My 11 Months old German Shepherd Won't eat!!! Please Help - Page 1

Hi. I currently live in South Korea and I have a 11 months old Male German Shepherd

He just came back from training school where he spent 6 months training to be a guard dog.
It's been three days since he came home and he looks like his well adopting to our home.
He seems very happy and loves to play with our family.

However, when it comes to supper, he would only eat very tiny bit of dry food.
I feed him twice a day, in the morning and at night.
We feed him exactly same dry food that his been eating since born.

Is it normal that my dog isn't eating well?
Does he need more time to get used to new environment?

Please help!
I don't want him to suffer because of me........

It very well could be he has to get used to his new environment. If he is eating in the morning but not at night I would not get to worried after only 3 days but if this persists longer then a week or a week and a half I would get him to the vet just for a check up just to be safe. As many people know German Shepherds are not usually shy when it comes to eating, so make sure to watch him if he shows any signs of it is hurting him to eat get him to the vet asap. Good Luck!

Many guard dogs are trained not to eat when fed by strangers or will eat only in certain places to avoid poisoning. Are you sure you understand the training your dog was given and if the training was properly done?? It sounds like your dog is expecting a beating if he eats?? Many IPO dogs are trained not to defecate while on leash so the owners can not understand why they take them for a walk on leash and they do not relieve themselves. Sounds like the dog has received training that limits when, where and how he eats to me.

As long as your dog doesn´t show pain, and the stool is okay, I wouldn´t worry right now.
He needs to get used to you - right now he is a teenage dog that lost its home.
To be on the safe side I´d call the trainer and ask how much and how often he was fed, and if he is a "picky" eater -
and I wouldn´t try to convince him to eat - he doesn´t want right now = no food at all ( no treats ! ).
A healthy dog will become hungry soon...

Only out of curiosity: What kind of "guard dog" training was done with a 5 months ( now 11 months old ) teenage dog?

"What kind of 'guard dog' training was done with a 5 months old..."
My thoughts, also, Susie. That kind of training for any dog, let alone a puppy, can be very stressful....he needs time to readjust to 'normal'.
To me, sending a puppy to be trained do 'battle' with unfriendly humans is going create issues which will manifest in ways not readily clear to an inexperienced owner...lack of appetite can be one manifestation of over stressed pup.

If it is obvious he isn't getting enough, switch to raw. I have never seen one turn down raw.

Sending a 5 month old pup away to be trained for six months makes just as much sense as sending a 5 year old child to boarding school for 6 years with no summer vacations or holidays at home for six years .. dogs need their family both human and canine until they are 18 months old or older. However that was not the question .. even "homesick" dogs will usually eat if left alone with their food in private so I suspect something else related to the "training" is going on. Check with the trainer as to what food the dog was fed and under what circumstances the dog was allowed to eat.  Many trainers don't feed their dogs in the mornings ( just once and after training in the evenings ) and your dog may have a release word before he is allowed to eat.

Joan, right now I really think about stuff a 5 month old puppy is able to learn in case of being a "guard dog" with 11 months...

Bubba: " Many IPO dogs are trained not to defecate while on leash ..."
Why do you think so?
B + C = almost no leash
A = at least over here we tend to "go potty" with our dogs prior to training/trial...

I met several dogs that don´t defecate on leash, but not because they were trained, but because the owners didn´t walk their dogs... ( either defecating in the kennel or running around loose in a fenced area ) -

this theorie is new to me.

Right. The question was why the pup won't eat...I maintain that the stress of *'guard dog training' * pushed on a puppy can cause stress which can manifest in lack of appetite. He needs time to decompress...when he is ready he will eat. Put some very warm water over the kibble before giving it to him. If he doesn't eat it in fifteen minutes, throw it away...give fresh the next day.

Let´s think about a "training camp" with several dogs, kennel beneath kennel - even a "picky eater" will eat because of jealousy about food.
Now? Maybe a one dog home, and some treats during the day...
Who knows?