How does your dog eat?

[mydoglikesbeef]

This might be really random. Basically I have two dogs. One who is 4 and one who is 8.
The older dog has always done this thing where he takes a mouthful of food and tries to wander around. We used to feed them outside but have had trouble with birds so now we feed them in the laundry.

Younger dog has learnt this off older dog I presume. So feed times are them taking mouthfuls and wandering out to look at us and the house basically. Like they have FOMO. I'm constantly cleaning up bits they drop. I can't shut the door when they eat as youngest hates the door moving, freaks him out, and will then sit in the laundry refusing to eat. He'll just wait til you open it and then bolt.

Is this just my dogs?!!

[MaitlandGirl]

One of mine likes to chat to you while he’s eating. When he barks we have to woof back or he lies down next to his bowl and cries. He’s got us very well trained lol

[AvocadosBeforeMortgages]

Mine prefers company when he eats (God knows why - it's not a separation anxiety thing, he's fine being left and despite both being in the house at the moment I haven't seen him for hours as he's taken himself off for a nap).

He's also a grazer - he only eats if he's actually hungry, and often leaves food in his bowl to come back for later. He also has me well trained that if he's hungry and paws at his bowl (which makes an awful clatter) I'll go and put some more in - he very rarely takes the micky with this system! The net result is that he's almost free fed, but his weight remains both healthy and consistent, so we're both happy.

A fundamental part of this is that he's just not a greedy dog, but I do wonder if there's a psychological thing going on because, as he's confident there will be food there when he needs it, he doesn't feel the need to gobble it up the second it appears, regardless of whether or not he's hungry. He therefore feels secure enough to leave it until he actually needs it. I've totally made up that theory myself, but I do wonder

[MartyrGuacamole]

My dog always acts like he's never seen food before... gobbles it down as quick as he can. We have a slow feeder dish which only works in that he tips it over and it takes slightly longer to track all the bits down 😂 he is a healthy weight because we are conscious of it but he is a sod for sticking his head in his food bin if it happens to be open 😂

[FuriousFlannels]

Mine much prefers company while eating.

He also prefers to eat outside, if he can. He's very upset now the cold, dark nights have drawn in because he has to eat indoors (if he wants company).

He kind of licks the food but will happily spit out bits he's not too keen on - though goes back to them at the end and (mostly) cleans them up.

[Gingerninja4]

In 2 seconds normally .

[Brakebackcyclebot]

Wow. My dog hoofs down his food in about 3 miliseconds. We are thinking of buying one of those special bowls to slow him down!

[lazylinguist]

Mine's exactly like yours, Avocados. It's mostly good having a non greedy dog, but the problem is that training with treats doesn't really work!

[Scoobygang7]

Regular wet and dry food eaten at his bowl alone. Sometimes eats all others leaves a bit for later or picks out wet and leaves the dry.

Feed him fresh meat of any kind he brings it piece by piece to the living room. Dumps it on the carpet eats one then leaves the others. Drives me nuts so he no longer gets fresh treats.

[GrumpyMiddleAgedWoman]

Both of mine chow it down in seconds. The older dog is a slower eater than he used to be, but the younger one falls on it and hoovers it up without coming up for air.

[StillMedusa]

Mine likes to be persuaded !
And will ONLY eat kibble if scattered on the floor (thankfully we have engineered wood down)..she will not touch it in a bowl!

And she does like to be hand fed... yeah rod for my own back and all that. She's picky!

[summedup]

Hoovers it all up from his bowl in a few seconds. Sometimes he gets a special treat like a bone or a piece of chicken breast on top of his kibble and he'll take the treat out of his bowl and take it somewhere special like his bed to eat it

[pigsDOfly]

I'm a bit embarrassed about the way my dog eats.

I give it to her in bits in her bowl with a spoon, a method that started because of her delicate digestion, as if she eats too quickly she vomits; I can't use a slow feeder because she's fed on wet food.

If she's feeling hungry before it really time to eat she'll stand in front of me and stare into my eyes and lick her lips; it usually works.

I another well trained one.

[AvocadosBeforeMortgages]

@lazylinguist Mine will engage with training for treats - it's just that they have to be extra good treats, like dried liver or cheese!

Good luck trying to train him with kibble, and I've seen him turn up his nose at relatively low value treats offered to him by strangers (eg a bonio type thing).

He didn't always have the finer things in life, but now he knows what they are he demands them!

[MrsFoxPlus4Again]

Mouthfuls taken to another room to enjoy lol just like yours

[AvocadosBeforeMortgages]

Probably ought to mention that he has a tendency to bury chews and the like. It wouldn't be so bad if he didn't "bury" them indoors and then forget about them - raw bones are now strictly an outdoor activity, and I was less than impressed a few weeks ago when I found a mouldy pizzle stick hidden in a corner of my bedroom Just eat the fecking thing!

[Singlenotsingle]

She looks at it and gives it a sniff all over. Then she picks up a bit in her mouth and wanders away to eat it. She likes to leave the bowl, wander off and come back 2 minutes later for another bit. That's fine as long as the cats haven't found it first.

[DramaAlpaca]

My two are the canine equivalent of vacuum cleaners. One slurp & it's all gone. Then they check out each other's bowls to see if anything got left behind fat chance

[BiteyShark]

Mine will keep looking at me to see if I have anything 'better' to give him. I have to be in the same room as him and avert my eyes .

He always leaves a bit in his bowl (wet food) and then takes his biscuits to a rug to eat. Mine definitely missed the dog memo of hoovering crumbs up as he leaves lots for me to clean away

[lazylinguist]

lazylinguist Mine will engage with training for treats - it's just that they have to be extra good treats, like dried liver or cheese!

Mine will too, but only indoors. His main failing is pulling on the lead, but even the tastiest treats don't help with that, because he's far more interested in getting where he's going. I've tried everything to stop him pulling, but nothing works. He's 35 kilos of solid muscle too!

[Yokohamajojo]

Mine is very very greedy but when it comes to mealtime, I have to fill up his bowl and then put a few kibbles on the floor next to the bowl and tell him to start eating otherwise he just looks at me and won't eat. Not sure when this weird habit started

[bluetue]

Mine takes a piece of kibble, walks away to chew it, then walks back to get some more. Takes ages for her to eat.

The other will stand over the bowl and chow down.

[Syrrup]

I have to sit and watch him eat. If I look at my phone he stops eating and stares at me until I comply. If I leave the room he'll take a big mouthful of food and follow me, then spit the food on the floor and eat it in front of me.

[hiredandsqueak]

Wet food she eats from her bowl. I have to stand nearby to tell her good girl when she looks up periodically. Dry food she takes it out of the bowl and brings it through to eat it off of the carpet. Any dry food in excess of what she wants she "hides" in the corners or at the side of the sofa or if I'm really unlucky on the sofa.

[Giggorata]

My two are labs, so they eat quickly until it's all gone. One of them likes to chat as she eats and the other likes to orient herself to me, so that if I walk round the bowl, she adjusts her position to face me.

There are other horrible lab issues with eating, such as regarding horse poo as a tasty snack, finding and sampling long dead fish on the riverbank, which gives them the runs; and one of them are a sock before I could stop her - could have killed her, but luckily she passed it in a couple of days.

[Giggorata]

Ate a sock...