Won't eat from bowl

Poppy is being fed Butcher's Choice dry complete for her first meal, then Butcher's Choice moist in the evening.

At training we were doing hand targeting where the dog taps your hand and you throw a treat. Well, rather than load Poppy up with treats, I decided to just use her normal food (dry, not moist). Problem is, now she will only eat the dry if you throw it round the floor for her, she won't eat it from a bowl. She's driving me mad. I just haven't got time every day to sit and do hand targetting just to get food inside her. If I don't do the hand targetting, she won't eat and will go all day til her evening meal.

I know a dog won't starve itself, so I was wondering if I should just give her the dry complete in a bowl until she realises that's where she's supposed to eat it from?

I could kick myself now for doing what I thought was the right thing and not loading her up with treats.

I've just got a bag of Arden Grange, as she enjoyed the free sample, so thought I'd give a big bag a go. Think I might put it in the bowl and hope for the best

Hi Harry firstly, don't use the same food for training as you feed for meals, use high value treats to train like liver/cheese /chicken, they only need to be very tiny pieces, some ideas here...

http://www.dogweb.co.uk/talkdogs/tra...reats+training

For the meal put the food down in the bowl, no fuss no word and walk away. If it isn't eated in 20 mins. remove the bowl and give nothing until the next meal. Repeat this until Poppy eats it

hi,
would she eat it if you put her food in a boredom buster/food dispenser toy? My german shepherd sometimes used to eat is food from these, more fun (i guess).

just stop hand feeding her,she will eat when she is hungry,if you keep pandering to her whim you will make her a fussy eater,put her food down if she walks away lift it,offer it again later on,she will eat

Totally 100% agree couldn't say better than that

She will eat from the treat ball, but sometimes that can take all day, plus I don't want to rely on that, as I prefer to only us the treat ball when we go out.

I have tried previously using things like cheese, chicken etc as training treats, but cheese upsets her tummy and although she loves chicken, ham etc, she is so stubborn she will ignore her food and hold out for the training treats which was why I changed to normal food for training.

I've tried putting the food down for 15/20 minutes and then taking it away again, after 3 days with no food eaten, I gave in and started scattering the food about.

I don't actually hand feed her, I have to throw a piece of kibble for her to chase after and eat!