Why Dogs Move Their Food Bowls Around
Schnauzers do it, Great Danes do it, even little Maltese and poodles do it. All dogs do it--push their food bowls around with their noses. Pushing a food bowl around seems to be an instinctual behavior, perhaps dating back to their ancestors who killed their prey and nosed it around to make sure it was dead.
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All Breeds Do It
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Arthur is a 9-year-old male Maltese. He likes to bury his food bowl under a towel or blanket, whatever is convenient. After he buries it, he uncovers it and enjoys his meal. One Great Dane owner says her dog eats from an elevated bowl, but as he eats, he is making digging motions with his legs. One little Bichon Frise moves her dish around until she dumps the contents out, then proceeds to eat the food off the floor.
Theories/Speculation
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While there is really no scientific answer to explain this behavior, most experts conclude that it evolves from a dog's need to kill and/or bury their food. Long before dogs became domesticated, they hunted for food. After killing their prey, they may have pushed it around with their noses to make sure it was dead. If they came across a dead animal, they would sniff it to detect any rotting flesh, or sniff out any other predator that had been nibbling on the morsel. Dogs would also nose around the dead flesh to make sure no biting beetles were lurking about, waiting to nip their noses.
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Bury the Bone Theory
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Of course, little Arthur, who buries his food dish, is clearly obeying the instinct to bury the bone--a behavior animals use to protect their food until they get around to eating it.
Dogs are Social Critters
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Some dogs move their food dishes to the room where their owner is. Other dogs take a bit of food to where their owner is, eat it, return to the bowl and get more food, bring it back to where their owner is and eat it, repeating this pattern until all the food is gone. This is simply a reflection of their need to be with others as they eat.
Keeping It All in Perspective
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Moving food bowls around may be a mysterious and messy habit, but it's certainly not a dangerous or bad habit. It is something that many dog lovers have grown accustomed to and live with because they love their dogs and accept their quirky behavior.
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References
- Photo Credit A Lhasa Apso dog image by Florussel Sathya from Fotolia.com
