[dr.jaimie]

i didnt know where in the forum to put this, but i guess it is a training problem. Parker doesnt know that he is supposed to eat his food at his bowl. he takes it all over the house to eat it. it wouldnt be that bad of a problem if he didn't make such a mess. he leaves crumbs all over the place. soon it is going to attract roaches, and i dont want that. what can i do. i'm so fed up i'm about to switch him to can food, but that was totally against my plan. since they are prone to dental disease i didnt want him on can food, but i'm running out of options. is there a way to train him to eat at his bowl? is it too late b/c he is 2yrs old? i hope someone out there has an idea to solve this problem for me. thanks for reading....Ladymontava

 

[LexiAndNikkisMom]

Is Parker crate trained? If so you can try feeding him in his crate with the door closed and locked. That way he can't take the food out. Or if you have a exercise pen feed inside it. Or try gating off the bathroom or kitchen. That way it is at least easier to clean up.

 

[dr.jaimie]

he only eats when we are home..and when we are hme he runs free..he wants to be with us so he eats whereever we are

 

[Toby's Mom]

 

[saltymalty]

Originally posted by LadyMontava@Oct 7 2004, 11:07 AM
i didnt know where in the forum to put this, but i guess it is a training problem.  Parker doesnt know that he is supposed to eat his food at his bowl.  he takes it all over the house to eat it.  it wouldnt be that bad of a problem if he didn't make such a mess.  he leaves crumbs all over the place.  soon it is going to attract roaches, and i dont want that.  what can i do.  i'm so fed up i'm about to switch him to can food, but that was totally against my plan.  since they are prone to dental disease i didnt want him on can food, but i'm running out of options.  is there a way to train him to eat at his bowl?  is it too late b/c he is 2yrs old? i hope someone out there has an idea to solve this problem for me.  thanks for reading....Ladymontava
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Does Parker carry his bowl or just the food around the house? If it's his bowl, then one that's too heavy to carry or push may do the job. If it's that he's carrying his food, then try feeding him in a "secured" location, one that physically keeps him in his post say inside a pen or by using a doggie gate. Also I have read that if they don't eat their food within say 15 minutes, you should remove the dish and try again later. I hope this helps!

 

[dr.jaimie]

his kibble is huge...bigger than large dog kibble....it is a dental diet. when he was on small bites he did the same thing though...he still managed to make a mess. i might try it again before i switch to can. i dont know how he would do if i crated him...i think he would just scream and not eat at alll....but i can try that too. thanks

 

[LexiAndNikkisMom]

What you could try is gate him in the kitchen with his food for 20-30 minutes while you are making dinner. That way you are in the room with him but he isn't able to leave the kitchen with the food.

 

[Toby's Mom]

 

[Boom Boom's Mom]

Boom does the exact same thing! I thought my dog was nuts.

I feed him half Sci Diet Natural and Half pedegree meat bites (whatever its called) His bowls are in the living room on the carpet (he wont eat on hard floors) and I saw the other day he took his food upstairs to the landing!!! I couldnt believe it!

Anyway, Boom acts like a vacuum cleaner and picks up his own mess. Really neither of his foods are messy.

I know I didnt help anything, but good luck!

 

[Caesar's Mommie]

We have problems with Caesar. He wont eat his food out of his bowl, it has to be on the carpet infront of the back windows. Then he will eat a bite look out the window for like 2 min and continue these actions (there is nothing out there but a dumpster, haha). He did start eating out of his bowl yesterday but hasnt since. I leave his bowl by the window with food in it and on the floor. He will go eat one out of his bowl if there are none on the floor and then not eat anymore. So I keep some there for him. (We probably just spoil him, but I want my baby to eat!).

 

[Sunshine]

Why don't you try to break down his food for him, so it's smaller? It seems like he needs to "work" on it to eat it. Otherwise, you may be able to put a little liquid in it to soften it? I'd say the size of the food is creating the problem.

And I was also going to suggest the crate thing. If necessary, put the crate in the same room as you - maybe while he is eating, you sit at the table and read the paper or something. That way you are there with him, but he will slowly learn to keep it in his bowl...

 

[Sunshine]

I got Abby a gorgeous little placemat to put her water and food bowls on. It is clear plastic with little black footprints on it. She does get a little bit of food around the bowls - so that makes it easy to clean up.

But I have always kept an eye on her while she's eating and said "eat your dinner" and taken her to that same spot until she eats all she wants. When she walks away, she has an empty mouth and I take the bowl away and wash it up.

Maybe even that will work? Standing with Parker, making him stay there with his food (putting him on a lead maybe?) ???? I dont' know really, just a suggestion! -_-

The only thing I have sitting around my house is these little schmacko sticks that I give her to chew. If I give it to her in her play pen, she usually leaves it there, but if I give it to her outside of the pen, well.. it goes wherever she feels like putting it!!! :lol:

 

[doctorcathy]

mine like to eat on the carpet...maybe get a rug for the kitchen, gate it, and sit next to him to eat(like how everyone else was saying).

good luck.

 

[dr.jaimie]

thanks everyone i will give all of these a shot.

 

[ilove_d&m]

I also have eating problems with Maya. She wont eat out of the bowl. she will eat if the food is on the floor :wacko:. sometiems I put the food in a big dinner plate and she would eat it but not all the time. all she does is stare at her food and at daezie eating. so what I do is put the food on napkin on the floor and she eats right away or the other option is to give her kibble one by one by hand
then for sure she will eat her dinner.

I also have to be there with them while eating otherwise they would not eat.

 

[LexiAndNikkisMom]

Lexi was like that when I first got her. I finally figured out that she doesn't like the deep bowls. I ended up getting a shell stell dish from petsmart. I think it is actually a cat's dish. You can try putting it in a plastic lid or even a paste bowl.