Brightsmiles Posted June 1, 2009 Share Posted June 1, 2009 we brought jack home sunday (8 wk old pug) and he's doing great - we escaped the runs and he's settling in perfectlyy with everything - except feeding. he won't touch his food. the breeder sent home a week's worth with us, and i did everythng she said/wrote to the letter. but he won't have a bar of it. 24 hours later and stll nothing. BUT what i was noicing was that everytime i put his bowl down, he'd go near it, sniffing (tentitvly) and as soon as he got close, would whimper and bck away about a meter. he was doing this everytime. one time he even did a whiny yap then ran to his bed. at 30 hours i changed his bowls, and stopped taking the food away. same reaction. so last night i offered the same food by hand. he was very hesitant and wary, but ended up eating it after some coaxing. i slowly brought my hand close to his food bowl as i fed him, which he followed. this morning (as with last ight) he'll eat from my hand if its hovering just above his bowl, buy as soon as its lowered in (where the rest of his food is) he whimpers and backs away. (tal strait, not curled like normal) hand feeding is not something i want to get stuck on, and i'm trying to keep everything over his bowl, but i don't know what else i can do or what to make of it. is he scared of his food bowl or is it something else? any ideas or help is appreciated! FYI: bowls are stainless steel and cleaned thoroughly. location is the kitchen, after everyone has finished eating. food is meat (varies from lean mince and chicken) and kibble (RC) (basic description - exactly what breeder used) he's been free of the runs, and is a mix between hyper play time with toys and cuddling/passed out on his bed. he will drink puppy milk from the same type of bowl his food is in but not water. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
persephone Posted June 1, 2009 Share Posted June 1, 2009 Maybe it's the reflection in the bowl? feed him on the floor... and remove the milk/water bowl. Put water in a ceramic bowl...and see how that goes. don't hover... just put food on the floor... and leave him be. Is there any other strange surface/noise/smell near where he's being fed? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brightsmiles Posted June 1, 2009 Author Share Posted June 1, 2009 Maybe it's the reflection in the bowl?feed him on the floor... and remove the milk/water bowl. Put water in a ceramic bowl...and see how that goes. don't hover... just put food on the floor... and leave him be. Is there any other strange surface/noise/smell near where he's being fed? he is fed on the floor, in the kitchen, where he's suppose to eat. the first bowls were shiny (so yeah, the reflection thing maybe i thought too) but the latest ones have a matt finish to them, so there really isn't much of anything relected. he doesn't touch his liquids if the food is there. he avoids the whole area unless i'm standing near it. he watches me as if he's not sure its okay to touch any of it. i'll give the ceramic a shot for his water. thanks! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nekhbet Posted June 2, 2009 Share Posted June 2, 2009 check he doesnt have a sore tooth or infected gum - open his mouth and have a good look call your breeder - an 8 week old puppy should not take that long to eat bowl or no bowl. If she has no ideas then just leave it out for him until he eats again and start weaning him back to meal times. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brightsmiles Posted June 2, 2009 Author Share Posted June 2, 2009 (edited) thanks N. i had a look - hehe, about three actually (the little darling didn't want to play along) and everything looks fine... there didn't seem to be any sore looking areas or red bits... the breeder was stumped too. she suggested that he might just be being a sook... since he will eat a whole meal from my hand but not his bowl... though he never had a prob sharing the community bowl before he left her... i'll keep trudging along for now - if it looks like he's dropping food that i'm hand feeding i'll get him to the vet asap. if he stays as he is i'll make sure the vet gives him a once over again at his needle app in a couple weeks. thanks guys! Edited June 2, 2009 by Brightsmiles Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cassie Posted June 2, 2009 Share Posted June 2, 2009 the breeder was stumped too. she suggested that he might just be being a sook... since he will eat a whole meal from my hand but not his bowl... though he never had a prob sharing the community bowl before he left her... Ask the breeder what sort of bowl this was (stainless steel? plastic? ceramic?) and try the same type. Also ask her where they were fed. If you're feeding him in the kitchen, is that on tiles? Maybe the bowl is slipping away from him, and in doing so makes a "scary" sound? Just a thought. Perhaps try putting the bowl onto a non-slip mat. If that still doesn't work, try spreading his food out over the mat, not in a bowl at all and see if he likes it then? Good luck :p Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
persephone Posted June 2, 2009 Share Posted June 2, 2009 COMMUNITY BOWL!! he probably has NOT been asked to eat alone :p Don't handfeed- but as well as the mince etc- add a tiny piece or two of roast chicken, or something else yummy. start on the floor... with half a meal- put the rest in the bowl next to it.. and see what he does. just do everything matter of fact. No fussing/hovering/talking. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Red Fox Posted June 2, 2009 Share Posted June 2, 2009 My dog (now 8 months) will eat out of his S/S bowl when it's in the stand but HATES it on the ground. If I give him his brekkie (chicken carcuss) in it on the ground outside he will grab the carcus and dart away from the bowl with it, but he eats his dinner out of it when it's in the stand in the kitchen every night no probs I do wonder if it has something to do with the 'scary' sound it makes if it drags on the cement He'd also rather drink from the crappy plastic bowl outside than the S/S bowl inside My guess is that the puppy is scared of either the sound the bowl makes when it moves or from seeing his reflection in it. Or as persephone said it could just be that he's never eaten alone and isn't sure what to make of this new bowl?? He'll eat eventually though when he's really hungry Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Di* Posted June 2, 2009 Share Posted June 2, 2009 COMMUNITY BOWL!!he probably has NOT been asked to eat alone Don't handfeed- but as well as the mince etc- add a tiny piece or two of roast chicken, or something else yummy. start on the floor... with half a meal- put the rest in the bowl next to it.. and see what he does. just do everything matter of fact. No fussing/hovering/talking. I agree with Persephone. I bet it's a case of not being used to eating on his own. I have an adult dog who unless starving (several days without food) still needs the stimulation of the other dogs before she'll eat. Good luck with it. Di Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
griff Posted June 2, 2009 Share Posted June 2, 2009 Ryan ( 9 yr old whippet) wouldn't eat out of the stainless steel bowl so we changed over to the same type but its coloured blue and the other bowl is china , now no problems you could try another bowl for food , or feed pup off a place mat. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jen21 Posted June 2, 2009 Share Posted June 2, 2009 (edited) I had a similar problem with my pup when I got him - seemingly afraid of his stainless steel bowl and only eating out of my hand. I started to feed him by putting little piles of kibble on the floor, and from there into a little trail to a plain plastic bowl on a non-slip matt - staying with him, so he didn't wonder where I was and not eat. By doing all of that, now days he eats straight from the bowl without me. I'm still not sure if it was the stainless steel, the bowl slipping on the floor, or something else, but it's nice to finally have him eating normally (it's taken months) Edited June 2, 2009 by Jen21 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brightsmiles Posted June 3, 2009 Author Share Posted June 3, 2009 thanks everyone! the bowl has grip stuff on the bottom - but i reckon you all might be onto something about not use to being the only one eating. he seriously always looks at me as if he's not sure he's allowed to touch it. the breeder fed them in the kitchen too - but their bowls are all cereamic white ones. i'm going to hit the shops soon and find some... we have made progress though! i just fed him lunch and he took a few mouthfulls from the bowl, (halfway through the feed, with my hand practically in the bowl with some food on it too...) then he realised what was happening and he scampered back a few feet whining. it's progress at least! i'll see if the same colour bowls as the breeder works... thanks so much for your input! it's helped greatly! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brightsmiles Posted June 4, 2009 Author Share Posted June 4, 2009 just an update.... he officially ate ALL his breakfast from his bowl this morning! i still had to stand next to it for him to eat, but at least it wasn't sitting or handfeeding! he'd started to do it bit by bit throughout yesterday - though he was still chickening out part way through the feeds... until last night. he ate 3/4 of his dinner from his bowl with me sitting next to it, took him a while (stopping, backing up, whining, coming back) but he did it - then he ate the whole lot of his breakfast with me standing by it this morning! yay! another day or two and i think he'll be right! thanks for your help everyone! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cassie Posted June 4, 2009 Share Posted June 4, 2009 Great to hear Thanks for updating. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
persephone Posted June 4, 2009 Share Posted June 4, 2009 Good news Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jen21 Posted June 5, 2009 Share Posted June 5, 2009 That's great. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gretel Posted June 6, 2009 Share Posted June 6, 2009 COMMUNITY BOWL!!he probably has NOT been asked to eat alone Don't handfeed- but as well as the mince etc- add a tiny piece or two of roast chicken, or something else yummy. start on the floor... with half a meal- put the rest in the bowl next to it.. and see what he does. just do everything matter of fact. No fussing/hovering/talking. Yes that's what I thought too. I make sure all my pups are fed individually in the last week or so before they go to their new homes. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bindii Posted June 6, 2009 Share Posted June 6, 2009 a pug not wanting to eat!!! haha.. no but seriously, good to hear he's eating now! Hugie had this problem when we added a metal name tag to his collar when he was very young still and it clinked on the bowl, he was scared to eat and drink. .... nothing would stop him now though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
all that glitters Posted June 6, 2009 Share Posted June 6, 2009 .... nothing would stop him now though. I second that!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tesa Posted June 6, 2009 Share Posted June 6, 2009 Try putting a bit of grated cheese over his food, just until he gets into the swing of eating the way you would expect him to. It works a treat Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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