My puppy won't eat from his bowl. Why does he prefer hand-feeding?

Question

Recently, my puppy has been going to his food bowl, picking up his food, walking away with it and eating it on the carpet. Sometimes he’ll even go up to his food bowl, sniff it, and just walk away. Occasionally, he barks at it. He likes better when I hand feed him for about the past four days. Will he grow out of this or is this a problem? Pet's info: Dog | Mixed Breed | Male | neutered | 3 months and 2 days old | 14.4 lbs

Andrea M. Brodie, DVM · Accepted Answer

Stop hand feeding your puppy, as he might get used to it and then generally refuse any food that is not being fed to him by hand. Depending on what type of bowl you are using, there may be an odor that he does not like. Plastic bowls often emit chemicals which could be uncomfortable for the dog (and also can cause skin problems). Change his food bowl to either ceramics or metal and keep it meticulously clean, ie wash it and rinse it well after each meal. Make sure he is hungry when you feed him, ie feed small amounts more often. Take away any food he has not eaten within ten minutes.

My puppy won't eat from his bowl. Why does he prefer hand-feeding?

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