Shih tzu puppy feeding problem/no noise at door to go out

[Alfiesmum2]

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Hi all, does anyone else have a pup that will not eat from any dish, plate, saucer etc., but if I put food straight onto kitchen tiled floor, will eat every morsel! I have tried putting it down in dish etc and just leaving it sitting there, but after an hour and half, he had not touched it. He is on natural instincts puppy food, so it doesn't look very appetising by then.

Also how can I train him to let me know i.e. bark, when he needs to go outside. He learnt very quickly that he did toilet outside, but he just sits by door. If I'm busy in another room, I wouldn't know he was waiting. I don't want to confuse him by putting pads back down, but also don't want him thinking just to do it on door mat! Any suggestions would be gratefully received.

 

[JoanneF]

With the feeding, that's not unusual. Some breeders feed from a tray, maybe that's where this has developed. If you don't want him to eat from the floor you could use a tray (easier to clean) then if you want, put some food on the tray and some in a shallow plate on the tray, then a shallow bowl on the plate and gradually wean him on to a bowl. Try doing it without his collar, some dogs don't like if the collar touches the bowl, and try in the middle of the room so his vision isn't restricted.

I don't like puppy pads because they teach puppies that it's ok to toilet indoors. However too late now. I have never trained a dog to bark (or ring a bell hung from the door handle) but there are YouTube videos. However I would say that ideally you want him to not be in a position where he needs to toilet before you have him outdoors, so that every toilet is outside - as far as possible, there will be accidents! So set him up to succeed by taking him out even more than he needs; for example every 45 minutes to an hour and always after sleeping, eating, playing. When he toilets outdoors make a huge fuss (never mind the neighbours, act like outdoor toileting is the best thing you have ever seen) and reward him with a high value treat. Do that immediately, don't make him come to you for the treat so he is clear that it's for toileting and not for coming to you. The idea is that he eventually wants to earn the treat enough to hold the toilet until he is outside - once he is physically able to control his toileting obviously. If he has an accident inside don't react at all. If you get annoyed he may learn to fear your reaction and avoid you if he needs to toilet - the opposite of what you want. As he is actually performing the toilet you can introduce words he can associate with it (like 'do weewee' and 'busy busy') that later when he is reliably trained you can use these to tell him when you want him to toilet.

 

[Alfiesmum2]

Thank you for reply, the feeding plan is great, simple idea that I never even thought of. I did have him facing wall but see now that would make him nervous, we will start the tray plan today.

As for the toilet plan, he is pretty predictable, so I know to some extent when he will need to go. It amazes me that such a baby really can take all this on board. I try not to expect too much too soon, I just enjoy every moment of him. Thanks again

 

[gypsysmum2]

Great advice from JoanneF.

Before you open the door for him try to make him give you eye contact and get a little excited ( not so excited that he wees) so that he thinks that is how the door opens. Keep this up as he grows until he finds you to make eye show you his excited body language that usually gets you to open the door.

 

[Peegee]

When my dog was about 5mnths we taught her to use the toilet bells that hang from the back door. It was extremely easy to teach her,, took about half an hour, and they work a treat. We take them with us when we visit friends/family so that she knows to let us know she wants to go out and also to know which door to use if its not obvious. Lots of YouTube clips to show how they work,

 

[Alfiesmum2]

Hi, tried the tray method last night, and after very suspicious circling, he did venture to eat a little, roughly about a quarter. However, I wondered if he was just plain bored with the same flavour all the time, so I have bought some other wet puppy food and mixed it 3 parts (old food) to 1(new food) and he has licked the plate clean! Don't know if this is the answer, but if it works for time being I'll settle for that. Thank you for advice, I will let you know how this proceeds.

 

[JoanneF]

Good to hear. A lot of dogs do like some wet with their kibble, let's face it, it isn't terribly exciting! What foods are you feeding?

 

[gypsysmum2]

Is he teething? Wet food is usually appreciated if they are teething. You can soak the dried food in warm water.

 

[Alfiesmum2]

In reply to JoanneF and gypsysmum2, at the moment he is on natural instincts puppy raw food, with just a little akela puppy dry to graze, I had wondered if he needs something a little more robust than the raw food, he is 12 weeks old and quite active, in that he will play ball etc all day, and loves a walk. Today's meals were back to day one, totally refused anything til I put it on floor then he ate every bit.

He seems to have all his first teeth through, although never misses a chance to chew on something, skirting board, carpet, underside of armchair! etc. Has to be closely watched if in garden as will pick up stones if he gets chance, I mostly take him out for toilet on his lead. He has several chewable toys, but they don't hold his attention for very long.

In spite of all this, I love him and if it means washing the kitchen floor three times a day, so be it! At least I know he is getting nourishment.

 

[gypsysmum2]

Does the tray move? Does it make a noise? It is obviously not the food but something about the receptacle is worrying him. Have you tried plastic, china, metal, cardboard? Can you anchor it in some way? Or try a really heavy bowl that will not move at all no matter what he does to it?

Try raising it up? You can get bowl holders, that are heavy, for dogs that tip their bowl over.

I feed dry and I scatter it on the lawn If it is raining he has it in a buster cube or other kind of mental puzzle made to challenge dog.

 

[Alfiesmum2]

I think I've made a rod for my own back to be honest. He actually sits and looks at food, then looks at me as if to say 'you know what you have to do'! I am going to try a different tack today, instead of kitchen, I'm going to put food and water in the hall. No fridge, freezer or other noises to disturb him. He has eaten from one bowl before so that's the one I will try first. Fingers crossed.

 

[gypsysmum2]

Good idea

When you feed him, just put the bowl down and completely ignore him. No eye contact even. Busy yourself around the area and then after five or ten minutes, with no eye contact, pick the food up as though you just found it lying around. Keep a happy demeanour at all times. Some dogs are very clever at manipulating us.

Years ago. I went away for a long weekend leaving my dog with my husband. She was a good eater. When I returned my husband was very worried because she had not eaten the whole time I was away. At dinner time we got her food ready and put it down for her. The first thing she did was to look at my husband. What did he do? He said "good dog"! He had been consistently rewarding her for leaving her food.

It took a couple of days for her to forget his training. I just put the food down and busied myself around the kitchen for a while. Without making eye contact, I would then remove the food and offer it again a couple of hours later. She soon started eating again.

You would not think that a dog would starve itself would you? I knew of a poodle that was almost emaciated because his owner had been doing what my husband did. The vet had given the dog every test under the sun and found nothing wrong. It turned out that the owner had been offering food and giving lots of attention when the dog refused to eat. Once she was banished from the house at feeding time the dog started to eat

 

[Alfiesmum2]

Second day of eating in hall, all empty bowls day one, ate about half of first meal today, I took it away, we went for walk, when we got back he went straight to place in hall. I put down remainder of meal, left him alone, he cleared bowl. I think it has been a mixture of things, a noisy kitchen, an overattentive human! (Prob guilty of your husbands mistake) and mistakingly changing bowls, plates etc. Thank you to everyone who gave advice, I'm certainly a lot happier now, (I know! It's not about me) also Alfie is happier too. At the moment sound asleep on the sofa.

 

[gypsysmum2]

Thanks for the update