Hi guys!
I am having some issues with my 1.5 year old dog not eating in his crate. I am trying to train him to eat his meals in his crate, but he absolutely REFUSES unless I open the crate. And when I do open the crate, he will drag the bowl out into the living room OR take a mouth full and dump it outside the cage and chow down there. He will make multiple trips in and out of the cage to get more food, but he will never eat INSIDE of it.
I try to make him more comfy in there by dropping in treats, but he just takes them out and eats them outside the crate. If I close the door, same thing, won't eat it.
I know he is hungry because the moment I open the door he starts chowing down after taking his food out. If I take the bowl away, he sniffs all over the house looking for his food (which he is doing now). Someone suggested giving him his meal in his crate for 30 minutes, and if he does not eat, take it away and try again next meal. It's been a day and a half of doing this, and he still refuses to eat in there. Will he crack eventually and is what I am doing ok? He is a Swedish Vallhund by the way.
I trained him the same way I trained my Golden and he has no issues. My Vallhund is very stubborn and tends to try to do everything on HIS terms. We had him since he was 10 weeks old and he is kind of a nightmare in terms of stubbornness. He is STILL not really potty trained, but that's another issue.
Anyway, any clues? I want him to know I control the food and where he eats it, and that he shouldn't be picky and eat when told. (My golden knows to eat the moment his bowl hits the ground or it gets taken away later) He is not sick and is perfectly healthy by the way. This is just a behavioral thing. My Fiance never addressed the issue when the dog was living with him, but now that we have a house together, I am trying to retrain him.
I am having some issues with my 1.5 year old dog not eating in his crate. I am trying to train him to eat his meals in his crate, but he absolutely REFUSES unless I open the crate. And when I do open the crate, he will drag the bowl out into the living room OR take a mouth full and dump it outside the cage and chow down there. He will make multiple trips in and out of the cage to get more food, but he will never eat INSIDE of it.
I try to make him more comfy in there by dropping in treats, but he just takes them out and eats them outside the crate. If I close the door, same thing, won't eat it.
I know he is hungry because the moment I open the door he starts chowing down after taking his food out. If I take the bowl away, he sniffs all over the house looking for his food (which he is doing now). Someone suggested giving him his meal in his crate for 30 minutes, and if he does not eat, take it away and try again next meal. It's been a day and a half of doing this, and he still refuses to eat in there. Will he crack eventually and is what I am doing ok? He is a Swedish Vallhund by the way.
I trained him the same way I trained my Golden and he has no issues. My Vallhund is very stubborn and tends to try to do everything on HIS terms. We had him since he was 10 weeks old and he is kind of a nightmare in terms of stubbornness. He is STILL not really potty trained, but that's another issue.
Anyway, any clues? I want him to know I control the food and where he eats it, and that he shouldn't be picky and eat when told. (My golden knows to eat the moment his bowl hits the ground or it gets taken away later) He is not sick and is perfectly healthy by the way. This is just a behavioral thing. My Fiance never addressed the issue when the dog was living with him, but now that we have a house together, I am trying to retrain him.