I was hoping someone could help me understand my dog’s behaviour when she’s eating.
She’s a proper little gannet; as soon as she sees us with food, she gets so impatient. Obviously, we’re very careful, so we never give her any of our snacks.
She always eats after us. As soon as she sees us finish our meal and clear the table, she bolts into the kitchen and waits for her dry food, looking at us as if to say, "Help, I’m starving, I can’t take it anymore, poor me!"
My question is about what she does next: we serve her food, she dives straight in, and we leave her to eat in peace while we settle down in the living room.
She’ll eat a bit and then come through to see my husband, stares at him, then comes to see me and stares at me, before heading back to her bowl. Sometimes she does this several times in a row.
What do you think it means? I like to think she’s saying "thanks, this is delicious!", but I’m not sure.
It’s got me a bit intrigued.
Translated from French
The forum content is sometimes translated from another language, and posts may concern countries with different animal laws. Do your research before making any decisions.
Since the forum is translated by AI, the translations may contain errors.
If it’s down to anxiety, I reckon you’re probably right, and for good reason – my girl is a total scaredy-cat when we’re out, and I’ve already been told that I definitely shouldn’t comfort her and, above all, to ignore her when she’s frightened.
Oops, sometimes you think you're doing the right thing, but it's actually the complete opposite.
Tell me about it! I remember my first training session. After just a few minutes of chatting with the trainer, she said to me, "Right, first of all, you're going to stop doing what you think is right!". It's amazing how many instincts we have without even realising they're exactly what we shouldn't be doing... :)
I wouldn't say for certain that it's reinforcing the anxiety, but it definitely doesn't seem unlikely!
Tityswood, you're right, I hadn't actually thought about it reinforcing his anxiety. Oops, sometimes you think you're doing the right thing and it's actually the complete opposite.
Actually, wouldn't talking to her just risk reinforcing that behaviour?
If she’s anxious about you "disappearing", she comes back to find you. Talking to her is essentially reassuring her. So, if you reassure her, it just tells her there was a reason to be anxious in the first place...
I’m not 100% sure, but that’s how I see it anyway. Personally, I’d just ignore her while she’s making such a fuss... 🤷
Right then, that’s a relief if it’s not that serious. I must admit, it makes us laugh every time she turns up. We always say to her, "So? Did you have a good meal? Was it nice?"
Honestly, she’ll be fine. She’s anxious, but it should pass on its own over time if you keep things consistent. For instance, say she’s eating while you’re watching telly. She comes over to check you’re on the sofa, you’re still on the sofa, and after a while—if nothing changes—she’ll eventually settle down.
Hi everyone,
So, last night I hung around in the kitchen while my little Shar-Pei was eating. And well, she ended up being up to her usual antics again.
Since I was in the kitchen, she headed off into the living room after eating some of her dry food. She went to see my husband.
So, I came back into the living room; I wasn't going to just stay there standing around on my own!
A few minutes later, she went back to eat a bit more of her food, then came back, waited a bit, then went off and came back again.
In itself it's not a huge deal, unless it's a sign of something else, of course.
Oh blimey, I wouldn't have thought it was anxiety.
She’s a timid one, but only outdoors; inside the house, she can hear people passing by, wheelie suitcases and whatnot, and she couldn't care less.
I’ll stay in the kitchen with her then if it helps reassure her, poor little thing. Sometimes my husband or I stay with her for a bit, but not until she's finished her meal.
Thanks @Docline, I’ll follow your advice and see if she keeps up her little routine.
