A Small Dog

A Hoover Vacuum Has Nothing on your Dog

Posted on 15. Nov, 2008 by Jeff K. in Small Dog Behavior

I love the way Andy Rooney, begins his editorial during the last segment of Sixty Minutes. I could hear him asking this question with his unique, somewhat whiney tone: You ever notice that your dog wolfs his food down as though it were his last meal? Why is that?

Dogs are competitive eaters and it is not hard to understand why. They are born in litters where many puppies vie for a limited number of teats on the mother’s belly. First come, first served. British veterinarian, Dr. Bruce Fogle, in his book The Dog’s Mind, explains.

“Feeding behaviours are also set in the dog’s mind during the socialization period. . . At weaning, they learn to beg for food from their mothers, a behaviour based upon the wolf’s routine of regurgitating food for the young. These activities are rewarded during the socialization period, are imprinted on the dog’s mind and perpetuated for life. The consequence is that many dogs ‘wolf’ down their meal as if it might be stolen if they aren’t speedy enough. Others become supreme beggars, experts at the soulful, mournful look that melts the heart of the malleable master. Pups from large litters, and that often means from larger breeds, have a greater tendency to gorge themselves on food. This might be a result of more competition for food during the socialization period. It is also probably genetic in origin. Pups from breeds that are more innately aggressive also bolt down their food faster than others of the same size. West Highland terriers, for example, are good gorgers. They are also highly competitive within the litter. Cavalier King Charles spaniels on the other hand, are both less aggressive and more selective about their food. This behaviour is naturally modified to a great extent by the different types of owners that choose and feed these breeds, but the difference can still be traced to competitiveness during the socialization phase.”

At Kelsey’s Dog House we see the whole gamut of eating behavior. In general, our experience backs up Fogle’s statement that the smaller the breed, the more finicky the eater. There are exceptions and again they support Fogle’s correlation between aggressiveness and food gorging. We care for a few Yorkshire Terriers and Chihuahuas, for example, that are chow hounds. Most of these tiny food vacuums tend to be more confident and assertive than others of their breed. One small, mixed breed dog scarfs up food so rapidly, we have to take extreme care when presenting food or treats, or we may lose a fingertip to chomping jaws. This dog is neither large nor aggressive around people or dogs. I suppose he must have come from a large litter, where getting to mother’s milk was a real food fight. We also had one instance where a couple of dogs were being chronically underfed by their owner in an attempt to keep their weight under control. These extremely skinny dogs ate their small portions ravenously simply because they were missing needed calories.

If your dog inhales food, it really is no cause for concern as long as the behavior does not cause indigestion for your dog. When feeding your dog, all you really need to focus on is making sure he/she gets a nutritionally balanced food in the correct amount for his/her size. Your veterinarian can provide guidance. Nature will take care of the rest.

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