If your dog nudges his food bowl across the floor with his nose, the moment he does it is your best clue. Within a few meals you will know whether it is instinct, learned behaviour, the bowl itself, or something to take to the vet. Below, moment by moment, what is going on and what to do about it.
Why does a dog push his food bowl with his nose?
A dog pushes his bowl with his nose to "bury" food for later, to get the last kibble out from the rim, because he has learned that an empty bowl gets refilled, or because the bowl slides or makes noise. If the behaviour starts suddenly and he is eating less, have your vet check him over.
Before the meal: he does not want it now, but wants to keep it
If your dog sweeps his nose over the food as if pulling a blanket over it and then walks away, that is caching. Dogs hide food they do not need right now. You cannot bury a bowl, so he makes the movement in the air or shoves the bowl aside.
It usually means one thing: he is not hungry. Often the portion no longer fits, for example because he is moving less than in summer, or he gets enough treats between meals to skip dinner. Count everything he gets for a week, including the bits of cheese during training. If you are unsure about the right amount, talk to your vet rather than cutting back sharply yourself.
Take the bowl away after fifteen minutes if he does not eat, and offer the normal portion at the next meal. Most dogs are eating when the bowl goes down again within a few days.
During the meal: the bowl is working against him
If he pushes halfway through eating, the bowl is often the cause. A light bowl shifts a little with every mouthful. Kibble rolls to the rim or up a sloping side, and he has to chase it with his nose. You see it most with steel and plastic on a smooth tiled floor.
Some dogs also dislike the noise. A steel bowl clattering on tiles with every bite, or an ID tag clinking against the rim, is reason enough for a sensitive dog to push the bowl away before he eats.
A heavy bowl usually sorts this out within a few days. A stoneware bowl stays put, makes no metallic noise, and has a smooth inside where the last pieces do not get stuck behind a lip. Putting the bowl against a wall also helps: it has nowhere to go.
After the meal: the empty bowl as a doorbell
If your dog pushes the empty bowl towards you or rattles it against the kitchen cupboards, he has learned something. Refilling it once, or laughing once, is enough for him to try again. With a clever working dog such as a Border Collie, it is a habit within a week.
The fix is boring but it works: do not respond to the pushing, and pick the empty bowl up straight after the meal. Fill it only at set times, when he is not pushing. After two to three weeks without a reward, the behaviour fades. It may briefly get worse before it gets better; that is normal.
The water bowl: play or digging
At the water bowl, pushing is almost always play. Puppies and young dogs find moving water interesting, and on a warm day a dog likes to dig in cool water with a paw or his nose. The water ending up on the floor is a bonus for him.
A heavy water bowl with a taller rim makes it less fun, because the bowl does not move and less sloshes over the edge. Put it somewhere a puddle does not matter, or on a placemat you can wipe afterwards. And give your dog something else to put his energy into.
When should you see the vet?
Pushing on its own is almost never a medical problem. It changes when it starts suddenly alongside other signs. Have your dog checked by your vet if he:
- suddenly pushes his food away when he has always been a good eater;
- eats little or nothing for more than a day;
- chews on one side, drops kibble or drools more than usual;
- bumps into the bowl or the wall, or seems unable to find his bowl;
- loses weight without any change to his food.
A dog that eats a little less in autumn because he is moving less is different from a dog that refuses his bowl from one day to the next. For the first, adjust the portion; for the second, call the vet.
Frequently asked questions
Why does my dog take food out of the bowl and eat it on the floor?
Many dogs take a mouthful of kibble from the bowl and eat it a metre away, or push it onto the floor first. That is usually not a protest but a habit of eating calmly without their face in the bowl. You see it more in flat-faced dogs with a deep bowl.
Is my dog pushing the bowl away because he does not like the food?
He might be. Smell the bowl itself first. A plastic bowl that holds old fat still smells of food after washing, and a dog smells that far better than you do. If the bowl smells clean and he refuses only one type of food, it is the food.
Should I correct my dog when he pushes the bowl away?
No. Correcting a dog at the food bowl can make him uneasy around food, and you do not want that. Ignore the pushing, take the bowl away when he is done, and make sure the bowl stands firm.
Does a mat under the bowl help?
A mat catches the kibble and water that go over the edge, and gives your dog a fixed spot to eat. That saves mopping. It does not solve the sliding, the noise or the kibble rolling to the rim; for that you need a heavier bowl. The best combination is a heavy bowl on a mat.
A bowl that stays put
See the Cloud stoneware bowl set: heavy enough not to slide, no metallic clatter, and a smooth inside with no corners for kibble to hide in.
Want a placemat under it straight away? The starter sets combine a bowl set with a placemat, from €44.95.
Still unsure about the material? Read what the best material for a dog bowl is, or see all stoneware dog bowls.