Why does my dog want me to watch him eat?
It is a common to wonder why does my dog eat when I eat? We anthropomorphize our animals all the time, giving them human characteristics and even creating an inner monologue for them. If a human was to demand we watch them eat (and not eat without being watched), we would have understandable concerns. This is why it is important to note that dogs are social animals. In nature they would hunt and eat in a group, a natural behavior that is also present in other canids such as hyenas or wolves.
Perhaps you have noticed that your puppy wont eat unless you are next to them? It is necessary for us to develop close bonds with our dogs from the time they are young. This important period of socialization in puppies will help reduce behavioral problems, protect them, establish boundaries and give them the best quality of life.
However, this bonding as a puppy might work too well. Dogs learn by association. If you have accustomed your dog to eating with you in a certain room, they may think they are not allowed to eat anywhere else or with anyone else. In their mind, to eat without you is not an option. They will choose any time to eat only while you are near. And even if you do not eat at the same time, they will enjoy your presence while doing so.
While establishing the habit while they are a puppy is one reason your dog only eats when you eat, it is not the only one. It can happen in older dogs all of a sudden, implying another causes of their eating anxiety.
Many things can happen while you leave your dog at home. An alarm may ring, a postman visits, noisy construction begins and much more. While some dogs are comfortable if you leave them alone for a few hours, others are more sensitive. They can have difficulty relaxing in solitude and spend most of the time alarmed from every noise, no matter how small.
They are not only affected by your absence but do not feel safe in that environment. Therefore, they cannot properly protect their home. Remember that dogs are territorial animals, so this discomfort will be reflected in their lack of appetite. Your return home will make them feel more relaxed because they know that you will protect them.
When a dog is scared all of a sudden, there are many reasons behind it. It is common in shelter dogs or those which have experienced trauma, even if behavioral issues such as eating anxiety only develop later.
Another reason why your dog is unable to eat when youre not around is their guardians active influence. It is important to spend time training our dog to help them navigate their environment in a healthy way. While ignoring their training is a problem, providing the wrong education can also be an issue.
If we train our dog to eat at certain times and in certain areas, they may associate this as you giving them permission to eat only when you are there. This can happen whether you use negative or positive reinforcement for dogs. It is often something we do unwittingly, but our encouragement can become misplaced.
This may also occur if your dog has trouble eating in the first place and you try to train them to eat better. Its not always our fault, but we may accidentally teach them that we need to be around in order for them to eat.
One of the most common problems related to eating is separation anxiety in dogs. This means your dog does not like being away from their human best friend, so they will not eat without your presence. In this case it is not the environment, it is the absence of the person. This behavior is a physiological and psychological way of expressing their frustration.
Not all dogs suffering from separation anxiety stop eating. However, it is quite common. Some dogs that go through this stage of separation can skip meals but continue eating at other times. Others do not even approach the feed because they just do not feel like it.
This is not the only behavior a dog assumes when they experience separation anxiety. Analyze the whole context. Does your dog have other destructive behaviors when you leave home? Do they defecate, break, bite and howl on a prolonged basis? If the answer is yes, your pet might well fall into this category.
It is best to consult with an ethologist, canine educator or trainer, although you can also start home rehabilitation. Do not forget that, in the long term, it can become a serious problem. Always go to a professional for guidance if you are at all unsure.
Anxiety Due to Separation From Owners
Separation anxiety in dogs is a psychological response to their dissatisfaction when separated from their owners. Not all dogs experiencing separation anxiety will stop eating when the owner isn’t around to watch them, although it is a very regular occurrence.
Verify if your dog is exhibiting any additional damaging activities when you are away from home. Is it common for them to regularly defecate, break, bite, or howl? Your pet may fall within this classification if that’s the case. That could necessitate consulting with dog trainers to retrain your dog and instill an ‘independence’ mindset into its senses.
If You Have Multiple Dogs, Don’t Feed Them Together
Many owners find that feeding their pets in a kennel works best. People who have more than one dog should also know how the dogs treat each other. The most dominating dog should be fed first, followed by the next most dominating, and so on. That can aid in the preservation of social harmony within the household.
Teach your pets to wait patiently for food. There should be a specific eating area for each dog. Dogs that are healthy and hungry eat right away. If she does not, something else could be responsible.
14 Signs Your Dog Doesn’t Love You (Even if You Think They Do)
Q: My dog wont eat unless I watch him? Hes about seven years old. He has this weird habit of making you watch him or at least be close by while he eats. Right now I have my door open so he can see me while he eats his food. Last night he would bark and make me get out of bed so I could stand by him while he ate. I have no idea why he does this. Sometimes he will eat if Im not around but otherwise if Im home he gets my attention to watch him eat.
Answer by anabaci As a trainer, many people have this problem, whether it be that the dog cant eat without their owner or go outside, etc. This is purely a problem with the dog owner. You LOVE it that your dog cant do something without you! Your dog will eat, trust me. If not today, then tomorrow. Answer by ladybug I had the same problem with my male Pekingese when he got older he never did that when he was younger I just think he wanted me to be with him as he ate his food so I did he was an older dog so I just sat with him as he ate as long as he could see me he was ok. I did not care I would just be watching TV or doing laundry. My dogs now could care less if Im in the room or not. My brothers Pit Bull is like that she will not eat if my brother is not in the room. Some dogs are just like that.
Answer by maria luz e martinez My 3 yr old Rottweiler does the same thing. He barks and barks at me through the window until I come out. He’ll go to his bowl and start eating. I have to act like I’m watching the gate while he eats. I’ll tell him, “Okay, I’ll watch the gate while you eat”. He’ll even stop and look up at me to see if I’m watching the gate. I think he feels like his guard is down when he eats – so he needs someone to watch his back or watch the gate.
He doesn’t care if it’s my husband or me. I got this idea because I used to have a female Rottweiler named Girl that was training another female pup that we adopted named Xena. Xena would be sitting at the gate and Girl seemed to be taking a nap. As soon as Xena started dosing off, Girl would run towards the gate and bark at Xena as if she was scolding her.
Poor Xena would immediately straighten herself up because she got scolded. The girl would go back to her spot and make sure Xena was not falling asleep. Every time Xena started to lay down, Girl would run towards her and bark at her. Finally, I told Girl to leave Xena alone. Poor Xena. She was really lazy. She didn’t care much about guarding our house, but Girl was intense.
Answer by -C- My little terrier mix that I adopted does the same thing. I wont give in, though. Usually, I just put a couple of pieces of her food on the floor in front of the bowl and tell her to eat. If she doesnt, I go on about my business. Most of the time, she will come to sit with me, run in the kitchen and eat a bite or two, come back and sit with me, and repeat this several times until her food is gone. If I am cooking or cleaning in the kitchen, she will stay and eat until she is finished. If she doesnt eat, her food doesnt stay down. I give it to her in the morning. If I leave it down, my Lab will gobble it up.
I dont know what makes them do this, but, I wont play by their rules. When I first got my Lab, he wouldnt go poo unless I told him he wasnt finished. He would run out to pee, then run back up the stairs. Id have to say “Youre not finished. Go potty” or he wouldnt! That only lasted a couple of weeks. Now, he does what he has to do before he comes back in.
After I knew he was housebroken, he would still bark around 3:30 – 4:30 every morning to go outside. I got up every single morning for about a month before I got tired of it. Now, neither one of my dogs makes a noise until they hear my alarm go off in the morning. It has a very distinctive sound. They dont even budge when my husband gets up to come to work at 3-4 a.m. They are smarter than we give them credit sometimes. Know better? Give your own answer to this question!