My puppy won't eat from his bowl. Why does he prefer hand-feeding?
Updated On September 23rd, 2025
Pet's info: Dog | Mixed Breed | Male | neutered | 3 months and 2 days old | 14.4 lbs
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?
3 Answers
Most Helpful Answer
Published on March 15th, 2018
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.
4Pet Parents found this answer helpful
Related Answers from Veterinarians
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Published on August 17th, 2019
Try to get her to eat out of her own bowl. There's nothing wrong with hand feeding but it's time consuming and there will be situations in her life where this may not be possible. Additionally, she is forming her habits now that she will have as an adult. You may try changing her food (but do NOT do this often because it could make her a fussy eater) to something she likes better. Royal Canin and Purina ProPlan tend to be highly palatable diets. I hope this helps and please feel free to post any additional questions.
1Pet Parents found this answer helpful
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Published on January 19th, 2020
What Max is doing is training you to feed him what he wants, when he wants. You can stop this by feeding him at scheduled mealtimes. Prepare his meal and leave it down for 30 minutes before picking it up whether he has eaten or not. Repeat this at the next mealtime. Do not offer any food or treats between meals. If he is training, use very small rewards. Do not worry. He will not starve. Once he realizes there is no other food forthcoming, he will eat what is placed in front of him when it is made available. Be firm and be consistent.
1Pet Parents found this answer helpful
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