Friday, December 25, 2009

Question for dog-lovers (or observers)

Cliff's sister's mini-Dachshund loves to come over and eat Sadie's food. Oh, it's the same kind of food she has at home (only bigger bites), but she will absolutely gorge herself when she's here.
She likes to get a piece of Sadie's food and bring it to the living room, where she'll drop it on the carpet and gobble it up right down to the last crumb.
My mom's mini-poodle did the same thing, many years ago.
Not so with my mongrel, Sadie; she eats her food right at the dish, glancing to the right and left as though watching for some interloper to sneak in and take her food.
So, readers: If your dog exhibits this behavior (eating on the carpet), please let me know; also, tell me the breed of your dog. I'm wondering if it's a small-dog thing.
We know dogs descended from wolves. What is it in their genetic makeup that makes them want to eat their food on a soft, padded area? I'm sure it's an instinctive behavior, but not all dogs exhibit it.
Did wolves seek out a nice grassy area in which to eat?
Inquiring minds want to know.
Let's figure this out!

*after posting this, I went to Google and found an answer that makes sense: "in the wild the pack leader would eat the food first,and while the pack leader is eating the rest of the wolves would run in for a bite and take the piece of meat,in the woods and eat it in there. until the pack leader was done eating. after he/she was done eating then they would all eat together at the kill."

10 comments:

  1. That must go for cats too, because mine does the same thing for the first couple of bites.

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  2. The new dog (Sacha) does that, but my other three don't. Although, I noticed recently that Sacha is more territorial about his food....

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  3. Hawkeye eats at his dish, too. No carrying food around for him...that would be too much trouble.

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  4. Daisy does that even when Patches isn't eating. When Patches eats she stand at her bowl. When we had another smaller dog she took her food to another room on the carpet also. Jake ate at the bowl. So funny to watch them do that until thay leave bits here and there. Interesting story you googled up.
    Oh, a couple of houses Ken serviced in pest control as soon as he walked in the door their dog would run to their food bowl and start eating. He thought it was so funny. Then another house when he pulled up the dog was glad to see him but when he left the dog would then chase his truck LOL; Helen

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  5. Anonymous3:47 AM

    Max stands at his bowl to eat his food..unless it is a treat we give him...then onto the rug he goes...but our dog before a poodle..she took her food to the rug to eat...never could break her of that...guess it is our pets way of "keeping us on our toes"??? LOL..hugs...Ora

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  6. Anonymous7:09 AM

    Donna my Rat Terrier and Shelty do the same thing and some time my other ones does the same thing he is a chia sorry i do not know how to spell it JO

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  7. I had a dog that brought her food into the living room to eat.

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  8. And here I thought Kiwi (small mixed breed) was the only dog with that quirk. She always takes her food through 3 rooms to the dining room (where there is carpet) to eat it. The grandkids always ask me why she does that - I tell them because she knows it is the "dining" room.

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  9. Same here, Gloriebelle takes her food out of the bowl and unto the carpet in the den. And she too is a little dog, a Min Pin, maybe mixed with something else.

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  10. I have a chihuahua and she takes her food to my living room and eats it off the carpet...
    Hugs,
    Pat

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