my puppy won't eat it's food out of it's bowl and we have to hand feed her.?

Question

she won't eat it unless we give it to her in her spoon.We already tried putting in in her bowl and everywhere we need some help!!!!!!

she doesn't like to drink water a lot she prefers to eat ice is that bad or good. we also warm up her food before we give it to her is that ok?

Answer 1

Puppy says "goood girrrlll"! She has trained you fairly well. This does not bode well for the future, as she will continue to train you to do other things until she is driving you crazy, unless you STOP!

Feed her 2-3 times a day, depending on her age. Give her 10-15 minutes to eat (out of a BOWL), and then pick it up if she doesn't until next meal time. Don't baby her or beg her, set it down so that she sees it, and walk away. She will eat when she gets hungry and she won't die from skipping a few meals. Leave a bowl of water on the floor at all times, she will drink when she gets thirsty enough.

Think of what a total pain it will be taking care of a high maintenance dog, that you created, in 8-9 years.

Answer 2

You have to put your foot down. You are in charge. What did your parents do when you wouldn't eat your supper? Bed without supper? Did you have to sit at the table till you finished? Either way, puppies will not starve themselves to death. Don't give her any treats other than her food. Give her half an hour to finish a meal and then throw it away. If this becomes costly, don't wet the food down. Then you can just put it back in the bag. Puppies should eat several times a day. She won't go hungry. Trust me. They have a stronger survival instinct than we do. Once she finishes an entire meal, start giving her less and less time to finish before you take it away. I have a friend with a 6 year old terrier and she still hand feeds him because she thinks he will starve to death. Any book on raising dogs will tell you not to do this. I once read an article on a kitten a few weeks old whose owners moved away and left it locked in their home with no food. It managed to get into the garage and survived for a month and a half on a bag of bird seed. Cats are much pickier than dogs. Trust me, she will eat her dinner.

Answer 3

Sounds like she's the boss already, eating out of your hands!!! If you do continue to hand feed her make her sit or do a trick before she gets anything! Trust me you don't want a dog to controle your house hold. As for the food dish she may be afraid of it. Toss it in the garbage and get a different dish. I have found that some animals don't like the plastic dishes simply because of the static they let off. Some dogs don't like the deep dishes. I would try a large metal shallow dish and see if that works. Maybe mix her a special meal in the dish, like some canned food mixed with the kibble. If a dish doesn't work you can try a dinner plate, she may prefer to eat off that. And if she eats on her own give her tonnes of praise!!

Answer 4

Been there, am doing that! 1st, if you have a pup with a short snout, she may be "afraid" to put her nose in a bowl, so try a small plate or saucer. Trainers will tell you to put the dish in one area, do not move it around, put the food down, and when she gets hungry enough, she'll eat. But, I know how difficult that is. Try giving her something she really loves to eat - for my lasa apso it's her vitamin(!)- break it into small bites; gradually get closer to the dish until you actually drop the goodie in her dish and she takes it from the dish, then make a big deal of it to her. Do this several times and she'll probably get the idea. Good luck and good for you for trying to get her to eat on her own, too - it's a bad habit - just think if you had to leave her with someone else, who else would hand feed your dog?! I would, but that's just me!

Answer 5

Unfortunately, you have started a habit that you are going to have to break her of. Put her food in the bowl, show her where it is, and when she gets hungery enough she will eat. She will not starve herself to death by not eating out of a bowl. She does not eat of a bowl because you feed her by hand. No matter how much you want to feed her by hand, don't do it, you are the reason she is doing it now.

Answer 6

That is very weird. Don't get her into a habbit of this. Dont warm up food because that will cause it to be all clumpy and gross. And i heard moist food causes the dog to crap alought. I would give her hard dog food. And i wouldn't give her chips of ice because it may cut up her throat or make it sore. Try these new habbits that i have suggested. If this doesn't work get information off the internet or even see a local vet for information.


Good luck !!!!

Answer 7

Stop NOW!!

This is a bad routine you are getting into... Your feelings are passing onto the dog.

when she is hungry she will eat... you don't want to be hand feeding her for the rest of her life.. you don't want to get into something you cant get out of.

The only thing i can suggest is trying different shaped, or size bowls. Maybe she has a problem or a fear of the bowl you are offering her now.

Answer 8

Easiest way to stop that is to turn eating into a game. We had the same problem with our puppy... we just started rolling the pieces of food across the floor to let her chase them. Just play the game less and less every day, and she'll become accustomed to eating it by herself.

Answer 9

WHAT !!!! No, put her food in her dish . Done. she will eat her food . She will figure it out . Have a Little more faith and she will eat out of her bowl. No more silly games.