Dog won't eat or drink or come to me on his own? How do I regain his trust?

Question

Yesterday night I was foolish and kept trying to coax my dog to drink water because he hadn't drunk any water for hours even after his walk. I got frustrated and picked him up to put him in the room he stays in (he got excited at first because he thought I was going to put him on my bed but started whimpering on the way to his room). I didn't yell at him, hit him, or put him down violently on his bed, but it was probably the irritated manner in which I carried him there.. After I took him out this morning (7AM) he was whimpering when I petted him and then he walked away and sat a distance from me and continued to whimper. He also would not eat his food, so I had to hand feed him. Afterwards, I went back to bed and allowed him to sleep with me this time and he was fine but when I picked him up to put him on the floor when I woke again (the bed is high) he was shrieking and yelping although I was definitely not hurting him and I'm sure he has no injuries as he was perfectly fine before I acted so terribly. He has always been a timid dog ever since I've had him because he was abused at his previous home. He usually eats again at about 5PM but now he won't even eat from my hand, let alone his bowl. He puts it in his mouth and spits it back out and has not drunk any water so far today. I left the room where he usually stays but now he also has not moved from his bed whereas this morning he still followed me to my room even if he did not sit by me...

I apologize for rambling I just wanted to give some background. I have never EVER hit him, I have never hurt him (until now I guess) I love this dog more than anything in this world, more than myself.

Also, if I tell him to come to me he will come but whimpers when I pet him and then leaves to sit a distance from me again. I feel terrible even though I did not physically harm him. I just want him to eat and return to his former happy self, even his trot seems so slow and depressed now and I know I'm to blame. I know I should not have acted this way knowing how sensitive he is..

My main question is how do I make him eat and drink again? And how do I let him know that I'm sorry for acting how I did and that I would never hurt him? Please help me.

Answer 1

Not eating/drinking and indicating distress is quite a big alarm bell. With reference to:

http://www.pawfriendly.com/community/sick-dog-symptoms

This could be a sign that your dog is unwell - that it's in pain for some reason, and is reluctant to eat/drink, and your picking it up is causing pain. (Any chance your dog could have swallowed something like a piece of bone?)

You may be right, and it might be psychological, but I would really suggest it's time to consult a vet.

Edit: Following from comments:

Behaviourally - a dog that's been abused may never completely recover. It takes gentle care and compassion to 'fix' them - there's no fast answer. The key thing to remember is that dogs form associations, but they don't have the same notion of cause and effect as people do. They will remember situations in which 'bad things' happened and situations in which 'good things' happen. It's possible that your handling of the dog triggered one of these associations - if it's a rescue, you may never entirely know.

What you should avoid though, is 'rewarding' behaviour you don't want repeated. Hand feeding for example - your dog may think of that as a reward, and repeat the action that got them the reward. Much like a toddler - dogs can do attention seeking negative behaviours.

Dogs are generally fairly smart about ensuring they eat though - if you simply ensure food and water are available (clean and fresh) then your dog will eat once it's hungry.

Otherwise - you can't force trust. Bribery is a reasonable approximation though :). Find some 'high value' treats, and encourage your dog to interact with you and get the reward. Quite how demanding depends how much training you've done already, but ... getting the dog used to doing things for you, and getting rewarded for it goes quite a long way to overcoming it's fear and distrust.

Answer 2

I have a dog that doesn't like to drink. He likes to drink in the middle of the night. Or when no one is looking. I read up on it and one thing that it said was watermelon is 80% water and a dog can have it just make sure there is no seeds.. Also wet dog food instead of dry and I sneak a little water in it.You can freeze watermelon pieces so you have them all the time. I worry about it. I have a niece that doesn't want to drink either.You have to love your way into his heart again. But call your vet and ask him what he thinks. Good luck.

Answer 3

I had to give him water with an eye dropper. 9 in total 3 sets of 3. He hated it and the next thing i knew he was drinking from his bowl. I got the info from a person who rescues cats. But he's starting to do it again. He has to be alone to eat or drink from his bowls. but usually pees on the rug for leaving him. Someone did a number on him but he's a good boy. 2 1/2- 3 yr old miniature poodle named Charlie. I call him Cj. I rescue from a farm to an apartment with a nice yard. He was matted 5 hrs to remove, beaten and malnourished. His skin itches on his hind end but i mixed apple cider vinegar and water 50/50. There are alot of things you can do if you are home like me (retired) and have the time and patience to talk to and love an abused animal. I feel like his not drinking enough water so i might leave him alone for an hour or so and clean up the pee but never yell at him. I tell him "I pee on the rug sometimes too". Be careful not to switch foods or you'll be dealing with diarrhea.Same thing same time frame and he poops regularly. In the beginning he wouldn't go for 2 days and that's no good i had to give him a little extra virgin olive oil but u can give too much. Charlie didn't bark or make a sound for over a month and would sit and stare at himself in the mirror. Then i started a game in the yard with him and he bounces around, barking and he is as fast as a deer. I'd say i'm 1/2 way there. But i love him. Not sure if he will be able to ever show me unconditional love like my last poodle, Bella who died on 11/7/18. She was the best dog, she loved me so much she would try to crawl inside my body if she could.