Postive reinforcement backfire

[talk]

Hey yall. Being working with my very smart and at times anxious new rescue doberman (7 months old) ive been loving Kiko pups vids ans the ideas of positive reinforcement. Working with clicker and treats has been incredible. Used boiled chicken and cheese to work in his recall and paying attention amongst triggers in public. He mostly is high areousal frustrated greeter and will bark at humans if they are far or sneaky looking. Close he will stop and be very friendly.

Problem is he recently stopped eating his PPP chicken and rice formula which everyone one recommends for dobes. He will stick take treats glady but suddenly wont touch the kibble( hell eat chicken happily dosnt fart much at all) even when he ate the kibble. He used to even take the kibble as a treat!

I think i spoiled his appetite but how else do i do this positive thing. Especially since he dosnt love toys that much. He likes tug of war and fetch but loses interest quickly so its not a means of positve reinforcement. What do I do? Day two of him hardly eatingg even tho hes very high eneergy. Been following the recommendations a of 3 cups a day.

Thanks i really want to treat him well

P.S. ive also noticed the nose scooting towards the bowl / trying to flip it- he will then nibble a few bites and thats about it

 

[carpanfan1]

@talk If your Doberman stopped eating his regular kibble, try changing treats to keep him interested. Also, check for dental issues and vary rewards while working on his high arousal by rewarding calm behavior from a distance and gradually decreasing it. If the problem persists, consult with a professional dog trainer for personalized advice.

 

[talk]

@carpanfan1 Hell eat anything that isnt his kibble. Even other kibble my friend left behind

 

[falconeye]

@talk If he's not eating his kibble for two days, I would get him seen by the vet and just make sure everything's okay. In the meantime you can try reducing or removing his treats and see if that helps his appetite with kibble.

 

[talk]

@falconeye He grazes half the serving for the day i can tell something is up. But if we go out and plan hes still a rocket of energy. Def will take him to the vet asap regardless

 

[talk]

Play*

 

[falconeye]

@talk I'm glad he's still energetic! Also wanted to mention that Dobermans are more susceptible to copper storage disease which is when copper accumulates in the liver over a long period of time. It usually doesn't present itself symptomatically until later in adulthood. I lost my dog to liver disease before we could get to biopsy and copper storage was on the table for possible causes. His first symptom was lack of appetite with his kibble. It's not a common condition so I don't think you have to worry about it, but wanted to pass on the info since I know Dobermans are one of the more common breeds.

 

[saharali]

@talk The vet suggestion is a great one. Any changes to appetite could be a sign of other issues.

If he's eating other food well, eating other kibble well, then maybe he's developed an aversion to the kibble. Just like people, dogs have food preferences. Unlike people dogs tend to eat the same thing every day so if they don't like it it's even worse. He's getting a source of calories from training and so maybe that allows him to not feel compelled to eat the thing he doesn't like.

I've known a few people with young dogs who at some point just decide they don't want their old kibble anymore and need it switched up. I'd try finding a different food that satisfies both of your needs and see if that helps.

 

[crazybeautiful56]

@talk If nothing comes up at the vet, I would try rotating what kind of food you buy each time. He’s probably just bored of it and you don’t have to be hard sticking to one flavor or brand.