[Honeysuckle]

Ever since we had one of our German Shepherds put to sleep a couple of years ago, the remaining GSD, Roxy, will only eat if she's hand fed!     I say she's just spoilt (by other half, he hand feeds her) but he's wondering if there is something in dog behaviour  that makes her want to be hand fed?  Any ideas anyone? 

[arugula]

Perhaps Roxy took to the hand feeding after the other GSD went away, as a sort of security blanket measure. Personally, I would feel that she needs to be weaned off this behaviour.

[daisy1990]

I have a dog training book given to me by a friend which advocates hand feeding dogs as a way of getting them to watch your hands so that you can move on to using your hands to train them with hand signals only.  He advocates doing this for a long time so I wouldn't have thought it would be harmful to continue

[orchardlady]

My theory would be that this remaining GSD was the lower in the family pack. Being hand fed by the leader of the pack is a wonderful bonding experience for them both. I would say as long as it's not causing a problem for you or your partner let it continue. However if your partner needs to go away or leave this dog with a friend while on holiday or such like how would the dog do? Will she eat if your partner is not around?

[Honeysuckle]

Thanks for all your replies.

I have to say, I've refused to hand feed her as I think she's spoilt  (my OH dotes on her).  My other GSD was male and this one is female; I believe though, that she was the dominant dog for the last couple of years of his life. 

Roxy would take her food from me if my OH was not around, I'm sure she would.