German Shepherd Dog Forums - View Single Post - GSD puppy not buying into "work for your food" concept

joshua9578 · 01-17-2013, 04:06 PM

hello everyone,

this is my first post on this forum about my first GSD puppy. i have tried to be as responsible of a puppy parent as i can. we've taken her to training classes (just finished up), i try to give her as much exercise and outdoor time as i can, and socialization (both other dogs and people). this effort to be a good owner stems from my short patience with my friends' dogs (more my friends' ownership and handling of their dogs).

any ways, bailey, is our pup and she is about 8-1/2 months now. i believe in the work for your food and used to have her go through a cadence of tricks/commands before she could get her food. lately she will still do the tricks/commands, but when i set her food down she just looks at it and walks away. i started with the mindset of "you have to learn to eat when you're given food or ill take it away", but this turned into her missing a meal, and vomiting awhile later from the empty stomach. so i have tried a couple times of leaving it out throughout the morning and still not a kibble taken from it. the only way she will eat is after some moderate to intense activity (fetch, frisbee, tugging on the rope). even after this activity, its rare that she eats all of her food. her eating her food is like a gauge of the amount of activity she has just completed.

i feel like this is some sort of misunderstanding on one of our parts. am i not handling this correctly, or is she assuming she will make the schedule of when she eats regardless of her getting sick. or....am i thinking to much into this hahaha. its been puzzling me for a few weeks now.

any advice on this would be appreciated.

01-17-2013, 04:06 PM	#1 (permalink)
joshua9578 Junior Member Join Date: Dec 2012 Location: toledo, OH Posts: 26	GSD puppy not buying into "work for your food" concept hello everyone, this is my first post on this forum about my first GSD puppy. i have tried to be as responsible of a puppy parent as i can. we've taken her to training classes (just finished up), i try to give her as much exercise and outdoor time as i can, and socialization (both other dogs and people). this effort to be a good owner stems from my short patience with my friends' dogs (more my friends' ownership and handling of their dogs). any ways, bailey, is our pup and she is about 8-1/2 months now. i believe in the work for your food and used to have her go through a cadence of tricks/commands before she could get her food. lately she will still do the tricks/commands, but when i set her food down she just looks at it and walks away. i started with the mindset of "you have to learn to eat when you're given food or ill take it away", but this turned into her missing a meal, and vomiting awhile later from the empty stomach. so i have tried a couple times of leaving it out throughout the morning and still not a kibble taken from it. the only way she will eat is after some moderate to intense activity (fetch, frisbee, tugging on the rope). even after this activity, its rare that she eats all of her food. her eating her food is like a gauge of the amount of activity she has just completed. i feel like this is some sort of misunderstanding on one of our parts. am i not handling this correctly, or is she assuming she will make the schedule of when she eats regardless of her getting sick. or....am i thinking to much into this hahaha. its been puzzling me for a few weeks now. any advice on this would be appreciated.