Should I feed my fearful dog by hand?

Have you been advised to feed your sensitive, anxious pup by hand, in order to strengthen your bond? I hear this a lot from adopters of very shy or shut-down dogs. They've received this advice on social media, or from a rescue. 

Is it good advice, to hand feed a scared dog? Will it improve your relationship? 

While the answer is really "It depends!" because every dog is an individual... I generally do NOT recommend hand feeding as a way to connect with an extremely fearful dog.  Watch the video to learn why:

Want to practice your observation skills?  Watch the clips in this video and see if you're able to spot signs that the dogs are happy, or not happy, with hand feeding. 

Not sure what your dog's body language is tell you? Check out my "Recognizing Fear in Your Dog" workshop.