Possible Reasons Behind the Curious Mealtime Behavior
The answer to this propensity lies in two words: pack mentality.
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. Julie Albright-Keck, DVM, MA, DACVB, an assistant professor of veterinary behavior at the University of Tennessee College of Veterinary Medicine.
“Fighting is obviously very risky, so most animals, especially subordinate ones, will go to great lengths to avoid an altercation,” says Dr. Albright.
Although the competition in your house may not even be real — particularly if you only have one dog — it’s his evolutionary instinct taking over.
Another possibility: If you use a metal bowl, the noise of the food moving around in the dish or even his collar tags hitting the side can be frightening or annoying, notes Dr. Albright, so he may be taking the kibble away from the trigger of the sound.
How to Put the Kibosh on This Kibble Ritual
If you want to curb this unusual eating behavior, Dr. Albright suggests swapping metal bowls for plastic versions or paper plates to rule out issues with noise.
“If the dog still takes the food away, find a more secluded or confined area for him to eat,” she says. “And if there are other dogs in the house, separate them at feeding time to allow for privacy, so there’s no threat of competition — either real or imagined.”
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Your Dog Doesn’t Want to Eat Alone
Dogs feel loneliness just like people do.
If you’re in another room and your dog is alone in the kitchen, they may carry their food to where you are to eat it.
“Dogs naturally long for companionship, so he may just want to see you or be near you while he eats,” says Cornwell.
Dogs are family members but often don’t eat with the family. Carrying the food to where you are could be a sign that your pet simply wants to be part of the family dynamic.
As a pet sitter, I’ve seen this behavior firsthand.
One of my clients simply will not eat if she’s all alone in the room. When I sit for her, I usually set up my laptop nearby or even bring her food bowl outside so we can enjoy the sunshine together.
I’ll sit or stand nearby while she eats. This makes her happy, and she eats right from the bowl every time.
Why does my dog take food out of their bowl to eat it?
Feeding time is a joyous time for your pooch. If you noticed, most dogs nearly bounce off walls when they know that it’s time for chowing and you are heading their way ready to fill up his bowl. Most dogs usually dive right in and start eating as soon as you fill their bowl and put it down on the floor.
However, some dogs display some odd behaviors during feeding time, one of which is to take their food and carry it away someplace else before he starts eating. If you think that this is unusual; well it is, and it isn’t. One reason it isn’t is because a lot of dogs do this, and it is because they are supposed to just start eating right away.
A lot of animal experts agree that pack mentality is still one of the reasons why dogs will get food from their dinner dish and take it someplace else to put it in a pile and eat it later. There are dogs that will go only a short distance from their dishes and there are others that will go far or even find a hiding spot to eat their food.
Instinct is the biggest reason for this. This pack mentality is natural and each breed has a different level of pack mentality. Some dogs have a stronger instinct than others and although you do not see your pampered canine in the same way as you would a pack of wolves, they still have this lingering instinct. When your dog moves the food away and puts it into a pile, they are saying “this is my food so don’t you move it.”
Just like humans, dogs also feel lonely. If your dog is alone in his space and you are in another room, there is a big possibility that your dog may carry his food and bring it to where you are. Dogs also long for companionship so he may just want to see you or be in your presence while he chows. Although dogs are considered family members, they do not really eat with the family so the act of carrying his food could be a sign that he also wants to be a part of the family dynamic.
If you are using metal dishes, there is a possibility that your dog does not like the noise and is frightened or annoyed by it. The sound of metal against metal can easily startle your dog so it could be one of the reasons why your dog takes his food away. An easy solution to this is to swap the metal bowls for plastic ones.
So, what can you do to prevent your beloved pooch from taking his food away someplace else? Aside from trading metal bowls for plastic blows, you can also make feeding time private. There are times when dogs move their food because of competition so you can help ease your dog’s mind by separating her from other pets during mealtime. You may have to put him and his food in a closed-off room or in a kennel during chow time but only is he is comfortable. With less chances of perceived competition, your dog will be able to eat in peace. As much as possible, try not to drop the food on the floor or else your pooch will associate floor with food and this only encourages the habit of moving the food away and taking it somewhere else. You might also want to try feeding him a new type of dog food. There are some dogs that carry kibbles around the house and end up leaving them on the floor, but they won’t go through the same type of work for wet food. Try experimenting with variations on his diet so the mess can be minimised and food can be kept in the bowl.
Mealtime must be a peaceful time for your dog when they can eat and enjoy their food without any concern so as much as you can try to make it as such for your beloved pooch. However, sometimes we just have to face the truth that our dogs do a lot of weird stuff which you might not understand. As long as your dog’s behaviour is not aggressive or does not cause any harm to other pets or yourself, you might just simply want to embrace this idiosyncrasy as part of the unique personality of this tiny animal that gives so much joy to the family.
Bringing food into another room is a behavior that is not very concerning but it is something which you would want to curb if you do not want to see crumbs on the floor. With a little adjustment and practice on both sides, you will be able to see your dog eating heartily from his bowl.