Would this be normal...??

Question

my new puppy wont eat from his bowl....we have to hold the food or put it on the floor for him to eat it. and its the same with his water. is this normal for puppies? is it something where he will get used to the bowl?

hes also afraid to go up our stairs, which i know he will get used to because the same thing happened with my older dog. how long should i wait to stop hand feeding him and make him eat from his bowl?

Answer 1

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Answer 2

it is sometimes a good thing for a puppy to eat out of your hand. it lets them know who controls the food. but it can get annoying if you have to do it EVERY DAY. as for getting water out of your hand, he definitely NEEDS to get over that one! i would put something he REALLY likes in the bowl every day and see if it's not gone by lunch. with the water,eventually he'll get used to the bowl. i would put the water in the bowl, and if he comes and wants some i would put my finger in the water and let him l**k it off your finger. if he still won't get over it i would put one of those water bottle things (like they use for bunnies) and fix it to the wall so he can at least get water.

as for the stairs...don't worry about it. most dogs go through a stage where they don't like stairs.give him a reward if he goes up a couple steps. he'll come around. hope this helped

                                        

Answer 3

My dog was the same way about food when he was a puppy.  I hand fed him for a week or so, then I started to just stand by the bowl while he ate.  Eventually I could just leave my sneakers by the bowl and he would eat.  Turns out, he was most likely not the dominant puppy in the litter, so he was afraid of going to the bowl first.  He's totally fine now.  Your little guy just needs some extra help.  Unlike the other people posting here, I don't see anything wrong with hand feeding him until he's more comfortable.  As far as stairs go, he'll definitely get the hang of that when he's big enough.  If he's reluctant, he'll probably respond well to some encouragement (and/or) cookies.

Answer 4

He is a new puppy so sometimes they wont eat right away and they are scared! I would leave the food in the bowl, you don't want to be hand feeding him for the rest of his life! Don't put his food on the floor either!

  

Trust me when he gets hungry he will eat and drink! Don't worry he will eat!  He is scared but leave his water and his bowl of food in reach for him to get to it, and by the end of the next day he will be eating!  Had this happen to myself one time so I know!  So don't worry!

Cheers!

Answer 5

put the food on a plate or saucer, something shallow. when you are feeding him keep your hand very close to the food and slowly move your hand out while he is eating. He may not feel safe with his head in a bowl if he cannot see around him. You need to break him of eating out of your hand or it will be a habit

Answer 6

It's normal - just stop hand feeding him, he'll eat when he's hungry. The only thing might be that his dish is too deep for him. If that's the case get a shallower dish. Don't worry, you're not going to starve your dog - he knows where the food is.

Answer 7

dont hand feed him or h**l be spoiled. he wont starve himself. ive noticed some dogs just dont like to eat out of bowls.  

Answer 8

Is it stainless steel bowls ? my sister dog wouldnt eat out of his that they bought him he was scared of the stainless steel bowls they feed him off a saucer he is a pom .  

Answer 9

don't worry about the stairs thing as he gets older he will get more comfortable, just don't force him to go up and down them. I had the same problem with my puppy and here is what i did.

I put the food down in the morning for thirty minutes and if he didn't eat after the time limit I picked it up until the evening and then put it down for another thirty minutes he finally learned he better eat when he had his chance or he would go hungry. Remember no puppy is going to starve himself. I hope this helps

Answer 10

Put him in a room with nothing to tear up or a crate and his food and water and leave him in that room until he eats and drinks. If he eats the same stuff from your hand he will get hungry and he will eat from the bowl. 24 hours are the most I would let him go without eating before consulting your vet. By the way.. Your dog just has you trained well. This happens to people who love their pets too much for their pets own good. Its happened at my house before. Just gotta suck it up and put your foot down. It wont hurt your puppy to whine cry and be a little hungry. He needs to learn now who the boss is.

Answer 11

that's what happen when i got my two chihuahuas. they would not eat out of their bowl. which really made me worry. however, my father told me to leave the bowl of food in a non-distractive place.

soon, i guess when they're both hungry, my two dogs went to their bowl and started eating.