It is often said that the way to a dog’s heart is through its stomach. We often see dogs as lovers of food, eager to get into everything and anything. But for some dogs, getting them to eat food can be a challenge. And that challenge sometimes results in your pet only eating when hand fed. While this may work in the short term, it can become concerning, time consuming or frustrating if it persists in the long term. There are many reasons why this habit may develop. And by understanding what is driving the behaviour, it may become easier to help relieve it.

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Lost Appetite

If your dog’s interest in food has dropped, and they are needing encouragement to eat, then the biggest concern would be that they are unwell. Your dog may not be physically vomiting, but nausea can suppress an appetite, making your pet less inclined to eat. Fever, pain, lethargy and breathing issues can also interfere with the desire for food. If your dog’s eating habits have changed, or if you have acquired a new pet with unusual eating habits, then a veterinary assessment should be sought to check for, rule out, or treat any underlying medical causes.

Food aversion

In animals recovering from illness, they may harbour associations with feeling unwell with a location, a feeding method, or a particular food. These negative associations may make them less keen on eating. In some cases, the TLC that we give our pets when they are sick, including hand feeding them to assist with their intake, can encourage an ongoing desire to be hand-fed in the future.

The importance of scent

Our companion animals have a strong sense of smell; so we can use strong aromas to entice the return of an appetite once any medical condition has been addressed by your vet. Strong-smelling foods or favourite treats can be used as a ‘topper’ over their usual food as an enticement to feed from a bowl or other receptacle. Your veterinary team can advise if there are any specific foods that need to be avoided, or they may be able to offer energy-dense recovery diets that can be offered instead.

Once the desire to eat has increased, you can start to re-introduce bowl feeding by bringing the bowl to your dog. Gradually decreasing how much is offered by hand, while increasing how much is offered by bowl. Once bowl feeding is accepted, you can start to encourage your dog to move to the bowl for feeding. If your dog remains picky with food, you may need to rotate the food that is offered in order to maintain interest. 

Feeding Stress

Other causes of hand-feeding preference are behavioural in origin. In a multi-dog household, if dogs are fed in close proximity to each other, some individuals can feel anxious or threatened by another dog. Dogs communicate with each other using a lot of visual cues that are not always immediately obvious to us. There may be no physical fighting between the dogs, but there can still be the perception of a threat. If your pet feels overcrowded at mealtimes or is receiving a threatening cue from another dog when it is trying to feed, they may develop an aversion to self-feeding.

The bowl itself could also become a source of stress to your dog

If the size isn’t appropriate for your dog’s muzzle or the material irritates their skin or mouth, they could become aversive. Plastic bowls can become rough over time due to wear and tear. Whereas metal bowls may create an unpleasant sound, especially if a dog tag knocks against it during eating. If it isn’t washed regularly enough, or develops a chemical smell from cleaning products, it may be off-putting. Even the location of the bowl may be problematic if it is in a busy part of the house and there are a lot of people repeatedly passing by.

To reduce feeding stress in a multi-dog household, feed each dog in a separate area; ensuring every individual can eat in peace. This may involve being close by to control access manually, or physically blocking access of the other dogs by the use of baby gates or doors. If the bowl itself is the problem, experiment with different sizes, materials and locations to see what makes your dog feel more at ease. In busy households, switching the feeding time to a quieter part of the day may also reduce the feeling of being disturbed while eating.

Anxiety

Dogs that have stress or anxiety often become hypervigilant. This stops them from being relaxed and means that they spend a lot of time on ‘high alert’ watching and listening intently to their surroundings. A dog that is hypervigilant can become so stressed that they won’t eat. For dogs with separation anxiety, they may not want to eat when their owner isn’t around; because they don’t feel safe or relaxed to do so. When their owner is around, they may learn to seek attention from their owner through feeding as a form of comfort. This may result in your dog feeling dependent on you.

Social and separation anxiety in dogs can have many causes

These will need to be addressed to help your dog feel safe at home to eat by themselves. Your vet can refer you to a local veterinary behaviourist who can assist with a management plan to help. This may involve training, behaviour modification, and for some individuals, medication. 

Conditioning

Sometimes, your dog can become conditioned to hand-feeding even when the initial reason for the behaviour is removed. This often happens unintentionally. As owners, we love to bond with our animals, and this often comes with the use of treats. For some dogs, this bonding can condition your pet to associate feeding with being hand-fed; especially if they prefer the treats being offered over their regular diet. One way to help with this is by enrichment feeding, using a feeding toy to play with your dog. This allows bonding through play with a hands-off treat or meal as a reward.

If your dog was rescued from a shelter or weaned early as a puppy, they may have been hand fed to assist with socialisation and handling. Even in a new home, this conditioned behaviour can persist. To manage this, consistent training can be utilised. Similar to the method used with a recovering ill animal; you can start by offering some food by hand, then offering some food in a held bowl. You can gradually increase the amount offered in the bowl, before moving on to setting the bowl down. If your dog struggles with this transition, a veterinary behaviourist could assist with a management plan.

Conclusion

Feeding your dog by hand can be a normal part of bonding with your pet. But in situations where this is the only way your dog will eat, it can become laborious and concerning in the long term. By understanding what is driving the behaviour, you can start to think about ways to help alter your dog’s association with hands-off feeding. If you are concerned with the physical or mental health of your dog, your veterinary team can help determine what other treatment is best for your dog.

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