Yorkie getting VERY picky about WHERE he eats?!

[smittojess]

Hello! Bentley is our 10 month old Yorkie whom I've already received lots of help with from YT! Within the last month we've developed a new oddity.. We got Bentley when he was 12 weeks old and since then we've been through a few different types of foods and finally (knock on wood) he's agreed to eat one brand of food which also agrees with his digestive track. Ever since the day we brought him home we'd put dry food in his bowl, he'd run over, eat it, and call it a day. Well a few weeks ago he refused to go near his food bowl. Thinking maybe it was dirty i put a plate out while I ran the bowl in the dishwasher. He ate dinner off the plate no problem. I have seen him get his collar stuck in the wire around his bowl stand so I thought maybe that was traumatic and he freaked out.. well he ate off the plate for a few weeks no problem.. then suddenly he refused to eat off the plate. Now I've been having to resort to dumping the food on the carpet! What the heck is going on!! I keep his bowls/plate very clean and it just seems like he's being very picky. Has anyone else had this issue? Help! I live in an apartment on the ground floor so I'm getting concerned that leaving his food on the carpet is going to start drawing bugs -- he doesn't run to the bowl anymore right at meal times he prefers to graze on his on time. I'm beginning to think that's the issue he's a control freak! Anyone whose had a similar experience I'd love to hear from you! thanks

[Maximo]

I've read here about many Yorkies who like to take a bunch of kibble from their plates to other places in the house to eat. Maximo did a little of this at about the same age as your pup. He also liked to involve me in his meals. We had training sessions using his kibble and he liked to play games where he would perform a dramatic "sit" or "shake hands" for each kibble.

I agree with you that leaving the kibble out on the floor is probably not a good idea.

[Lil Bits Mama]

Oh my yes!!! Have found from having 4 Yorkies that they do indeed love control! My newest, Little Bit, age 19 months, and 4 1/2#'s is the pickiest eater. He is on a special diet, ZD only. Never gets treats - yet he will pick and ignore his food - and what a disaster if I change time, bowl, or place and EXACT feeding routinel! I did find that if I cut his amount of food back for breakfast that he would not be quite as demanding for dinner!! Sometimes it takes two or three meals of cutting the amount he normally gets back until he just eats as a normal dog should!! Yes, spoiled..and I can not let him miss a meal, but it sure helps to cut him back. Worked for my spoiled baby - but honestly, he will probably find a way to manipulate me again with his food! They are smart - and love to control EVERYTHING they can get away with!!

[Mom to Hot Rod]

Initially I had Hot Rod's food in his expen along with everything else. It was so funny, he would run over and get a piece of food out and take it clear across the room and eat it and keep doing this over and over until he was full-I guess. lol I had read that yorkies will do this.

Sometimes when we give them a treat, my 2 will take it and go somewhere else and eat it almost like taking it some secret spot before they eat it. lol

I think it is just a yorkie thing but if you are wanting get him on more of a routine, then I would suggest picking his bowl up after a certain amount of time of feeding. My vet said to give them 20 minutes and then pick up the bowls. I play it by ear...if they eat the majority of food, I will leave the bowls down as I know they have eaten til they are full. If they only eat a tiny bit, then I know they are holding out for treats so I will pick the bowls up (although I been known to cave and leave them down.)

I try to feed at the same time each day too. Depending on the amount of treats they get, I might feed dinner a little later. Sometimes we do a little bit of training and they get small treats but they do add up so I might give them dinner a tad bit later in the evening. Good luck, they do know how to control us, lol

[smittojess]

Thanks for your input! Glad to hear I'm not the only one bentley definitely runs the show. I'll try being more rigid with a routine and picking up his food -- that may work best because now if he's hungry at noon and we skipped breakfast cause he already had food left from dinner he whines and scrapes his bowl with his paw until I feed him. Ha guess I need to stop
Letting him run the show so much too!! It's definitely been a trip to have him in our lives

[Diane B]

All my tootsy eats is chicken that i cook , dry food is down all the time. Right its all about the cold, we live in a apartment in and out 3 times a day , what a drag.

[ssng25]

It's definitely a yorkie thing! LOL Maximus will even pick up his bowl and carry it to another room and then decide to dump it all out and eat it! They definitely have a mind of their own!