Help, please!

[extrapineappleonmypizza]

Our new dog has come to us via a vet, who took her in, when a breeder dumped her.
She's wonderful and has settled in really well. It was obvious when she came, that she wasn't used to being in a house and around people but now she's absolutely fine and loving life.

She's been with us for a few months, and the only thing we're struggling with is that she doesn't understand how to eat from a bowl or plate. She only eats from your hand or directly off the floor.

We have another dog and we've been feeding them in separate rooms to give her the time and space she needs. We've also showed her how he eats to help model it, but nothing's working so far.

Any advice?

What is the texture/ material of the floor she preferres to ear from?
Maybe you can find a place mat or similar made from similar material & colour.... and from there, you can move to a shallow dish or bowl.

She'll eat from wood, carpet (dry treats), outside on the flag stones. That's all the surfaces we have, really.

I've tried metal bowls, porcelain bowls and plates...
I've tried plastic too.
I've offered her wet food from a spoon, which she does for a couple of mouthfuls.

Interestingly, she'll drink from a bowl, no problem.

She needs to eat more because the vet said she's quite underweight.

I know you want to feed her up but I would try skipping a meal and not give her any treats, take her for a couple of hour long walks and let her get hungry. Then give her her food in the bowl/plate with some chicken or sausage on top. Put it somewhere quiet and just sit next to it.

I dont see a problem with not eating from a bowl. I actively encourage my dogs to not use a bowl.

Scatter feeding food is great for dogs, hiding food is fun for them, putting it in empty milk cartons and they have to push the carton to get the food out.

Training for their food is killing two birds with one bit of kibble!

Toss the food away she runs to get it and then reward her back at you - you will have her literally eating from your hand and also an amazing recall.

Some battles are not worth fighting and I would say this is one of them

@extrapineappleonmypizza
I agree scatter feeding is good for dogs - especially greedy Labrador types as it makes them work for their food and stops them guzzling it down in 2 seconds. But if the your dog has had a life time of food being dolloped on the ground in front of her, then she may not want to search for it.

I don't think it's really an issue though is it? Could you put her food on something flat and cleanable op - a plastic place mat or slate tile for example?

I would really like to say what a fantastic thing you have done op. So many people want shiny new puppies and aren't prepared to consider second hand - let alone used and abused dogs. People who treat dogs as money making machines to be exploited to the full and then dumped when no longer of use are the scum of the earth and I wish every evil imaginable on them. People who pick up the pieces and give a home, love and care to a discarded dog are the very best of humanity and I wish you many happy years with your girl 

Will she eat off a human dinner plate? Or perhaps one of the plastic mats you get for putting under cat/dog bowls
so at least you can keep your floor clean and just wash the matt

Yes was going to suggest the same, a mat, or a cheap shallow tray like IKEA sell?

I wonder if that’s how she was fed before and has just got used to it.

I would check a few things, is it a fairly heavy bowl so it doesn’t wander across the floor. Steep sided or rounded. Does her collar or tag hit the edge of the bowl? Perhaps watch her very very closely and see at what point she has a problem.

I would suggest let her eat off the floor until she’s at the proper weight. Use a place mat that will stick to the floor, and possibly textured. She may be used to eating off concrete.Once she’s got used to that, then try going from a flat plate, shallow bowl etc. but keep using the place mat underneath.

You could even go slower and put the food half on floor/placemat, half on the plate. So she would start her meal on the floor and hopefully her nose will just take her to the plate.

two guesses from me- to eat from a bowl she has to put her face in which might limit her vision- if she has previously been abused she might be nervous about not being able to see- maybe start putting her food on a tile or chopping board and move to a plate.
the other guess is does she need a release word or cue to eat. A handful of food is clearly given to her, stuff found or scavenged is fair game- but she might have had mealtime manner drilled into her before she came to you? I could leave a bowl of food out all morning around mine and they wouldn’t touch it unless given the ok (I wouldn’t obviously)

This is all very interesting - thank you. You've given me lots of different options and new angles to approach from.
She's a beauty and we just want her to have the absolute best life!

My rescue when fed 🙄 was off the floor and severely underweight. I'm surprised your dog won't eat. Mine was an absolute gannet and I had to get a slow feeder. He ate everything including stones of the floor. If you got the dog from a vet I presume health checked to see if teeth etc are OK. Maybe trying to mix something smelly like sardines in it? Cut out treats and put food down at specific times. Give the dog 20 minutes then remove food. I would not feed off floor reason being I stop mine eating anything off pavements etc.

Not eating from a bowl really isn't an issue - have you tried feeding toys like kongs, snuffle mats, lick mats etc?