It is becoming more obvious to me that as the years keep going by I am becoming more and more of a wimp. I allow things that I didn't in the past when it comes to training and or rehab. My current dog Oliver was a very badly abused little boy before I got him. He came with a broken jaw and fractured rear leg. It had been allowed to partially heal without treatment making it worse. He still has issues with his leg and has to be babied a little because of it. Usually it is best to not really dwell on the past with a dog. Oliver was so afraid of dog dishes when I first got him. He would NOT eat out of them and went days without food rather then get near a dog dish. My guess is the past owner kicked him when he went for the dog dish, breaking his jaw and leg then. I have sort of babied him through his rehab with dog dishes. He will now eat out of his dish but he still requires a few kisses on his ears while he eats. He will start eating by himself now but will walk away and come by me for attentions and praise if left alone for too long. Sometimes when he is really hungry he can now eat a whole meal without issue. It took a long time to encourage him and get him to be brave enough to face a dog dish for food or water. Stainless steel on the floor still freaks him out, but he eats great out of his raised feeder with ceramic bowls. 
