January 19, 2022

My Rottweiler puppy is not finishing his food when I feed him meals. He eats food from my hands during training but will not finish his food in the bowl. Am I doing something wrong? 

Full Question:
Hi Cindy,

my puppy (4 months Rottweiler) is having some problems eating his meals (2/day).

During our training he eats easily his kibble from my hands but when it's time to eat from the bowl he eats something and go away. It looks like he want to be feed by hands.

Our meal routine is easy:
- I prepare the food (kibble)
- he waits in a sit position for a few seconds
- I release him and he eats

Am I doing something wrong? I can't understand the reason. He's eating less than he should and I would like to see him enjoy his meals.

Thanks
Cindy
Cindy Cindy's Answer:
 I only feed my puppies in a crate and after 10 minutes I take the food away. I don't let puppies eat and then walk away. I control meal times as well as free time.

There are a lot of reasons this could be happening. A few common ones I will mention below.

He may not really like or enjoy his kibble unless it's an interactive event with you. Some dogs like the reward event but they don't really like kibble. I've fed my own dogs raw for the last 25+ years and I'm quite sure my dogs wouldn't be too excited about kibble.

Are you leaving the food there so he can come back and eat more later? if so, that may be creating this behavior.

Maybe you are overfeeding him? Often dog food bags suggest a lot more than a puppy needs, if he looks like he's at a good weight then I would not worry about it but again, I don't let puppies eat loose in the house. I use the crate (even for my fully trained adults).
User Response:
Thanks a lot Cindy

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Expert Dog Trainer Cindy Rhodes
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