Delbert is 3 months now and in the last few days he has picked a weird habit. He is refusing to eat out of his bowl. He loves his food but unless he can tip the bowl over and eat it off the ground, he won't touch it. And if for some reason he can't get the bowl tipped over, he will sit and whine until I pour it on the floor for him. He has even started doing it with his water bowl. Has anyone else ever seen this? I am not too concerned, just confused.
Won't eat out of a bowl?
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RockyCody
Completely Boxer Crazy
I think he has YOU trained. He wants a more fun way to eat and when he whines- you give into what he wants which is dumping the food on the floor. Trust me, if he is hungry enough he will eat it out of the bowl or find a way to dump it himself.
You have to ignore his whining and stop giving into his requests first of all.
The other thing is you might want to try different bowls. What type of bowls are you using now? stainless steel? plastic? Make sure you switch it up and I"m sure he will find something he likes and eats out of.
Maybe put a mat underneath his bowls so they don't tip as easily too...just a thought.
Let us know how this works out. They sure are fun when they are 3 months old aren't they?
You have to ignore his whining and stop giving into his requests first of all.
The other thing is you might want to try different bowls. What type of bowls are you using now? stainless steel? plastic? Make sure you switch it up and I"m sure he will find something he likes and eats out of.
Maybe put a mat underneath his bowls so they don't tip as easily too...just a thought.
Let us know how this works out. They sure are fun when they are 3 months old aren't they?
Fun is an understatement 
I know I shouldn't let him boss me around but I figured he was going to get it tipped over sooner or later so I was just expediting the process. I will quit that right away. His bowls right now are white plastic, I think the color may be a problem. I tried putting his food on a white plastic plate yesterday and he was having none of that either. I am going to try stainless as soon as I can get to the pet store.
I know I shouldn't let him boss me around but I figured he was going to get it tipped over sooner or later so I was just expediting the process. I will quit that right away. His bowls right now are white plastic, I think the color may be a problem. I tried putting his food on a white plastic plate yesterday and he was having none of that either. I am going to try stainless as soon as I can get to the pet store.
BxrMommieNAZ
Boxer Insane
You may also want to get a feeder that cannot be tipped over. This way he'll learn to eat it in the bowl. I have a dog "table" that sits VERY low to the ground so it's not really elevated but it has a little "lip" that the bowl sits in so that it's not possible to slide the bowl around, tip it over, etc. It wasn't expensive...paid $20 or so for it online and that included the 'table" as well as 2 stainless steel bowls that came with it so ti was reasonably priced.
Caney Creek
Boxer Insane
Lots of boxers (since the breed is prone to allergies) have issues eating/drinking out of plastic containers since plastic harbors more bacteria. I don't know about the color thing but I wonder if the plastic could be making him itchy?? Not sure if that would cause such an immediate reaction that he'd make the association between the bowl and his itchiness, but just a thought. Anyways stainless steel or ceramic bowls are the best option, for food and for water.
Kilby'sMum
Super Boxer
When Kilby was little we had trouble getting her to eat (whether it was in her bowl or not) and one of the things suggested to us was to throw a handful or 2 of kibble into the backyard and let her 'hunt' it down so she's getting some mental stimulation too. So maybe the behaviour wouldn't be so bad if it wasn't all over your kitchen floor!!
Kona ALWAYS tipped over her water bowl and made a big mess. We tried plastic and various styles of stainless but the only thing she couldn't tip over was a heavy ceramic dish. She eventually grew out of that though and can now be trusted with a normal bowl :P
Kona ALWAYS tipped over her water bowl and made a big mess. We tried plastic and various styles of stainless but the only thing she couldn't tip over was a heavy ceramic dish. She eventually grew out of that though and can now be trusted with a normal bowl :P
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