Yup, just dog being dog; or maybe I would say, just that personality!!

Sugar will stand and eat at her bowl if she is REALLY hungry. Otherwise, each piece of kibble is picked up; then she trots to the family room, hops up onto the love seat on her blankie, puts it down, scans the area to see if we have anything better, then eats the piece of kibble and hops right down to start again. If I feed her 2 or 3 hours late, THEN she stays at her bowl.

My cat, Chestnut, will only eat his kibble . . . off of a hardwood floor. Kibble just tastes better served properly, ya know? So he takes a mouth full, walks out of the kitchen to the hallway, dribbles the kibble out of his mouth, keeps one piece and eats it. Then he checks over the ones he dropped, eats the ones which pass muster, and heads back to the bowl for another mouthful. He's done this 3 meals per day for 8 years. Never found a way to modify his habit.

Good luck with a tray under the dish; it may not provide the right ambiance!

If you ever took a cooking class, maybe you remember hearing, "Presentation is everything."