Yorkie weird eating habit.

[GRH]

Has anyone ever had a yorkie that only wanted to eat in the car. She will not eat in the house. I have had a problem getting her to eat period. She has finally started eating Royal Canin for Yorkshire terriers but only in car. This all started 1 day when we were going out of town for a few days. I was trying to get her to eat and she wouldn't. So I held her and took the food with us. She gobbled it up immediately. She wouldn't hardly eat while we were there but when we started back I again had her food that she wouldn't eat and she gobbled it up. I was so happy that she would eat that I would get in car for a ride to get her to eat after that. She has gained a little weight but I don't know how to break her of this. I know she is ruling me but I have been so worried that she wouldn't eat that I just gave in. In addition, when I go anywhere in car with her and stop, she starts barking like crazy when the car stops. It's almost like a very angry bark-very high pitched. I don't know what this is with the car unless it is just her safe place.

[matese]

LOL, I would do the same thing lol. We are all owned by a yorkie lol. I have no advise how to stop this other then if it's the same food just try seeing if she will eat it in the house. I am surprised she doesn't get sick eating in a moving car. She's bossy lil Miss Thing barking when the car stops lol. Ya just gotta love these lil yorkies.

Good luck mommy

[GRH]

Thank you for your response. I figured I would get lectures about her being the boss of me of which she is. LOL

[matese]

I have raised 4 yorkies now all passed plus mini schnauzers and poodles, when it came to them eating I would have stood on my head if that made them eat. All that love their babies regardless of the breed will do whatever it takes when it comes to them not eating. I had a lil girl yorkie, fed her canned food on a flat saucer, she would eat one side then wait for me to turn the dish for her to eat from the other side lol. Had another lil girl that would only eat if I hand fed her, she ate canned food yuck, so on the floor I am making tiny meat ball shape to feed her, she did grow out of that. I love the yorkie breed for many reasons, one being their quirky lil ways lol. It's unfortunate you have to go for car rides each time she is fed. You never mentioned how old your baby is. If she is very young she just may out grow this as she gets older.

[KatysMom]

Originally Posted by GRH

Has anyone ever had a yorkie that only wanted to eat in the car. She will not eat in the house. ...

This brings back memories of the late night drives around the neighborhood we took with my son when he was just a babe.

Have you tried feeding with her next to you on a chair or ottoman?

If she sleeps with you on the bed, consider putting her dish on a place mat and leaving it atop the bed overnight.

What kind of a dish do you use at home? Have you tried the flat saucer type mentioned by matese?

[KatysMom]

Originally Posted by matese

I have raised 4 yorkies now all passed plus mini schnauzers and poodles, when it came to them eating I would have stood on my head if that made them eat. All that love their babies regardless of the breed will do whatever it takes when it comes to them not eating. I had a lil girl yorkie, fed her canned food on a flat saucer, she would eat one side then wait for me to turn the dish for her to eat from the other side lol. Had another lil girl that would only eat if I hand fed her, she ate canned food yuck, so on the floor I am making tiny meat ball shape to feed her, she did grow out of that. I love the yorkie breed for many reasons, one being their quirky lil ways lol. It's unfortunate you have to go for car rides each time she is fed. You never mentioned how old your baby is. If she is very young she just may out grow this as she gets older.

Laughed so hard .... well, you know how that saying ends. --KatysMom

[dottiesyrky]

Yes, these dogs are weird sometimes! I wonder too if you use a different feeding bowl, dish etc in the car than at home. Sometimes my dog will take food out of his bowl and take it to the carpet to eat! Also when we walk and he is panting, he will not drink until we get back in the car. This means short walks as I gather he pants as he is hot and dry! Ah well we do our best to obey their wishes, as they are so cute!

[matese]

My rescue kid thank heavens is not a fussy boy, he doen't care what his food is in as long as he is fed lol. Now, drinking water outside the house is another story. He will only drink Poland Spring water, when we go out I will pore some into a glass bottle and take a bowl with me but he will not drink no matter how much he is panting. After trying many things, even taking the bowl that he uses in the house, what works is taking the one gallon bottle of Poland Springs with me and any bowl. I keep a empty gallon, pore maybe 2 cups of water in it and drag the gallon jug with me. I think the taste of the water must be dif. when I put it in a glass bottle, or he just recognizes the original bottle. What ever it is matters not, I take the one gallon bottle with 2 cups of water in it lol.

[dottiesyrky]

Now that water story is weird! My dog will drink any water in the car, but usually it is bottled Spring water. As for his kibble he will usually eat it from any bowl, but since I added a little Omega 3 oil at the vet’s suggestion, in the mornings he will only eat the kibble if he sees me physically take the oil out of the fridge and put it on his kibble. However, sometimes he may miss seeing part of the process, so I have to take out the oil bottle and wave it over his food so he can see me do it. Then he will eat. His other meals he does not care if the oil is on the food or not???

[KatysMom]

Originally Posted by dottiesyrky

Now that water story is weird! My dog will drink any water in the car, but usually it is bottled Spring water. As for his kibble he will usually eat it from any bowl, but since I added a little Omega 3 oil at the vet’s suggestion, in the mornings he will only eat the kibble if he sees me physically take the oil out of the fridge and put it on his kibble.sometimes he may miss part of the process, so I have to take out the oil bottle and wave it over his food so he can see me do it. His other meals he does not care if the oil is on the food or not???

I'm just lovin' these stories. --KatysMom

[matese]

Originally Posted by dottiesyrky

Now that water story is weird! My dog will drink any water in the car, but usually it is bottled Spring water. As for his kibble he will usually eat it from any bowl, but since I added a little Omega 3 oil at the vet’s suggestion, in the mornings he will only eat the kibble if he sees me physically take the oil out of the fridge and put it on his kibble. However, sometimes he may miss seeing part of the process, so I have to take out the oil bottle and wave it over his food so he can see me do it. Then he will eat. His other meals he does not care if the oil is on the food or not???

I am telling you lol, these babies are just to darn smart lol

ya just gotta love these lil imps.

[GRH]

Reading everyone's response is so funny. It seems these yorkies train us instead of the other way around. I guess it just shows how much we love them. The one about waving the oil over the food is great. I guess they have their little ways and they do not change. My Izzie is 2 and I have struggled so much to get her to eat. She eats her kibble from a saucer. I have tried getting her to eat on the couch with me without much success. I might try feeding her from the bed because of course she sleeps with me.

[dottiesyrky]

They train us alright!!! Do something once and they put it on the hard disc and it is the law for them afterwards. Sorry GRH that your baby is picky with food. Hope your baby gets easier with age. Luckily mine is so food driven and the treat will work wonders. My passed little girl would only eat if a man was in the house, so painters and other workmen were very welcome.
Look forward to more Yorkie stories. :-)

[lpt]

Our babies are SO habitual----it's crazy and funny at the same time!

I've got one that will only poop in private, one that will only eat food off the floor and not from her bowl, and one that loves earlobes!

This thread is making me laugh!

[Wylie's Mom]

OH these crazy yorks and their quirks, lol!

When my late Wylie was about 2yrs old, he somehow developed a habit of needing the kibble in his bowl 'fluffed'. In other words, he was on a more free-feeding plan back then -- but if he went over to eat kibble that had already been sitting there, he'd make a certain specific 'fussing about', we didn't know why. The first couple times, I thought something was maybe in his bowl, so I picked it up and looked around - nothing there - put the bowl down and he ate immediately. Going forward from there, he'd fuss around when he wanted to eat his leftover kibble - and one of us would have walk over, pick up the bowl, and 'fluff' it for him, and then he'd eat. Oh my! So he'd fuss and me and my husband would roll our eyes at each other and be all "um, it's your turn to fluff this time!" -- we pretended it was so annoying, but we actually thought it was so darn adorable.

For GRH, one thing to consider is making a really meaningful big change in her food situation. It can 'shock' them out of their super normal reaction/behavior. In other words, for example, get some canned food -- and use a teaspoon or whatever, depending upon her size (heat for 12 seconds if stored in fridge) mash it up good in the bowl, and then coat/mix it into her kibble. Try feeding that inside. If that doesn't work, then maybe try something Sojos pre-mix food - where you just add your own cooked or raw meat. Bc she may be one of those dogs who isn't the biggest fan of kibble, but somehow she attached the car to eating anyway.

Keep us posted!