As a dog lover, my favorite thing to do every day is to observe my naughty and cute dog. Every move he makes touches my heart, and there is one behavior in particular that both amuses and fills me with wonder. Why does my dog take food from the bowl and eat it somewhere else? This behavior was really quite puzzling. When I probed deeper, I realized that there were actually quite a few little secrets hidden in there.
I began to look up information and consult pet experts. Slowly, I understood the reason behind this practice of my dog. Today, I especially want to share this gain and also talk about what we can do to deal with this problem. I hope I can help my friends who are also confused about this. After all, a happy and healthy dog is the biggest wish of every dog owner!
Reasons why does my dog take food from his bowls and eat it elsewhere else
At the beginning, I thought it was just a small habit of my dog. But as time passed, I became more and more curious about the reasons behind this behavior.
Food guarding instincts and security
Why does my dog take food from the bowl and eat it somewhere else? I was quite puzzled at first. But then, I figured out that it might have a lot to do with the dog's food guarding instinct and sense of security.
Think about it, little guys like dogs are born with a sense of territory and food protection instincts. In the wild, they have to protect their own food, or it may be taken away by other animals, which is a matter of survival. Although we keep them at home now and they don't have to worry about food and water, this instinct of food protection is still in their bone.
I've noticed that sometime when there are other pet or guest in the house, my dog will be especially nervous about his food. He will take the food to a corner or a more private place to eat, afraid that others will steal it. Its cautious look really makes me feel funny and heartbroken.
Also, when the dog is eating, if someone or an animal comes close to it, it will be especially alert, with its eyes and body language all revealing the message of “don't come near my food”. Sometimes it will also bark a few times, as if to warn others. Watching it protect its food so seriously, I can feel how strong its instinct to protect its food is.
Actually, I think this kind of instinct is still quite important for dogs. Although we don't have to worry about food anymore, this kind of alertness can make the dog stay vigilant and ensure its safety when facing potential threats.
That's why I try not to disturb my dog whenever I see him taking food from his bowl to eat elsewhere. I know that this is a way for him to protect his food and feel safe and comfortable. I will give it enough space and time to adjust and adapt. After all, when we raise dogs, we want them to grow up happily and healthily!
Dogs explore different eating experiences
As animals, dogs have their own unique nature and preference. Why does my dog take food from the bowl and eat it somewhere else? At first, I thought he was a picky eater or didn't like that bowl. But then I realized that it might just be a dog's unique eating pleasure. You know what? Dog don't just eat to fill their bellies. They also look for fun and novelty in the eating process. Sometimes, my dog will just rattle off a few dog treat from his bowl and run across the living room to eat them. It's like playing a special game.
I still remember one time, I specially prepared a super delicious food for him, thinking that he would surely feast on it in his bowl. However, after a few bite, he started his “porter” game again. He carried the food from the bowl to the corner of the living room, bit by bit. It was both funny and cute to see his concentration and enjoyment.
I also realized that my dog is not the only one who does this. So many of my dog-owning friends around me have encountered similar situations. Some dogs will hide their food under the sofa or under the bed, and then go back to find it later. It's like simulating life in the wild. I think this may also be a manifestation of the dogs' nature. They like to explore different ways of eating and enjoy that novelty and fun.
So now I'm not even too amazed to see my dog taking food from his bowl and eating it somewhere else. I know that this is just his unique eating pleasure and a natural expression of his personality.
Food too hot
You may not believe it, sometimes the food we prepare for our dog is too hot. It's quite common, but we don't pay much attention to it. We might give our dog some hot cut of meat to give him some nutrients. But what we don't realize is that these food can be really hot for dog. They can't eat it right away.
A dog's mouth and esophagus are much more sensitive than our. A slightly hot food can be too hot for them. Therefore, sometime you will find that the dog feel that the food is too hot, it will use its paw to pull the food out of the bowl, and then eat it when it cools down a bit. We really need to be aware of this in the future.
To get more food
Sometimes dogs take food from the bowl and eat it somewhere else probably to get more food. Sometimes I noticed a special habit of my dog - always taking part of the food from the bowl and running to the other side of the room to eat it. At first, I thought this was just one of his pet peeves, but after observing him for a while, I realized that there might be a deeper meaning hidden behind this behavior.
I noticed an interesting phenomenon. Whenever the dog took food out of the bowl, if I paid a little attention, he would look at me with an expectant look, as if suggesting something to me. At first, I didn't pay much attention to it. Just occasionally I would add some more food to it. But as time went by, I began to realize that my dog might be using this behavior to “cheat” for more food.
At one point, I paid special attention to his behavior. As usual, he took some of the food out of the bowl and ran to the corner of the living room to eat it. After a while, it seemed to be full, so it returned to the bowl and looked at me with a contented expression. I noticed that there was already much less food in the bowl and subconsciously added some more to it. Immediately, my dog excitedly circled around me a few times and then went back to enjoying his treat.
As an owner, I also realized the problems this behavior could cause. If my dog always gets more food in this way, it may cause him to consume too many calories and nutrients, which may lead to obesity and other health problems. As a result, I need to be more mindful of the amount of food he eats and make sure he is getting the right amount of food and nutrients.
To solve this problem, I started trying to adjust its eating habits. I would feed it at a fixed time and control the amount of food each time. At the same time, I would also observe its body shape and weight changes and adjust its diet plan in time. In addition, I would provide it with some healthy snacks and toys, so that it could stay healthy and energetic while enjoying its food.
Dogs get lonely just like people.
Did you know that dogs actually love to play with people or other pals just like us humans? When they are left alone at home, the idea of finding someone to communicate with will not disappear, but may be too quiet at home, making them feel more lonely and bored.
Think about it, how boring it would be for a dog to be home alone, surrounded by silence and nothing. At this time, it walks over to the food bowl, sees all the delicious food, and may think, “Hey, why don't I eat while wandering around, so I can satisfy my cravings and pass the time at the same time.” So, it takes the food out of the bowl and nibbles on it while wandering around the house. In this way, it enjoys its food and seems to be less lonely as if it has a companion.
But honestly, we as owners have to understand that this behavior of the dog may be because it is so lonely. In order to make it less lonely, we can prepare more toys for it, such as the kind of rubber ball that can be chewed, small dolls that can make sounds, so that it can have something to play at home alone.
Also, we can give the dog a bigger space to move around, so that it can play freely. If our home is big enough, we can make a special play area for it and put its favorite toys and facilities, so that it will not feel bored.
Of course, in addition to these, we can also interact more with the dog, play games together, training training and so on. Every day when you get home, play catch frisbee, hide and seek with it, or teach it some new skills, new commands, so that it can make it happy, but also make the relationship between us better.
Your dog doesn't like bowls.
For a while now, I've noticed that my dog doesn't seem to be too keen on the new dog bowls. Every time he eats, he has to wander around the bowl, sniffing around with his nose and sometimes gently pulling on the rim of the bowl with his paw before he will eat. But sometimes he just takes a few bites and leaves, as if he is not interested in the food in the bowl. I wondered if it could be a problem with the bowl that makes the dog not like to eat from it.
In order to test my idea, I started to observe my dog's reaction to different bowls. Hey, guess what? When using a stainless steel bowl, the dog ate like a champ, licking the bowl clean every time. But as soon as he switched to a plastic bowl, he became fussy, either eating a few bites and then not eating, or simply take the food out of the bowl to eat.
I realized that my dog really didn't like certain materials. Maybe it's the smell or touch of the plastic bowl that makes him uncomfortable, so he'd rather take his food out of the bowl and eat it than eat it right out of the bowl.
To solve this problem, I started to change different materials and shapes of bowls for my dog. Stainless steel bowls, ceramic bowls, silicone bowls, I tried them all, and I also tried different shapes, such as flat bottomed ones and ones with depth. But guess what? The dog's favorite is still that No Spill Dog Bowl. Every time he eats from this bowl, he eats extra happily and never needs to pick his food out.
In addition to the material and shape, I also found that the size and depth of the bowl is quite important. If the bowl is too deep or too small, it will be inconvenient for the dog to eat, and sometimes the food will get everywhere. So yes, when choosing a bowl, I have to pay attention to these details as well, and I have to make it comfortable for my dog to eat.
Environmental factors and comfort
My dog is very active. It runs around the house all day long. However, I have found that he is very particular about what he eats. If the bowl is not placed in the right place, it will feel awkward to eat. For example, put it in the corner or next to the furniture. It will feel that the space is too small to maneuver. At this point, it will cleverly take the food out of the bowl and find a spacious place to enjoy its meal freely.
One more thing, the environment for eating is also important. If the surroundings are too noisy, it will look nervous. When there is a lot of noise outside, it slows down its eating speed. Sometimes even simply do not eat in the bowl, directly carrying food to a quiet corner to eat.
Countermeasures for dogs who take food from the bowl and eat it elsewhere
After understanding the possible reasons why does my dog take food from his bowl and eat it somewhere else. There are a number of step we can take to combat the problem.
Observing and Recording Your Dog's Behavior
First of all, I will be very attentive to some of its behavioral patterns, such as when, where and why it take food out of the bowl. Doing so will help me understand its behavioral habit and preference better, and I will be able to treat it more appropriately afterwards. When observing, I pay special attention to his body language and expression changes, wondering if he is moving the food away because he is uncomfortable or in pain. If I find something wrong with him, I will think of something immediately and go to a professional for help.
Adjusting your dog's eating environment
Next, we can make a small adjustment to your dog's eating environment. Hopefully, this will make its behavior a little better. We need to find a quiet and spacious place, also away from things that will disturb it. Then put its bowl set there. So it can feel relaxed and safe when it eat.
Also, we can get a special eating nook for it. Put some toy, mat and so on, so that it can be more comfortable and happy to eat there. So that it can concentrate more when it eats.
Positive reinforcement training and guidance
Positive reinforcement training is a great way to get your dog to break bad habit. We can use this method to get the dog to learn to eat properly in a designated place and stop taking food out of the bowl to eat.
When training, we can let him eat from the bowl first. If he start to want to take it out, we rush to give him a small snack or pet him and praise him to let him know that he will be rewarded for eating in the bowl. We can can talk to him in a very gentle voice and expression so he understand us better.
Of course this is a persistent training. Slowly, it will develop the habit of eating in the bowl. Of course, this process can't be rushed, it has to be done slowly. We can't punish it or it may backfire.
Focus on your dog's mental health
In addition to the above way, we also need to pay attention to the mental health of our dog. When it come to the mental health of dog, it is really quite important. The emotion of dog can be rich. They need enough love and companionship to live a happy and healthy life.
If we always ignore it or always leave it alone at home, it may feel lonely and bored. Then they will do something not so good. For example, taking the food out of the bowl and eat it everywhere. So, we have to keep it company and play with it more often to let it know how much we love it.
Moreover, we have to respect our dog's character and need, and don't force it to do thing it doesn't like. Only when we really understand it and fulfill its need will it become our good friend and family member.
Conclusion
Why does my dog take food from the bowl and eat it somewhere else?With that said you should understand.
With all those analysis and methods above, you should be able to figure out why it does that and how to correct the habit.
In fact, ah, give your dog a comfortable, safe and fun place to eat. It will naturally be willing to eat well in the bowl, and can slowly develop good habits.
Also, the dog's mood and emotional needs are very important. We have to spend more time with it and love it a little more. In this way, our relationship with our dogs will be closer and we will get along better.
Of course, every dog has its own little personality and preferences. So when dealing with this problem, we have to figure out how to deal with it on its own terms. We also have to keep adjusting and improving during the process. Only in this way can we find the best way for my dog to grow up healthy and happy.