[smallcrpt]

We just got a puppy one week ago and at first he wasn't eating that much, he is now starting to eat a little more. I have read many different ideas on where our puppy should be fed. When we feed him in the morning we have been doing it in the kitchen with us in the room the past two days. The thing is that he doesn't just sit and eat, he eats a little and then runs around and then eats a little. He is finally starting to eat a larger amount. When we first got him we tried feeding him in his crate, one time in one day out of 5 he actually ate the other times if we left the door open he wanted nothing to do with it.
I guess I’m asking what people would recommend as to where we should be feeding him?

[GoodBullyLLC]

Originally Posted by smallcrpt

We just got a puppy one week ago and at first he wasn't eating that much, he is now starting to eat a little more. I have read many different ideas on where our puppy should be fed. When we feed him in the morning we have been doing it in the kitchen with us in the room the past two days. The thing is that he doesn't just sit and eat, he eats a little and then runs around and then eats a little. He is finally starting to eat a larger amount. When we first got him we tried feeding him in his crate, one time in one day out of 5 he actually ate the other times if we left the door open he wanted nothing to do with it.
I guess I’m asking what people would recommend as to where we should be feeding him?

Where you feed him doesn't really matter as long as you try to keep it consistent. I wouldn't feed him in his crate though.

I'm not sure how old the dog is but you can make the dog start working for his food. Here are some pointers for you.

1. Get your scent on the food by rubbing your hands through it.

2. Get on a solid feeding schedule and feed the same times every day.

3. With a puppy who isn't trained you can still make them work for the food by placing it on the floor and then create a barrier with body blocks. Once the dog submits (usually they give up and sit or lie down on their own), then you allow them to come eat.

4. Put a timer on the dog - the dog gets 10 minutes to eat. If it isn't gone in 10 minutes you take the food away until the next feeding time.

5. Make sure the dog is getting two walks a day so it gets adequate exercise. A tired dog is a hungry dog and hungry dogs will eat.

[Curbside Prophet]

IMO, young puppies should be hand fed. Pups need to learn that humans around their food is a good thing. And there's no better opportunity to start teaching "leave it" and bite inhibition. How young is your pup? Are there any plans for puppy school?

[briteday]

I agree with Curb. If your pup is under 12 weeks old, I would hand feed, 3x/day. and water available most of the time, maybe not just before bedtime. And I would give the pup plenty of exercise, offer food for 10-15 minutes, then wait until the next feeding.
If your dog hasn't seen a vet since you got him that should be your first step though. A lot of pups come with parasites and infections that can ruin their appetite. So vet first, if healthy, then follow Curb's ideas for feeding.

[smallcrpt]

Our puppy is 9 weeks old, we have already taken him to the vet and he did have a parasite and we have had him on medicine for that. Today he ate very well, he actually enjoys eating off of a plate rather than a bowl.
Isn't hand feeding a bad habit to start?
He ate a lot better today than he has been!

[Curbside Prophet]

Originally Posted by smallcrpt

Isn't hand feeding a bad habit to start?

Hand feeding is a bad habit if the dog is given food freely without reason. If you're teaching "leave it", "sit", "down", or bite inhibition, and use the food as a reinforcer of these behaviors, it's not a habit, it's utilizing the benefit of positive reinforcers. The goal of hand feeding a young pup is to communicate to the dog that good behaviors earn a reward from its leader, and bad manners earns nothing. Eventually you'll ween your dog off food rewards and exchange them for life rewards. But while your pup can be molded, be a leader and a teacher.

[Cheetah]

I always start feeding puppies mainly in the crate (in a bowl of course), aside from the times when I am training them to be comfortable with me doing things with and around their food (preventing food guarding). It is possible to do both. I don't see what's wrong with this, as I have had good results with it. It helps to make the crate a positive place to be, and dogs don't like soiling where they eat and sleep.

To each his own I guess.

[.::Boo::.]

When my dogs were puppies I would feed them from my hands sometimes. Other times they would eat from their bowl. I also practice putting my hands in the bowl while they were eating or picking it up completely to prevent any possible food aggression later. I would also do this w/ toys and chew bones. Now they're fully grown and I can get anything from them if I need to anytime I want. They are also on a food schedule, they get fed so much in the morning and so much in early evening, if they don't eat it all they're out of luck until the next feeding time.

Works out really well for my household, and provides them with good structure.