Millie tries to flip her food bowl and won't eat...suggestions?

[MillieC]

I think we made the mistake of putting some food on the ground around her bowl once, and now that is the only way she will eat. She will not eat directly out of her bowl, and tries to nudge it with her nose to flip it over so the food scatters and she can eat it. She is 4 months old is on the skinny side, so we end up putting it on the floor so she will eat. Guess it is not the worst of issues, but I would like her to eat directly out of her bowl, any suggestions? She has no problem drinking water out of her bowl.

 

[tesster]

Will she eat it off the floor or is she just playing with it? Tess went through a phase like this. She now only does it when she doesn't want to eat, so we pick it up and wait till later to try again. Try a heavier ceramic bowl or a no-flip bowl that she can't flip over. That's just an example. You can get them anywhere.

It's actually better for some dogs to eat on cookie sheets or the floor because many of them tend to scarf their food. Spreading it out slows them down.

In any case, switching up the bowl might help.

 

[SandyHG55654]

I'd say put her food up until the next feeding. If she doesn't eat when it's offered the next time she will, if she's hungry enough. She won't want to play with the bowl so much if she's busy eating

 

[Zoeys_Mom]

How old is she? Zoey started to play with her food and wouldn't eat it. Being a first time dog owner, I mistook her behaviour for a dislike of her food. I tried other foods to no avail. Then I switched to a raw diet, and after 3 weeks of cleaning up after that, I had to switch back to kibble.
Where I am going with this is that when I switched her back to kibble, I went to the adult Chicken Soup, and she gobbles that up like there is no tomrrow. She used to play with the smaller pieces of the puppy varitey, but now that the pieces are bigger, she chomps them all down. Knock on wood, but we haven't had any foodless days since I brought home the 'big girl' food. So, maybe changing her kibble, or to something of a different size might help. It stopped Zoey from playing with hers... and I don't have to spill it on the floor or hand feed her anymore to get her to eat. Good luck!

 

[dharmadoodle]

I would use a heavy bowl, & for the first few dinners I would sit there holding it down. If this doesn't work, then I would start taking it away till she's hungry enough not to play, & just eat.

She will soon get into any routine you fix for her - Good, or bad!!

 

[BXRBESTFRIND]

Arnie does the same thing when hes not TERRIBLY HUNGRY I just use a cookie sheet and everytime he starts to wander away i say "What about that Peice" he gets all inquisitive and starts eating again.

To be honest ive noticed he only does this when he doesnt get all the excersise he needs in a day maybe a good tiring walk before dinner will help.

 

[MillieC]

Oh, thanks for the suggestions. She is four months. She has stopped the attempted flipping for the most part (her bowl would be very difficult to flip) and now we are doing a combo of spreading food on the floor, hand feeding and she will eat a bit out of bowl. Good to know this happens and that she will (hopefully) grow out of it. For now I worry about her weight and just want her to eat! She seems to like her food and we use it for training, which is effective, so I don't know if that will make a difference to switch. And she for sure gets enough excersize.....thanks again.

 

[tesster]

Dogs won't eat if they aren't comfortable and/or secure. Where are you feeding her? Tess, if she's stressed or in a strange environment (i.e. a motel room), she will not eat and tries to hide her food. She often makes a huge mess, as you describe above, while trying to cover it up.

A dog's first priority is to secure a territory (even above food). If they aren't comfortable, they won't eat. So, try moving her food to a different location where maybe there is less traffic or anxiety. This might help.

Whatever you do, do not add things to the food to make it more appealing. Unless she is sick, she will eat when she's hungry enough. If she goes more than a day or 2 without eating, that might be reason for concern. A healthy dog will not starve herself. The reason not to add things when she refuses to eat is that you will train her that if she doesn't eat her kibble, you'll give her something better.