Myth: It is best to feed my puppy from their food bowl
Introduction
Many people are committed to feeding their puppy at a set time or times, giving them all their food
in the bowl. This does create some routine and because meals are often spread out, your puppy may
well be excited when you put their bowl down, leading you to believe this is working.
However, by feeding your puppy from their bowl you miss an enormous opportunity to build your
relationship.
Most puppies love their food and thus are motivated to behave as requested when they are
rewarded by food. This is the foundation of much training so when food is given ‘for free’ in a bowl,
an chance to train your puppy and build your relationship is lost.
Most puppies also love fun! Puppies love to play! Recent research has shown that a puppy bonds
more strongly with people who play with them, over people who feed them – but if you do both at
the same time, you will become a firm favourite!
Implementation tips
Therefore, instead of feeding your puppy from their bowl, what about measuring out their daily
allowance in the morning and then using this when training, walking, playing and settling?
Here are a few suggestions of how to do this.
– Scatter a handful of kibble on the ground for your puppy to sniff out. They will need some
help at the beginning but once they’ve got the hang of it, their noses will tire them out!
– Squish their wet food onto a licky mat for them to lick up in their crate as a calming activity
after a boisterous game
– Throw, roll or flick pieces of kibble for your puppy to chase and pounce on.
– Give your puppy a natural chew as a calming activity during the day or evening.
– Use their regular food to reward them when training. It will probably be more nutritious
than processed ‘treats’ anyway.
Wrap up
If you feed from a bowl and these ideas seem a bit overwhelming, what about doing a compromise
and feeding half their food when interacting together to see how it goes? Feeding this way acts as an
important investment in your relationship, building a stronger bond and a more fulfilling
relationship.
