Help! How do I get my puppy to eat?

[TishaMoon]

I don't want to get anyone too concerned. She DOES eat. She LOVES the wet food, which I give her once a day an hour or so before bed. She also eats her dry food. But my problem is that she only seems to want to eat the dry food out of my hand or off the floor! She NEVER eats it out of the bowl!

At first I just wanted her to eat so I fed her from my hand. Recently I've stopped doing that because of the biting problem I'm having I don't want her associating my hands with food.

Now she'll pick up one tiny piece of food and climb into my lap to eat it, but she won't get back down to get more! I usually just grab more pieces and put them on my leg. I know I'm spoiling her but I don't know what else to do.

Also I would like to start giving her scheduled feedings but not sure if I should. The breeder told me to free feed because she's so little, but she has gained weight recently. She's 1.11 lb and almost 11 weeks.

Any help getting her to eat from her bowl would be great! Thanks in advance!

[Wabbit]

As little as she is....I wouldn't try to "schedule" her meals just yet. Especially if she's not eating alot. Leave it available for her and she'll eat when she's hungry. I had what I thought was ALOT of trouble with Daizy when she was little. She was sooooo picky...and hardly ever ate very much... But she gained weight at a normal pace....and is totally healthy at 6 lbs.

I don't understand why it's so important that she eat out of a "bowl"... My girls will still pick up a piece of food and run to the carpet and eat it...one piece at a time... And they ALWAYS prefer it to be on the floor...lol When Daizy was little I would just scatter little pieces around her dish and she'd eat what she wanted... Now they will eat out of the dish...

Eventually your baby will eat out of the bowl. Maybe....lol Good luck!

[patty58]

Good Luck. The last several dogs I have had would eat out of my hand for months. Sometimes Murfee will still take his kibble someplace else to eat it and come back later for more. I just leave the kibble out at all times and he eats when he wants to.

[TishaMoon]

Originally Posted by Wabbit

As little as she is....I wouldn't try to "schedule" her meals just yet. Especially if she's not eating alot. Leave it available for her and she'll eat when she's hungry. I had what I thought was ALOT of trouble with Daizy when she was little. She was sooooo picky...and hardly ever ate very much... But she gained weight at a normal pace....and is totally healthy at 6 lbs.

I don't understand why it's so important that she eat out of a "bowl"... My girls will still pick up a piece of food and run to the carpet and eat it...one piece at a time... And they ALWAYS prefer it to be on the floor...lol When Daizy was little I would just scatter little pieces around her dish and she'd eat what she wanted... Now they will eat out of the dish...

Eventually your baby will eat out of the bowl. Maybe....lol Good luck!

Well I worry about it because 1) I'm not yet using natural products to clean the floor so I don't want her eating off it. And 2) what if, especially when I'm working 8 hours, I forget to put enough food on the floor for her? I would hope if she got hungry enough she'd go for the bowl, but I can't be sure. When there's no food on the floor she seems to "give up" and just climb into my lap.

OH I also have a question about doggy snacks. I've heard cheerios are good. Are honey nut cheerios ok or only original? Or should I not give her anything else until she eats her dry food well?

[jeanm1963]

Laci did this when I first got her home, I think maybe the breeder put the food on the ground or a paper plate because it took a week or so to get her to eat out of her bowl, she finally does but still will put a little kibble in my hand if I dont think she ate enough...
I wouldnt recommend the wet food before bed, she will probally have to go to the bathroom shortly afterwards...
I do free feed her but her food gets taken up at 9 pm

[Wabbit]

Originally Posted by TishaMoon

Well I worry about it because 1) I'm not yet using natural products to clean the floor so I don't want her eating off it. And 2) what if, especially when I'm working 8 hours, I forget to put enough food on the floor for her? I would hope if she got hungry enough she'd go for the bowl, but I can't be sure.

Well don't use chemicals in the area you feed her...that will solve that worry....and I doubt you will not leave down enough for her...considering she's only a pound...lol Even if she ate it all before you got home...she wouldnt starve...lol I did use a saucer for my girls instead of a bowl..for quite awhile...to get them eating out of a dish...then I switched to a bowl.

And like my Vet told me...that if a puppy is hungry they will eat, regardless of what you put their food in.

Yah Cheerios are a good snack...not sure about the honey and nut...however I would really limit the snacks you give her....specially since she's so little...