my dog wont eat his food in the kitchen!?

[LabFan]

Well i don't know quite how to explain it but my puppy mason doesn't seem to want to eat his dog chow in the kitchen. It's not like we eat in the kitchen so it wouldn't interfere with our meals. I put his bowl of dog food on the kitchen floor and he picks up pieces of it and moves it to the living room to eat it one by one however just out of curiosity i decided to try and put his bowl in the living room one time and he went to town? and reason why he's doing this?

[Karen]

How old is he? If you want him to always eat in the kitchen, you could just block off the doorway at meal time for a few weeks, and get him used to eating in the kitchen. I have known other dogs that took one piece at a time off to eat it - it is an instinctual behavior left over from wild dogs, if you've ever watched the Discovery Channel when they show a pack of wild dogs, there are always some who will grab a bit, then run to the side to get away from the competition.

If his bowl is in an open area in the kitchen, you might try moving it to a more secluded corner, or some spot a little sheltered.

[moosmom]

You think that's bad, I have to serve Her Royal Highness Mollie Rose dinner underneath my living room chair. Talk about spoiled!!!

[Pam]

I have had two dogs over the years who take mouthfuls of kibble out of the kitchen into another room (preferably with carpet ) and dump it out and eat it there piece by piece. Interestingly enough, both were males with one of them being my current silly little boy, Ripley. None of my females did this.

[Katelf]

Hi,

Bodea picks up a few pieces of kibble from her bowl in the kitchen and eats them in the dining room. Then she gets tired of that and eats all of the food in her bowl in the kitchen, lol. But, she will not eat unless my cat Sid (black male cat) lets her. He's jealous and guards her bowl until I tell him to move along. She just wags her tail and waits, lol.

[Pam]

Hi,

Bodea picks up a few pieces of kibble from her bowl in the kitchen and eats them in the dining room. Then she gets tired of that and eats all of the food in her bowl in the kitchen, lol. But, she will not eat unless my cat Sid (black male cat) lets her. He's jealous and guards her bowl until I tell him to move along. She just wags her tail and waits, lol.

Bodea is so sweet. The cats sure rule the roost at times, don't they? Mine liked it a lot more around here when they out-numbered the dogs. Now that it is two to two they aren't so brave.

[JenBKR]

Where are you when your dog takes his food into the living room piece by piece? Roscoe does the same thing, he gets a mouthful of food and brings it into the living room, spits it out on the carpet, then eats it there. Of course, that's only when we are in the living room. If we sit in the kitchen while he eats, he eats it all there. Try sitting in the kitchen with him and see if he eats with you there.

[mr.chiwawa]

Mister my chihuahua does that all the time. It doesn't bother me one bit as long as he eats. However I do know that when he was a baby baby at the breeders he was the runt and had to fight for his food. He learned to do so by taking some and moving it elsewhere. I think it's cute and like I said doesn't bother me

[carrie]

This is part habit part instinct.

Dogs, no matter what size they are, have the instincts of wild dogs.

A dog that is fed regularly is open to the temptation of the wild dog - save some for later! Don't let anyone else that wants to eat the same stuff as I want to eat know where my food is!

Find a place to feed your dog where it can be isolated with the food for five minutes - the bathroom is a good place.

Put the food down, shut the door and after exactly five minutes go and pick up the feed bowl, put it out of reach and ignore your dog until it is lying quietly. DO NOT GIVE THE FOOD BACK TO THE DOG!

At the next feed time do exactly the same thing. Be strict!

Also cut the food you give the dog to half at each feeding time to encourage the dog to eat it all.

The dog will soon concentrate on eating.

[lizbud]

Where are you when your dog takes his food into the living room piece by piece? Roscoe does the same thing, he gets a mouthful of food and brings it into the living room, spits it out on the carpet, then eats it there. Of course, that's only when we are in the living room. If we sit in the kitchen while he eats, he eats it all there. Try sitting in the kitchen with him and see if he eats with you there.

Bingo. I thought the same thing. Unless you've let him make a habit of it
already. Puppies and new dogs might do this because they want to stick with you wherever you go. Makes them feel safe?