Why Do Dogs Carry Their Food To The Carpet

Julie albright keck dvm ma dacvb an assistant professor of veterinary behavior at the university of.

Why do dogs carry their food to the carpet.

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. When he or she eats on the carpet the food s location is clear. The carpet is your dog s safe spot. The answer to this propensity lies in two words.

Possible reasons behind the curious mealtime behavior. Eating off the soft carpet could just be more comfortable for your canine companion. The dog may consider the carpet more like the outdoors than the bowl more natural than on the sterile kitchen floor. Both of them do this.

Some dogs particularly those in multi dog households may carry their food away as a way to keep it to themselves. 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. When they eat food from their bowl they put the food in their mouths and then take the pieces to the carpet in the next room and eat it there. Before dogs were domesticated they often ran in packs.

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 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. For some dogs however the carpet is a good place to eat because it makes the food easier to see. 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.

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. Except perhaps 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 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.

If your dog is getting older and if his or her food is similar in color to the bowl the food may be hard to see.