# Hand feeding and afraid of the bowl



## SnickersPomapoo (Nov 21, 2013)

So I got Snickers about two weeks ago now and he is still afraid of his bowl and wont really eat food from there. He will drink water but the food, he creeps up to it very scared and sometimes eat a bit and runs off. But more than half of the time, I am actually hand feeding or spoon feeding him so I can get him to eat. 

He is 10 months old now so he should be used to eating on the bowl. I dont think he ever ate a bowl prior to this. :confused2: They used feed him table scraps so I am sure they probably just threw it on the floor and let him eat. 

But anyways, am I creating a bad habit by spoon feeding him or hand feeding him? I always do it on top of bowl and I really thought by now, he would get used to it. 

Thanks


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## fjm (Jun 4, 2010)

Have you tried different kinds of bowls? Some dogs dislike shiny, reflective ones, or those that make a noise when moved, or even the noise of dog tags clinking against the bowl. I think I would try feeding him something really irresistable from a new type of bowl as unlike human dishes as I can find, offering the food over the bowl as you are now - at first I'd give the food to him immediately, but if he does not seem to be too worried by the bowl I would get slower and slower, with longer intervals between titbits. If he so much as looks at the bowl I would speed up a bit - if he puts his nose in I'd keep absolutely still and let him explore. It could be that he has been punished in the past for eating from human dishes, and any reaction may startle him. Once he learns it is safe, I am sure he will quickly learn it is quicker to feed himself than to wait for you to do it! Put just a little in the bowl at a time, so you can have many short sessions in the course of a day or two.


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## N2Mischief (Dec 3, 2012)

I have a chihuaha, Pablo, who is scared of bowls, plates. I have tried ceramic, stainless, glass....he will eat, but every bite he snatches and eats a few feet back from the plate/bowl. I started feeding him on paper plates. Worked great. I don't think this is probably the best answer. I think it would be better to find out why he is scared and work on it. But I haven't..no excuses. The paper plates work and it is easy which is my personality.


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## SnickersPomapoo (Nov 21, 2013)

He had a glass bowl at the beginning here and it moved a bit and he would get scared of noise so I bought him a plastic one with water on one side and food in the other. Thanks fjm for the suggestions. He doesn't beg for food nor ever has had any intentions of eating of human bowls and plates. My daughter is constantly snacking and leaves her bowl on the floor and he has never even acknowledged it. 
N2Mischief, Snickers does the same, he takes a few bites and runs off. I will keep working on it and hopefully he gets used to his bowl.


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## fjm (Jun 4, 2010)

It is possible that his ignoring human bowls and plates is down to vigorous discouragement in the past - most dogs are extremely interested in any possibility of food! I think if you make a safe place, a silent and stationary bowl, and show him repeatedly that the bowl is safe and filled with Good Stuff, you will eventually teach him that it is the best place to eat.


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## SnickersPomapoo (Nov 21, 2013)

Fjm, I never really thought of that.  it could be a possibility. 

I will definitely keep encouraging him not to be afraid. I'm always saying good job when he does go near his bowl to eat. 


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## Carley's Mom (Oct 30, 2011)

Could it be his tag is hitting the bowl? I had a shih tuz that was like that until I put one of those flat tags that does not hang down from the collar.


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## Joelly (May 8, 2012)

Charlie does that too. Take his food out of the bowl and eat it under our dinner table. It takes me a long time to find that he likes to eat when he is under something. So I'd put the bowl in his crate and lock the door till he finished.


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## Chara (Jul 9, 2013)

Chara would take her food out of the bowl and move away to eat it off the floor. I always thought it was because she had to do that to be able to eat with the other puppies around. (From before we got her) once she realized she was the only one eating she would eat out of her dish. It took a couple of weeks. Her tags were also an issue in the beginning. Scary lol


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## PoodleFoster (May 25, 2013)

SnickersPomapoo said:


> So I got Snickers about two weeks ago now and he is still afraid of his bowl and wont really eat food from there.
> 
> He is 10 months old now so he should be used to eating on the bowl.
> But anyways, am I creating a bad habit by spoon feeding him or hand feeding him?
> ...


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## SnickersPomapoo (Nov 21, 2013)

Thanks for everyone for responses. 
No, his collar does not make noise with bowl or touch. It is not a deep bowl at all. 
Foster puppy, I got him from a family who had other dogs but he wasn't really cared or pampered! They only fed the dogs scraps from the table. I don't think he had a bowl for his meals and they just threw food on the floor. He probably never ate much since he was the smallest of the dogs and the rest were twice of three times his size. 

He was very skinny when he got him. When we got him, he weighed 4 lbs and 2 weeks later with us he has gained 1 lb. 

He is getting much better. He was fed once a day with previous owners. He now eats 2-3 times a day. He begs me for food. The last two days, he has ate all his meals by himself.  


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## fjm (Jun 4, 2010)

From what you say, I wonder if the problem has not been fear of the container, but of potentially having to protect a quantity of food from other, bigger dogs? I once lost one of my cats for nearly two months - he was found not too far away (one of the most joyous moments in my life!), but for some time afterwards was nervous eating - snatching a mouthful and rushing off somewhere safe to eat it. It took a while for him to be sure that no one - human, canine, or feline - would try to take it away from him.


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## SnickersPomapoo (Nov 21, 2013)

Fjm, I think that might be it. He will not eat if anyone else is watching him besides me. If my kids are in the kitchen, then he will look at the food but not eat it. So I definitely think that is it. 


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## lily cd re (Jul 23, 2012)

I understand that you don't want to end up hand feeding your pup for the rest of his life and that getting him to accept the bowl is important. You've already gotten good advice about how to get that to happen. In the meantime I would use hand feeding as an opportunity for bonding and training. Maybe you want to keep a portion of his daily ration for hand feeding to help solidify your relationship so that he can feel bonded to and totally trusting of you. It could help alleviate his concerns about the food bowl as a bonus to do so.


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