Is Your Dog a Social Eater?
Hello, and welcome.
Last week, Linda was talking about the benefits of eating socially for humans… but have you ever thought about the social element of your dog’s mealtimes?
If you have a dog who literally wolfs down their food in a matter of seconds you might wonder how it’s even possible to add any social time to their eating habits!
Some dogs will prefer to eat surrounded by either other dogs or people. This might be due to the fact that they feel anxious when alone - meaning their digestion doesn’t kick in until there’s part of their family unit around. Or it might be due to the way they were fed as a young dog - either being a stray in a group or fed from a large bowl with their fellow puppies.
Being free fed from a group bowl as a puppy can also go the other way - creating a dog who finds it difficult for other dogs to be near them when they’re eating. The anxiety around the competitive threat of either dogs or people being near them when they’re eating is part of what we’d term ‘resource guarding behaviours’.
Does your dog prefer to eat alone or in company?
Sharing food with your dog is often frowned upon as it can create “bad manners” such as begging at the table or stealing food from your guests’ plates! Will you confess to having shared your dinner with your dog before?
Eating together or hand feeding your dog, can bring added social benefits - with a lovely boost of the bonding hormone, oxytocin. If your dog is comfortable with you being near them eating, then why not take their dinner to the garden on the odd occasion? By hand feeding them away from the dinner table, they’re less likely to expect the same behaviour from you again when you are usually eating your meals. It will also slow down their eating speed and thus improve their digestion of the presented food.
Perhaps it’s picnic time for the dog, as well as you!
Until next time, happy eating!
Caroline