https://www.barkandwhiskers.com/2015-05-15-nl-curious-dog-behaviors/
https://www.barkandwhiskers.com/p/20126ed9-67cf-46c6-8462-c3e9f2c323f2/
By Dr. Becker
Many dog parents spend a lot of time looking at their furry companions and wondering, “Why is he doing that?” And some of the more curious canine behaviors we witness can even be cause for concern.
Before you rush to the dog psychologist or scour the internet for answers to the question “Why does my dog… (fill in the blank),” here are four of the most common curious canine behaviors explained.
Why does my dog move food from his bowl to the floor before eating it?
This can be pretty crazy behavior if you value a clean floor, and is especially gross if you’re also a raw material eater with wall-to-wall carpeting! Unfortunately, it can be difficult to understand exactly why your dog is exhibiting this strange behavior: “I prefer to eat away from my bowl.”
For example, I have known dogs who would move kibble from the bowl to the floor before eating it, but the problem would disappear once they switched to a more species-appropriate diet. Many dogs find real food so delicious that they don’t want to waste time playing with their dinner: they want to dig right into it.
Some experts believe this behavior is a characteristic of pack mentality. According to Dr. Julie Albright-Keck, a veterinary behavior assistant at the University of Tennessee College of Veterinary Medicine, when wild dogs kill, the less dominant members of the pack remove pieces of food and eat in private to avoid to be arrested. by a dog of higher rank.1
And even if your own dog has no competition for his food in your household, he may still feel an instinctive need to protect his food.
It’s also possible that the sound of food against a metal bowl or the sound of his labels against the bowl bothers him and he prefers to eat without distraction.
To try to curb this behavior, if you give your dog kibble, I recommend that you switch him to a more biologically appropriate diet to see if it does the trick. This will definitely improve your dog’s overall health and even his table manners. You can also try switching to a non-toxic ceramic food bowl or a regular plate if you think your dog is sensitive to the noise created by eating from a metal bowl.
If, after adopting a better diet and different dishes, he continues to move food on the floor, see if moving his feeding site to a more secluded area curbs this behavior. And of course, if you have other dogs in the family, everyone should be separated for meals so that there is no competition for food and you can monitor who eats what and how much .
Speaking of strange eating habits… Why does my dog eat grass?
If your otherwise healthy and well-nourished dog nibbles on selected grass from time to time, there is no cause for concern. Unless, of course, the grass has been treated with chemicals (pesticides, insecticides, fertilizers, etc.). You definitely don’t want your precious pooch ingesting toxins with their grass snack.
Dogs who selectively choose specific herbs to munch on may be looking for the medicinal qualities of the plant (many herbs are rich in potassium and enzymes) or looking for a natural source of fiber. But there are also frenzied, non-selective grass eaters, which can mean a gastrointestinal problem is brewing.
Dogs instinctively seek natural remedies for occasional stomach upsets, and grass often does the trick, not to mention it’s usually easy to find. There is something about the texture of the herb that triggers vomiting or bowel movements in many dogs, which relieves tummy discomfort. But if the eat grass is chronic and especially if it causes your pet to vomit frequently, it is time to make an appointment with your veterinarian.
In the meantime, I recommend improving your dog’s diet if he is still eating kibble or other non-human grade commercial dog food. Most healthy dogs fed a balanced, species-appropriate diet do not eat grass, because they get all the nourishment their body needs from their food and rarely suffer from digestive problems. Adding probiotics and digestive enzymes can also benefit dogs with a “sensitive stomach.”
If you are confident that your dog is receiving optimal nutrition through a species-appropriate diet, but still eats a notable amount of grass, consider growing your own sunflower sprouts. Sprouts can provide an easy, inexpensive source of fresh, living, organic vegetation and are much more nutritious for your pet than grass.
Speaking of grass… Why does my dog kick it after pooping?
Has this ever happened to you? You walk little Buddy on a leash and, like the well-trained boy he is, when you give him a verbal cue to poop, he produces almost immediately. So !
You’re ready with a biodegradable poop bag in hand, and as you bend over to collect his deposit, grass and dirt smack your face because Buddy, having done his business, kicks up his heels in celebration. What the hell?
Here’s the simple explanation for Buddy’s happy dance after pooping: Wild dogs kick the ground after pooping to tidy up (much like cats do in their litter box) and also to mark their territory. Your dog has glands in his feet that secrete pheromones, and a few scratches toward the back of his paws release these chemicals, thereby “claiming” the spot.
This is why dogs spend so much time sniffing the ground, bushes, tree trunks and anywhere another animal might have eliminated. Little Buddy is constantly monitoring his territory and looking for information about other dogs that have come and gone.
And speaking of poop… Why does my dog sometimes eat it?
This quirky canine habit ranks among, if not THE, most disgusting behaviors for most dog guardians. By the way, the scientific name for eating stool is coprophagy. Does a fancy name make it less revolting? I did not mean it.
Dogs eat poop for many reasons. Sometimes there is an underlying medical problem such as an enzyme deficiency or pancreatic insufficiency. Intestinal malabsorption and gastrointestinal parasites are also common medical reasons underlying coprophagia.
Poor quality dogs, processed dry diets will often seek other sources of digestive enzymes to compensate for a chronic enzyme deficiency caused by a biologically inappropriate diet.
Coprophagia can also have a behavioral cause. Anxious or stressed dogs may eat poop. The same goes for dogs who have been punished for improper elimination, and unfortunately, many puppy mill dogs are at high risk for habitual stool eating.
My recommendations for reducing/eliminating this behavior include eating a diet containing human-grade foods (preferably unprocessed) protein and complete with probiotics and digestive enzymes, and make sure your dog has toys that stimulate his brain and relieve boredom. Also make sure she gets plenty of exercise.
Consider experimenting with some of the over-the-counter coprophagia deterrent products. Be sure to look for a non-toxic product that does not contain MSG.
If despite your best efforts, your dog’s eating behavior does not improve or gets worse, I recommend making an appointment with your veterinarian to rule out any medical reasons underlying this behavior.
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