Betsy-Headbutt

Hi all,
My princess Betsy is quiet and shy girl
but when it comes to meal time,she's very different...
she headbutts her and boys food bowl and throw all food on the floor
with her head n nose n somehow she put food into the water bowl then knock it over..basically,food and water everywhere ,it happens everyday,I can't bin all that food everytime she does.
it's not aggression anything like that,it's just...er.. headbutt;

I take food away after 15-20mins if they don't eat,
and when someone's(human) around she wouldn't eat at all as she gets very nervous,If I feed her separately from the boys,she cries like...forever. I've never ssen this before, any ideas any one?

When my (human) kids were little you could get bowls with a suction seal around the bottom. I'll see if I can find you a link if they still make them..

hehe, arnt they funny, i know its not really funny, i just love their little ways, harley also spills his food everywhere that cos i mix the not so good food (but good for him) with the rubbish but harley loves food, in together so he will eat it all, noooooooooooo he pushes all the healthy stuff out the bowl and eats the rest. :bang:

lol Ilsa too,

When I used to mix real food with kibble, I'd find a pile of the kibble next to her bowl. When I didn't listen, she moved it near the sofa!

Now I find pieces of her broccoli and apples next to her bowl. I have to chop them unbelievably finely so she doesn't realize she ate them.

Are our dogs smart or what?

Jen and Ilsa

My Cavalier wouldn't eat from a bowl (or plate or any other crockery) until she was about 1ish years old. She would either not eat at all or knock her food onto the ground and then eat it. We used to have to feed her off the floor. Until one fine day we got our second dog and suddenly she had no problems eating out of a bowl (surprise surprise!) and still eats perfectly happily from a bowl. Have you tried feeding her on the floor, not the ideal situation but worth try. Or maybe from a very flat plate. Or, as *Pauline* said, a suction bowl so that she can't knock it over... perhaps a particularly heavy bowl if you can't find a suction one...

My Cavalier also headbutts, but not the bowls - she does it to the other dogs to get them out of the way when something falls on the floor that she wants or even if they are being a bit willy-nilly about eating their food, we have to watch her closely while the rest finish their food.

On the subject of eating/not eating what they want - pills is a big one in our house. All the food is eaten, bowl licked clean, and there is a little pill left at the end of the bowl (even on the rare occasion that they get wet food), they just know...

I would make her sit and wait before putting the food down and don't let her start eating till you give her a command this will in time make her calmer but it will take a long time and a lot of patience/ training. Also do it away from the others so she feels safe and secure like in the kitchen with the door closed or a bathroom. She will be less inclined to rush then. Its just sounds like enthusiasm and manners.

Is she crate trained? If so, you could get the bowl that attaches by screwing onto the crate door (not the little tiny ones that come with the crate, but the actual bowls). You could feed her in there and maybe she will not worry that someone is going to take her food. She could still be where the other dogs are if that makes her feel better, but she can't spill her food or get to anyone elses.