[yorkietalkjilly]

How big is he, height, weight? How often do you normally hand feed and how much food per session?

If you put down freshly warmed up bits of boiled, chicken or turkey hot dog in the bowl, will he still not eat from the bowl? Is it just his regular dog food he refuses to eat from a bowl?

Has he had any obedience or trick training at all? What is his routine day like, i. e., how much actual exercise does he get, is he allowed sufficient time to sniff/'read' all the exciting scents/messages left by other dogs/cats/assorted other animals/birds when outside? How much time w/life-enriching activities such as training, interactive playing, activities that reveal his skills?

Is he very dependent on you, clingy, insecure if you are in another room or getting ready to leave the house?

Try a change up. Try feeding him from a plate in a new spot in the home. Or use a new bowl and put the old one away. I'd try changing his feeding location to a totally difference place in the house to sort of 'reset' him. See if he'll eat off the floor. As a test, place bits of his regular food on a paper towel floor, bits of turkey weiner or boiled chicken with his empty new bowl a foot or so away. If he eats his food that way, eventually move his bits of food closer to the bowl until a few of the choicer bits are actually in it, add kibble as tolerated and then all of the food, as long as he's eating things from the bowl. After 15 - 20 minutes, I'd take up remaining food and place it down only at his next mealtime.

Try feeding him from an interactive/foraging dog feeding bowl/toy or several different ones, to encourage his inborn foraging instincts. Tibbe chooses foraging over bowl feeding every single time! He LOVES having to 'work' for his dinner as dogs have for centuries in time.