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Originally Posted by Lovetodream88  She isn't underweight. I want to start taking her for walks in our new neighborhood but by the time I have stopped helping unpack and put stuff together its dark and I am allergic to mosquitoes so until they are gone it would really suck to go for a walk for me. I had to get a steroid shot and be on antibiotics a few weeks ago from just being outside for a few hours it was crazy. I did unearth her doggy treadmill when we moved so maybe I should start walking her on that. The hand feeding mostly started when she had her surgery last year and would not eat and she got into a habit of me feeding her twice a day and would hit her food holder and then run and sit in the chair I feed her in. She really is so stubborn she would starve herself. I am sure my anxiety and panic attacks are not helping but they are getting better and she seems to be slowly falling into a routine but still absolutely hates it when I am out of sight. My mom has been bring Sammy over every couple of days and that seems to be helping some too because she will go explore the fenced in yard and house more with him. |
If she isn't underweight, I would stop the hand feeding, unless I was training. I think you may have made her too dependent on you, and this doesn't do anything for her confidence. No matter what you think,
she will not starve herself; you just have to be more stubborn than her. Bugs sprays with Deet are really effective in keeping mosquitos away. Or perhaps you can get someone else to walk her. I hate to think of you cooping yourself up all summer long, that in itself would be depressing. I really think she is picking up on your anxiety, are you talking to anyone about this? My little rescue Ralphie suffered from severe panic attacks when I got him, his owner also hand fed. Ralphie is a totally different dog a year later, and while Ralphie previous owner loved him completely, she couldn’t give him the independence and the confidence he needed. She too would baby him and try to protect him against the world, and this just made him more scared. I know babying her makes you feel better, but it’s really not good for her. You have to ask yourself, do you really want her dependent on independent? You are training her to be dependent and this doesn't make a healthy dog.