My golden retreiver will only eat his food off the floor or out of your hand.

He doesn't like his bowl. Put his food on a ceramic dinner plate. There will be no residual smells, and the food is easy to access...

If he won't eat out of his bowl then don't feed him on a bowl. I thik that this was a common sense question.

That's strange. Usually Goldens are quick to gulp down whatever they get and look for more. My first thought is that you are overfeeding him. Evaluate him using LongLiveYourDog.com - Life Span Study - Rate Your Dog If he is overweight, cut back a little.

It would also be a good time to exert a little discipline. Put down the dish with what the dog should eat, and give it 15 minutes to eat. Then take it up. Do not give it anything to eat until its next scheduled meal. In a few days, it should be eating what it needs. Continue to check its ribs and adjust the food as needed. This is not easy. I had a Shepherd go 3 days on a few nibbles. I was a wreck, but she was fine. It is almost unknown for a healthy dog not to eat what it needs. Unfortunately, in too many cases, it is less than the package says, and less than the owner thinks the dog should have. Many dogs are quite good at holding out for tastier chow. Like kids, sometimes it calls for tough love