My chihuahua used to do the same thing! We now have a chihuahua, Jack Russel mix, and he does the same thing as well. I have read many reasons why they do that. But, it seems to be only small dogs that do it! I've read they do that because they are protecting their food from anyone else, including people or other pets such as a cat! I have also read they do that because they feel claustrophobic being so close to their bowl. I'm not sure if that is true or not, but that is what I have read on a couple different sites! I tried moving the dog bowl to a different room or a different area in the room and that didn't work for my dogs as well. One thing i didn't try was using a dog bowl for a big dog. Your dog may not feel as smothered while he's eating because there is more space. It's worth a try if you can find a bowl that is cheap!
