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Originally Posted by yorkietalkjilly  My Jilly had this habit when I got her at 4 1/2 mos. and as long as I put her food out on a large tray sort of spread out across the tray, she would eat it, approaching each piece of food as though she were scared of it. She would dart quickly toward it and snap it up and back away fast. Slowly I began to move her bowl onto the tray at mealtime but left the food only on the tray and the bowl empty. Soon after she got used to the bowl being part of the tray, she would eat a few pieces of food from the bowl after she'd done with her tray food. After a while, only a bit of food was on the tray and most in the bowl and so on until she was eating her food entirely out of the bowl on the tray and then I started moving the tray away from under the bowl, etc., until one day, no tray and she was eating out of her bowl with no tray. You would not have to use the tray but just put the kibble on the floor if yours won't accept the tray, and put the bowl to the side and gradually incorporate it into holding food. I never knew why we went through this with Jilly but figured maybe being the runt of the litter, she had to steal her food from her much bigger littermates and got used to getting only what was left over on the floor or something. I have no idea where some of these dogs get their weird little ways but it is fun to see them deal with their issues and finally get to normal behavior. Wonder if this would work for you. |
Great advice! My Yorkies don't actually eat at the bowl either. They grab mouth-fuls & eat a few feet away or in their beds or my bed, or under the table or chair, run back...grab another mouthful...rinse & repeat. Sometimes they run into the living-room toss the mouthful, & pounce and attack the moving pieces before they eat em.
I always thought the bowl was just boring for them & this was their way of enjoying themselves, but after reading your post yorkietalkjilly, I'm thinking you pegged it. I know for a fact both were runts....Button's I got cuz I was female oriented & she just happened to be the smallest & only female out of the litter....then later Yogi, who was the runt but the most friendly when I went to pick him out. He has since out-grown both his brothers....lol.