We recently bought a Pitbull from someone who couldn't have it in their apartment because they didn't allow pitbulls for some reason. We brought her home yesterday and she seemed fine at first she didn't really touch her dog food she will only eat my cats food. She came inside when told to and obeyed well. Now its the next day and she was acting fine right about until night time. She won't come inside when called, she won't eat her dog food, she only will eat the cat food. She sleeps on the dog bed we have for her, we recently replaced her dog house which she slept in a lot but she will not sleep in the new one. Im going to switch it back tomorrow but I don't think that is the problem. She'll eat treats but won't touch her dog food. We've tried different kinds but still nothing, only cat food.
Put the cat food where the dog can't get it.
Keep the dog's food down on the floor.
Don't try and change everything at once about the dog, the poor thing was ripped from the home and moved to yours, you have no idea what food she had or liked and now are playing let's try everything. And hope you will find something she might like but don't really care that you will give her a severe stomach ache, diarrhea or end up vomiting all night, get rid of the only secure thing she associates with and then replace it with a nice new house that she is afraid of but it appeals to your sense of pride because it looks nice, all it is to her currently is something else at doesn't smell safe, doesn't smell like home, doesn't smell secure, but it's pretty.... She doesn't care!
The reason she was so good the first day is she eas bring obedient and now she is frightened and confused, you getting angry and upset because she has become terrified of her new surroundings, confused as to ehst happened to her old home, food, toys, humans - the only human fsmily she has know.... It's similar to when a pup is taken from or for the first time. She knows what people are now but have not associated you as her caretaker or security blanket as of yet.
When your calling her, give her some time to come up, offer her some high value food treat, not a dog biscuit or treat but something like a piece of boiled chicken or hamburger. You need to earn her trust and her respect will follow once she figures out what's what.
As for the food just pick one brand and settle with it, put it down for 15 to 20 minutes and if she turns her nose at it pick it up until the next meal. Healthy normal dogs will not starve themselves to death, they may hold out for w few meals but switching over brand to brand to brand they learn thet your a pushover and sll they have to do is turn away from whatever and you will run and get them better.
Work with her these first few weeks, obedience training even though she may know it, it never hurts to review and besides its something familiar to her and something you can start building a bond with between the both of you. Try playing catch or fetch with her, call her name and tell her bring snd come,,she will learn to come to your call or whistle just from the trust you build up with her playing.
Nothing happens overnight or in a day or two with dogs when they go through life changes. Remember your first day in high school,,or your first day on the job? How sure you feeling, secure thet you knew everything, how nurvous were you?
Your dog has gone under a lot of changes and she sounds like a lovely animal, she will just need time, love and understanding to fit in with your family. Taking them for walks, getting them into their new routines as soon as possible is sbout the best thing. Once she settles on some and is feeling secure, responding to you you can put out her new dog house and let her sniff it inspect it, try it out for a bit. Encourage her to go in and out of it hee and there then after about s week you can try and remove the old house and see if she is willing to take to the new one. One trick we learned is putting in good warm blankets in the old place then when you switch transfer them to the new house, they will bring the old scent with them and make the dog feel a little better about the new house. It may take a couple weeks to acclimate to the new house depending on what type snd how big of change it is.
Cat food is tastier than dog food. Anyone who has cats and dogs knows that. Your new dog does not, understandably, feel totally comfortable in her new home yet and is being picky about food because of it. Besides, last time she wouldn't eat dog food, you offered cat food instead. Maybe if she keeps holding out, you'll keep giving her the tastier stuff. Bad pattern to establish. I board dogs and it's very common for dogs who are newly arrived not to eat at all the first 24 hours. A day or two without food will not hurt a dog who isn't sick. When they get hungry enough and feel more at home, they eat what they are given.
Not feeling secure in her new home is probably also why she doesn't want to come inside right now.
Her entire world changed when she came to live with you. Then you're changing things, bed, food, etc, probably just as she is getting comfortable with things one way.
Put the cat food up so she can't get to it. Give her ONE kind of dog food, put it down for 10-15 minutes then pick it up. Anything she doesn't eat, she doesn't get. Do this for every meal, and pretty soon she'll eat her meal when it's placed in front of her.
If she won't come when called, go out with her on a leash until you get her recall back.
And, give her TIME. Some dogs can take several months for them to start feeling like they are "home".
She just misses her old home. It's like if you got taken from your family to live somewhere else. That would seriously suck, wouldn't it? Give her time to adjust. This isn't odd behavior at all.
The cat food thing, I can't help with. However, you said she is still new to the home? She is probably just scared and still getting used to her surroundings. Imagine if you were brought to a new family and new life in the matter of a day. You would act strange too, wouldnt you? It may just now be seeping in that she isn't going back "home".