!!!!!!!! Now that IS irony! He is a beautiful boy! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
macoduck Posted November 12, 2011 Author Share Posted November 12, 2011 Success both with breakfast and dinner! No more scary food bowl. Quote Freshy (Droopys Fresh), NoAh the podenco orito, Howie the portuguese podengo maneto Angels: Rita the podenco maneta, Lila, the podenco, Mr X aka Denali, Lulu the podenco andaluz, Hada the podenco maneta, Georgie Girl (UMR Cordella), Charlie the iggy, Mazy (CBR Crazy Girl), Potato, my mystery ibizan girl, Allen (M's Pretty Boy), Percy (Fast But True), Mikey (Doray's Patuti), Pudge le mutt, Tessa the iggy, Possum (Apostle), Gracie (Dusty Lady), Harold (Slatex Harold), "Cousin" Simon our step-iggy, Little Dude the iggy ,Bandit (Bb Blue Jay), Niña the galgo, Wally (Allen Hogg), Thane (Pog Mo Thoine), Oliver (JJ Special Agent), Comet, & Rosie our original mutt. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest tellybelly Posted November 12, 2011 Share Posted November 12, 2011 Harold Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest madredhare Posted November 12, 2011 Share Posted November 12, 2011 Success both with breakfast and dinner! No more scary food bowl. WOO HOO!!! Wonderful news! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Remolacha Posted November 12, 2011 Share Posted November 12, 2011 yay Harold Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Riverhound Posted November 12, 2011 Share Posted November 12, 2011 That ad has me wanting to hop in the car and drive down a load of kibble right now! Stunning model with "feed me" eyes. Quote Masterful Joe and Naughty N Nice Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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