Why Do Dogs Carry Their Food To The Carpet

My son was visiting yesterday and he saw the dogs doing this and commented that his chihuahua also takes his food from the bowl to the carpet to eat.

Why do dogs carry their food to the carpet.

For some dogs however the carpet is a good place to eat because it makes the food easier to see. The answer to this propensity lies in two words. 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 says dr. Before dogs were domesticated they often ran in packs.

Eating off the soft carpet could just be more comfortable for your canine companion. You can try making it more difficult for her by feeding a raw diet or adding warm water eggs canned food sardines goat s milk broth or another moist additive to her food. Both of them do this. If your dog just really likes to eat supper off the carpet and some dogs do a scrap section carpet piece at the feeding station might prevent them from sneaking away.

As a sociable creature your dog might simply want to be near you while he eats so feeding him within your sight might help allay his loneliness. Why does my dog stuff her little cheeks with her dog food carry it into the living room spit it all out on the rug and eat it there. Possible reasons behind the curious mealtime behavior. Some dogs particularly those in multi dog households may carry their food away as a way to keep it to themselves.

Julie albright keck dvm ma dacvb an assistant professor of veterinary behavior at the university of. Except perhaps to the carpet. Some dogs will just go a short distance away from their dishes and others will go far away or even to a hiding spot such as behind the couch or under the table to eat their food. If you can t figure out why your dog is carrying her food from her bowl to the floor and none of the above reasons seem to fit there may be no logical explanation.

When he or she eats on the carpet the food s location is clear. The problem is with the eating habits of the shih tzu she takes the pieces of her food out of the bowl and distributes them all over the floor even onto the living room carpet area. The biggest reason for this behavior is instinct. The more subordinate pack members would carry food away to hide it from other members of the pack.

The dog may consider the carpet more like the outdoors than the bowl more natural than on the sterile kitchen floor.