Why is my dog behaving like this

[jugodenaranja]

I got my dog off my mum over 3 months ago and she was on the cheap nasty Tesco stuff. Dog suddenly decided she won’t eat her food curled up tried to bite me when touched. She was constipated and we were advised to put her on raw food. I buy expensive “cold pressed” dog food that’s meant to be good for her and mix some in with her normal stuff as it’s advised. She just eats around it. In the end I was forced to just only give her the expensive dog food I had bought for her because otherwise she wouldn’t eat it.

it worked for a few months.
I’ve stopped her from being in the garden because all she will do is bark. I take her out on walks though. But after that she decided she doesn’t like it again, she shows she’s hungry and I give her the food and she waits for it to go off and begs me for food throughout the day and I give it to her every few hours but she won’t eat it. She’s showing no signs of a stomach bug or illness and will eat anything but the food. She’s showing signs of anxiety I don’t know what to do

Maybe she misses your dm?

could it be her teeth or mouth issues? I had to switch off the cold pressed stuff that I was using as they were too big. I use butternut box now, so it's soft they can't get enough of it.

Are you sure she's actually hungry? If she's being offered food every few hours she might not be and just doesn't fancy what you're offering. If she's not underweight I'd give her twenty mins to eat her meal and then take it away until the next meal time. If she is underweight she needs to see a vet.

How old is she? Sounds like anxiety maybe.

Get a vet check.

If no physical cause found put down less quantity of food than she is getting at the minute. Pickup the food if she does not eat it . Only offer food twice a day.

She needs to get back into the habit of regular mealtimes. Gradually increase the amount of food she is eating in each meal.

If she is anxious around food - feed her in a quiet place on her own where she will not be disturbed. Change the bowl you are feeding her food in eg if a metal bowl then use a plastic bowl etc.

What specific behaviour does she show to make you think it is anxiety?

I would stop offering food throughout the day. Offer twice a day, food down and if not eaten in 10 minutes pick it up. That takes the anxiety away from her. Also she will then get used to knowing she will be offered it twice a day and she will feel confident that food will always come.
My dog has issues surrounding food at one point and I made the situation worse by constantly trying to get him to eat, I ended up creating an anxious environment around meal time which stopped him wanting to eat. I spoke ti s behaviourist and they gave me the same advice I'm giving you. Give two meal times at the same time each day, if they eat great. If they don't eat, pick the bowl up and don't react at all. Eventually they will eat.

Forgot to say, obviously check her health first. If no obvious issues then try this method.

First things first, she needs to see a vet for a full physical. It's very common for dogs to go off their food when they're in pain (and not necessarily with their teeth).

As long as she's fully healthy, then I would pick a good quality food (it doesn't necessarily need to be the cold pressed stuff if she doesn't like it) and give her set meal times. This could be 2-3 times a day depending on your schedule and your dog. Some prefer several small meals so work with that if she prefers it.

Then, at mealtimes, feed her in a quiet, calm space and leave her for 20 minutes. Don't stand over her or coax her to eat, just let her get on with it. After 20 minutes, take away the food and repeat at the next meal. Don't give her any titbits or treats or anything during the day unless it comes from her normal food allowance.

Saying all that, there are things you can do to encourage her to eat - if it's wet food, warm it up slightly so it smells nice, or if it's dry, add warm water so it smells nice and is easier to chew. You can also stir through things like tuna water or salmon oil to make it more appealing.

Serious health/pain/teeth issues aside:
how old is the dog? if very young she could be teething.
was she in her bed when you tried to touch her? If so, leave a dog be while they are in their beds.
She could be scared/confused as to why she's now in your home.

Have her checked over and if all well:
maybe try her back on the 'cheap nasty tesco stuff' again as you put it and add a little water and/or tasty 'toppings' like bits of cooked chicken/any meat mince (plain) .....mixed in abit to try and get her going again.