not eating out of bowl

[mylow]

Hi there fellow boxer lovers, i have a 5 month old pup, and he has started to show a lack of interest in his food from his bowl, but he will eat his food out of my hand, what could be the cause of this?

 

[WAT]

This is a good question, my Cam-mee has started doing this also :confused:

 

[gmacleod]

Boredom with the food could be one cause. Overfeeding another (around this point, the pup's rate of growth will be slowing down, and their food requirements can decrease with it).

What you've got is a dog that isn't hungry enough to eat, but can be persuaded. I wouldn't suggest that you pander to that with the hand feeding though, or you'll create yourself a picky eater.

If you're feeding around the top of the feeding guidelines for whatever food you feed, then I'd suggest overfeeding is the most likely cause and you should decrease the amount a bit to see if that changes things.

You might also consider changing foods if you've been feeding the same thing for a long time. NOT for pandering to boredom (though it is fair enough for dogs to get bored with the same meal all the time), but rather for giving the dog better variety in their diet.

 

[ELubas]

Hi there. Not sure what you are feeding but my boy did this until I changed to a higher quality food. That made all the difference. I do think he was not "starving" so he was willing to pass up the stuff he did not care for. He became, and remained all his life, a good eater after I changed the food. Good luck with your baby

 

[LaylaE]

I was concerned with my puppy's eating habit as well a little over a month ago. She, too, didn't show interest in her bowl and I would get concerned that she didn't eat enough, so I would allow her to eat out of my hand. I thought she just had a lack of appetite.

Then I decided to switch her food for nutritious reasons (from a 4* to 5*). She now eats only out of her bowl, and she practically never walks away until it is completely gone. I definitely think her food made the difference. She has a great appetite now. Plus, I think she just went through a growth spurt, so we fed her toward the max on the basic feeding guidelines.

Good luck with your pup!

 

[fryguy]

I would have to say that my Charlie (6 months old, 50 lbs) did the same because of overfeeding. I was feeding 2 cups 2 times a day now down to 1 1/2 cups 2 times a day. He almost always comes when I feed him and always finishes. I do feed a 5* kibble.

 

[Box Boys]

I agree too that if you keep this up (feeding from your hand), you will have quite the picky eater on your hands. Changing his food is a good idea and let him eat out of his bowl. If he doesn't, pick up the bowl. I guarantee he will eat out of it at the next feeding.

 

[HurricaneBox]

Just an idea.... Hurricane has always hated his food bowl. We have had a plastic one, a ceramic one, and a stainless steel one, and he hates them all. If he can tip it over and spill out his food to eat from the floor, he will. If he can't tip it, he will grab a big mouthful, turn around, dump it on the floor, then eat from there. When he first started not wanting to eat from his bowl I didn't hand feed him, I just let him go hungry if he didn't eat at his meal times, that is when the tipping started and I realized it was the bowl he wasn't jazzed about. These days I usually just feed him in his crate and put his food straight on the crate tray. Not sure about why, but that is how he is. Just an idea to think about...

 

[MypupShooter]

Had this same problem with Stella when she was younger, but she is over it now. She used to be way to excited to eat, and in the morning I would have to sit down and hand feed her to make sure she ate. This turned into her always wanting to eat from my hand, she would paw at my arm to do so. I finally stopped and would take a couple pieces of her food and put them on the floor, she'd be so excited to eat these and would go right to her bowl afterwards for the rest. Now a days she has no problem eating and goes to her bowl everytime. On weekends sometime she's just to busy playing and what not to eat, so I'll take a couple of pieces - put them on the ground - and she goes to them and then her bowl right away. Give it a try and see

 

[Drooly Chops]

try mixing something new with his food. Maybe some warm chicken broth or some very ean beef, chicken or fish. Just like us, they get tired of eating the same thing every day. What type of food are you feeding him? I have had good results with the pinnalce duck formula.. good luck