Why does my dog eat a little then walk away

Why Does My Dog Eat His Food Away From His Bowl?

Picture this: You put your dogs dinner bowl on the ground for him to enjoy a nice meal. He prances over, takes a mouthful, walks across the room, and then drops the food on the floor. Once away from his bowl (whether its just a few steps away or in a corner on the opposite side of the room), he begins munching away. He repeats this pattern until his meal is all gone.

Does that sound familiar?

The Top Theory: Behavioral Instinct

Dogs, like their wolf ancestors, are viewed as pack animals. Its believed this unusual dining behavior is just an instinctual part of their pack mentality.

In the wild, animals have to hunt for their dinner. Experts say the most subordinate would drag their food away from the pack to avoid getting into a fight with the more dominant leaders.

Fighting is obviously very risky, so most animals, especially subordinate ones, will go to great lengths to avoid an altercation,

Dr. Julie Albright-Keck, DVM, MA, DACVB, an assistant professor of veterinary behavior at the University of Tennessee College of Veterinary Medicine.

Makes sense, right? Well, while your little Fido or Fifi may not really have to fight off any competition, his evolutionary instinct may still be kicking in.

Other Theories

Of course, like many dog behaviors, this isnt the only theory out there. Some other commonly cited reasons are:

• If you feed out of metal bowls, your pup may be getting startled by the clinking sound of his collars metal ID and vaccine tags. If this is the case for your pup, consider switching to a flat dish versus a bowl.
• If you or another close family member are in another room then your pup may just be trying to dine with some company!

Why Does My Dog Walk Away From His Food? 3 Reasons & What to Do

The information is current and up-to-date in accordance with the latest veterinarian research.

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If youre noticing that your dog likes to check out their food but doesnt actually do much eating, it can be extremely frustrating. Or perhaps youre finding that your dog is taking their food out of their bowl to eat it elsewhere in the house.

Either way, what are they doing, why are they doing it, and is there any way that you can get them to stop? Here, we go over everything that you need to know about these frustrating behaviors.

The 3 Reasons That Your Dog Might Sniff Their Food and Walk Away

Nothing is quite as frustrating for a dog owner as watching your furry friend look at their food and then walk away without taking a bite. But what does it mean when this happens, and how can you get them to start eating their food?

1. Theyre Not Hungry

Just like you dont want to eat when your belly is full, neither does your dog. They might come to check out the food to see whats there, but that doesnt mean they want to eat just yet. If you are feeding dry just leave the food out and see if they come back to it later. If you are feeding fresh or wet food refrigerate the food and try again after 2 hours or so.

2. Theyre Stressed Out or Sick

If your pup is stressed or sick, theres a good chance that they wont eat as much as they typically do. If you suspect that your dog has a medical problem, take them to a vet as soon as possible so they can get diagnosed and receive the proper treatment.

3. They Dont Like the Food

While this isnt a common problem because dogs have a narrow range of taste receptors, it can happen if you feed table scraps to your dog. Those foods smell fresher, and your dog is often willing to wait to get the food that they like more.

The best solution is to not give table scraps to your dog before they eat their food first. If youve already started, stop feeding them food from your plate until they get back to eating their regular food first.

Enticing Your Pup to Eat

If youre dealing with a picky eater, there are a few things that you can do to entice them to eat their food. Just keep in mind that as long as theres not an underlying medical condition thats keeping them from eating, theres nothing that you strictly need to do to get them to eat.

Eventually, their survival instincts will kick in, and your dog will eat their food. But if youre trying to speed the process along or just want your dog to enjoy their meals more, you can try these three things to get your dog to eat their food:

• Add water or dog-safe bone broth to the food.
• Mix in dog-safe human food.
• Mix dry and wet food.

Just keep in mind that once you start with one of these methods, theres a good chance that your dog will start to expect it and wont eat their food unless you do it each time.

The 4 Reasons Why Your Dog Carries Food Away from the Bowl

If youre finding that your pup is taking their food in their mouth and then carrying it somewhere else to eat, there are a few different things that could be happening.

1. They Want to Protect the Food

Its an age-old instinct that your pup still carries from their wolf days. They take the food away from the bowl to show that its theirs and that they dont want anyone to go after it.

While your pup might not show food aggression, this is their way of saying that they dont want anyone else to mess with their food. The good news with this is that domesticated dogs typically dont take their food far when they do this because they want to keep the bowl in sight.

2. They Want Company

Dogs are extremely social creatures, and if you find that theyre bringing food to wherever youre at, they probably just want to be with you when they eat! Dealing with the mess might be a pain, though, so consider moving their food bowl to wherever youre at.

3. They Dont Like the Bowl

Sometimes when your dog is eating, they bump up against the bowl and create noises that they dont like. This is more common with metal bowls, but it can happen with any material. The simple solution for your pup is to take the food out of the bowl so they dont have to deal with it!

Try a bowl that they cant rattle against and make unpleasant noises, and it should rectify this issue.

4. Theyre Hoarding

Its another instinct that your dog might have, and its easy to spot. If your pup is taking their food from the bowl and moving it somewhere else, theyre probably just saving it for later. Theyre trying to move it to a safe spot so they know that they can eat it later.

This is a common problem in multi-dog households, and typically, the best way to address this is to have a feeding schedule where all dogs eat their food at the same time.

Final Thoughts

Now that you know more about why your dog might be sniffing their bowl and then walking away from their food, its up to you to try a few of the remedies on this list to rectify it.

If the only problem is that you have a picky eater, sometimes all you need is a bit of persistence to get them to eat their food without any additional tips or tricks!

Featured Image Credit: Daria Lixovetckay, Shutterstock

Why Do Dogs Walk Away From Their Bowl To Eat?

Every meal my dog - justlikecountlessothers - takes a mouthful of food from her bowl, and then briskly walks it over to the carpet, where she finally eats it. And I just don't get it. Why not just eat at your bowl?

She's an only dog, so it's not like she's trying to shield it from the competition. I'm certainly not super interested in eating her food.

Jill Layton

As it turns out, it might be more than just an adorable quirk. Like so many canine behaviors, it could be instinctive.

"When dogs in the wild make a kill, the outranked animals drag pieces of food away so they don't have to fight the leader or a more dominant canine for it," Dr. Julie Albright-Keck of the University of Tennessee College of Veterinary Medicine told Vetstreet. "Fighting is obviously very risky, so most animals, especially subordinate ones, will go to great lengths to avoid an altercation."

But what about my dog, who has no one to compete with?

Sarah Wilson, dog expert and co-author of nine books, including "Good Owners, Great Dogs," says she might just be sensitive or nervous.

"This appears to be an urge to take their food to a quieter or more secure area to eat in peace," Wilson told The Dodo. "One of my dogs, PJ, would not take a mouthful away but would pick up her entire bowl to move to a quieter dining spot if she felt stressed."

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Stress would make anyone - dog or human - want to leave a situation.

But the behavior could also be attributed to nesting, Jonathan Klein, owner of I Said Sit dog training school in Los Angeles, told The Dodo.

"Almost like a squirrel that stores away food, except that most dogs don't save it, they eat it right away," Klein said.

Your dog could also simply have a problem with the bowl.

"If you're feeding your dog from a metal bowl, it's possible that the clinking sound created by food being pushed around, or a dangling collar tag, may be irritating or upsetting your dog," Dr. Holly Ahlgrim of DoveLewis Emergency Animal Hospital in Portland, Oregon, told The Dodo. "They may be chewing their food away from the bowl to avoid the sound."

In that case, she said, you should consider switching to a bowl made from a different material, such as plastic.

Flickr/Jim Winstead

Ahlgrim offered two other solutions if you're bothered by your dog's eating habits (if he's getting food everywhere, for example).

1. Move the dog's bowl to a location that he prefers. This should especially be considered if other dogs are present, as it may help to feed him in a place where there's less chance of any perceived threat or competition.

2. If your dog is comfortable with it, feed him in his crate. The Humane Society offers helpful crate training tips.

But as long as your dog's behavior is not aggressive or causing any harm, simply embrace this as part of her personality.

More than likely, if she's taking food from one room to the other, it's because it makes her happy - and that's really all we could ever want for our best friends.

Some dogs scarf down food so quickly they need a slow feeder bowl while others will take a mouthful of food, move it away from their bowl, and eat it. Although it doesnt make sense from a human perspective, there are some reasons for it from your dogs perspective. Why do dogs carry food away from their bowl to eat it? Here are a few reasons they could be doing it:

1. It Could Be A Residual Instinct

Moving or carrying food away from their bowl to eat it could be a residual instinct that your dog does without really thinking about it. In the wild, food can be scarce and is often a competition. You have to take what you can get, when you can get it, and you might have to fight for it.

When it comes to wolves, if there is a wolf that is unwilling to fight others or challenge a more dominant wolf for their portion, they will take what they can grab and move to a safer place where they can eat it without having to worry about competition or injury.

Your dog could be doing something similar, especially if they share a bowl or feeding area with other dogs. It could just be a way to be more relaxed while eating and to avoid competition or fights over food.

2. They Might Be Staking Their Claim

A lot of dogs that do this dont tend to go too far from the bowl. After all, they want to keep an eye on the main source of food even as they enjoy the smaller portion theyve carried away.

However, taking a portion of food and carrying it elsewhere, even if its still close to the bowl, is a clear message of ownership. Your dog could be staking their claim and essentially telling others not to touch it. Depending on the situation and the dog, this could escalate into resource guarding behavior.

3. Your Dog Could Be Lonely

Although many dogs will stay near the bowl when they carry food away, some dogs will end up in a different room entirely. If this is happening, take a closer look at the situation. If your dogs bowl is in another room and they are bringing their food to where you are to eat it, they may just be lonely and looking for company.

If they arent trying to make sure you cant get their food, they might just want your company while they are eating. At the same time, your dog feels safe with you. So, this could also be a way for them to protect themselves and their food while eating, even if there are no actual threats.

4. It Might Be The Bowl

Moving food out of the bowl to eat it seems to be common in dogs that are eating hard kibble out of metal bowls. It could be possible that your dog doesnt like the noise kibble makes in the bowl or their tags hitting the bowl as they are eating it. Other possibilities could be related to the feel or smell of the bowl.

You can try changing to a different dog food bowl if this behavior is making a mess on your carpet. You could also try putting a mat down under their bowls to see if theyll eat from there if they continue carrying food away from their bowls. You can try a few things to see if it makes a difference. If its not causing issues for you, then you can also just let your dog do their thing.

5. Your Dog Might Want Privacy

Another potential reason your dog may carry food away from their bowl to eat it could be your dog wanting more privacy or seclusion while they are eating. If their bowl is in a busy or loud area and they are moving to a quieter area to eat, you may want to consider moving their bowl to a quieter, more secluded area.

Some dogs may not mind having you nearby while they are eating or having a lot of activity going on and some dogs may prefer some privacy, seclusion, and quiet. Taking a closer look at the differences between where your dogs bowl is located and where they are taking food to eat can help you determine whether this is the case.

You may not ever need to answer this question. But, if your dog moves their food away from their bowl to eat, now you know a few reasons why they might be doing it. And, if anyone ever asks you, why do dogs carry food away from their bowl to eat it?, youll have a few answers to share with them.

Who knows? Maybe it will help you win at trivia someday. At the very least, figuring it out for your dog could be valuable insight for setting up a feeding station for your dog.