Not sure what to do

[gracielove]

Your puppy is young and eating alone is kind of new to him. It may take some time for him to learn to eat on his own. It is troublesome since he is along for a few hours at a time. Does he do better with soft food?

[dinkyweil]

One trick I learned on this site was to get him to chase kibble that I toss across the floor. It works sometimes, not always. Our guy is a picky eater. It is a blessing that he has never acted hypoglycemic. He is four pounds and will be 3 years in February. It is 11:37 here, and he has refused breakfast.
There are days when I am very busy and I need to him to eat, so I know how frustrating it is. Our dog will NEVER eat his kibble when we leave him alone. He will eat treats, but only one split up.
My husband has gone has far as chewing chicken and giving it to Dinky to eat. Also, he likes tiny, tiny, tiny pieces of food.

[SWHouston]

Originally Posted by yorkietalkjilly

I'd let him set his own intake schedule.

I agree, many of our animals seem not to eat much when we're away. Mine frequently chow down just before we're leaving in the morning, and at dinner time in the evenings, but do lightly snack through the day. I believe it's a Pack related issue, where they are just happier when we're all together, and sharing this activity.

[Ldyrev1]

We have always tried to be present during meals as we learned early on that our puppies were "off their feet" (not eating) when we were gone. We discovered this the first time we took a trip without them. Our puppy sitter texted me that they weren't eating. Fortunately we weren't very far from home and we were willing to cut our trip short if there was a problem but the sitter asked us to wait one more day to see if they would eat, and they did. Our female (Gretel - God rest her soul) was slow to eat whenever we went away but she came round sooner and sooner till she just ate when the food was there. They can learn to eat when you are not there but it takes some time. The only time I would be worried to do this would be with a puppy that could be prone to hypoglycemia or a pet with injury or recovering. I wouldn't recommend leaving one of these pups alone for any length of time. Hope this helps.

[pzarat]

Originally Posted by GuinnessStout

Both of mine even if we are not in the room with the room they will go get a mouth full spit it in the floor at our feet of whatever room we are in then eat each piece.

Lol, Maxi does the exact same thing!! His food bowl is right next to the couch, but that's not close enough for him, he still picks up a mouth full and spits it put right next to us and then eats kibble by kibble. I'm just glad he eats every single kibble that he dropped otherwise I'd have to vacuum a lot more often.

As far as the orinal question of not eating while you are at work, maxi doesn't do much of that either, but he's already 6 months so feeding only twice a day is ok for him.

Is it an option for you to take him to work? Just until he's a bit older like 4 months... The only thing I would worry about is hypoglycemia, I'm not very familiar with it but it seems that if they're not eating their blood sugar levels can get pretty low. This is more of a concern for smaller yorkies I believe, and since Maxi is a teapot we never had any issues (thank goodness).

[pzarat]

Also, Maxi won't eat much of his dry kibble when we are gone, but he always always finishes the two kongs I leave for him. I fill one with wet food (canned dog food) and another with soggy kibble (literally just soak his kibble in water for a few minutes).

Another trick I read about is to sprinkle a little bit of Parmesan cheese on top of the kibble, it has worked for us when we have to go somewhere with Maxi and I need him to eat before we leave.

[kjc]

You can try training him to eat by telling him 'Good Boy' when he is eating, and gradually increase the space between you and him while he is eating. It will take some time though, and it is very important that he eats at lunchtime until he's a bit older. Maybe add some chicken or turkey baby food, or hide a special treat in his food that will keep his interest.

Always keep in mind that he is very young, just a baby... and just like human babies, they need to learn about everything in life, including your schedule. Many people have bought puppies and think they should know how to be a dog from the start. Well, they don't know how, they can only learn from us, from what and how we teach them.

Always make time in your schedule for the puppy, as he is dependent on you now for his survival. It doesn't take long, maybe just a few months where you need to be diligent with certain things, like eating and pottying. As he grows, he will learn, and become more independent, learning to do things on his own. But until then, he needs your help, understanding, love, patience, protection, and gentle guidance.

[SWHouston]

Originally Posted by pzarat

I'd have to vacuum a lot more often.

The way you can tell if they have enough toys is...

If it takes longer to pick them up, and carry them back where they belong,
than it does to Vacuum the room they were in.