are dogs smart enough to ration food?

[nageov3t]

so, every couple months I house/dogsit for my parents. they've got a 4 year-old golden retriever.

every time, the dog spends the entire time not really eating (he'll eat table scraps that I give him and his morning toast + nightly can of dog food, but his dog bowl remains untouched)... it's not entirely a bad thing for me at least, since he means he's also not pooping, so I don't have to pick up shit when I walk him (or more to the point, I don't have to pretend to pick up shit but really just leave it there on the grass).

this week, he's started something new... he's been grabbing food off the counters and bringing it into his crate. not eating it, just grabbing it off the counters and carrying it upstairs and putting it in the back of his crate. it has me wondering, could he be like rationing food?

maybe he thinks that since my parents are gone, his source of food is gone so he better start saving it in case they never return. or am I reading too much into this behavior?

 

[Rubycon]

Probably hiding it because he knows his butt will get spanked if he gets caught stealing food!

 

[datalink7]

Depends on the dog, but yes they can.

My moms dog would eat his entire bag of dog food if it wasn't locked up. He has no self control.

My current dog puts himself on a diet if he doesn't need it. For instance, I hurt my ankle a few months back and wasn't able to take him on a run for a few weeks. He stopped eating nearly as much (wouldn't eat breakfast, or only eat half his dinner and leave the rest). I took him to the vet thinking he was sick and she said that no, he was fine, and I just had a dog that watched his calorie intake.

My dog puts himself on a diet when he doesn't get enough exercise

 

[Colt45]

hmm I don't know. Whenever my dog gets scraps, he eats them as fast as possible, assuming he's not allowed / it will be revoked from him.

 

[Bignate603]

So you bend over, pretend to pick up the poop, and then leave it there? Wouldn't it be just as easy to really pick up the poop?

 

[l0cke]

Yep, I've seen dogs that will take food and hide it because they never know when their next meal might be.

 

[Red Squirrel]

Haha, is it part squirrel?

 

[nageov3t]

So you bend over, pretend to pick up the poop, and then leave it there? Wouldn't it be just as easy to really pick up the poop?

I didn't think that far ahead. lol. he's never pooped any time I've ever walked him.

he might be going outside (my parents have a doggy door and I leave it accessible whenever I'm home so he can go in/out at will) but he's never gone while I've walked him.

 

[sjwaste]

He might be bored. Goldens will hide things, or retrieve things from the house and pile them up in the middle of the room, out of boredom. They're definitely a breed that needs stimulation.

How much time are you spending with him? Are you playing with him, or just talking him outside till he pees and then back in?

 

[Red Squirrel]

He might be bored. Goldens will hide things, or retrieve things from the house and pile them up in the middle of the room, out of boredom. They're definitely a breed that needs stimulation.

How much time are you spending with him? Are you playing with him, or just talking him outside till he pees and then back in?

lol reminds me of my cat. I'm hardly home, so she gets bored and shoves all her toys under the dresser, doors, etc. When she lived at my parents the fridge was the main place for her to put her toys. Was funny to move the fridge and see like 40 toy mice behind it. She'd shoot them right to the end lol.

I also recently learned that my cat really likes to play with jelly beans. It's so fun to watch animals playing. :awe:

 

[QuEeNyGuRl]

Not my dogs, they will eat to their death if I don't portion their food.

 

[RKS]

my lab will eat until he vomits them he still gobbles up the partially digested regurgitation. he gets 1 cup of dry kibble in the morning and 1 cup in the afternoon.

 

[0roo0roo]

Dogs can control their eating sometimes, like kibble, if the bowls always there and its boring ass kibble, many dogs will only eat if hungry. Not sure about food that is more delicious though. wolves and such scarf stuff down because of competition and they don't really save up food as far as i know.

 

[Udgnim]

guess that dog is pretty smart

have a basset hound mix that will eat until she's nice and round and can't walk around comfortably. have a welsh corgi that might do the same except there hasn't been an incident where she got into the dog food unlike the basset mix.

 

[0roo0roo]

guess that dog is pretty smart

have a basset hound mix that will eat until she's nice and round and can't walk around comfortably. have a welsh corgi that might do the same except there hasn't been an incident where she got into the dog food unlike the basset mix.

did you raise them to always expect the food bowl being full and always around?
if they have wait for food it might seem more like a treat/urgent.

 

[Schadenfroh]

Dogs usually behave like most people I know, they eat until either the food is depleted or they get sick.

 

[Patranus]

My aunts Labrador broke into the food container, was found passed out on the floor, and had to get it stomach pumped.

 

[Loop2kil]

My lab will eat anything you put in front of her as long as you keep putting it in front of her.
My Aussie usually only eats when I eat....his 'bowl' will stay full all day and will not touch it but as soon as I start eating or I am just nearby later that day he will lay down and eat.

Dogs can be funny about their daily habits.

 

[zerocool84]

Scraps they will attack it.

Their dry dog food will only be eaten if they're hungry.

 

[JimmiG]

I'd say some dogs just have more appetite than others. It's hopeless to try to make my dog eat both his entire breakfast and his dinner. If I'm really lucky he will have finished the breakfast in time for dinner. On days when he gets more exercise he eats a little more, but rarely both entire meals.
Doesn't seem to be a problem. He's pretty thin, but not extremely so. He doesn't look like he's sick or anything. Perfectly healthy and lots of energy when we're outside. Inside he just shuts down and goes to sleep, which is probably one reason he doesn't need a lot of food.

 

[JimmiG]

Double post.

 

[nageov3t]

did you raise them to always expect the food bowl being full and always around?

pretty much, my parents always keep his food/water bowls full.

 

[MJinZ]

Depends on the dog, but yes they can.

My moms dog would eat his entire bag of dog food if it wasn't locked up. He has no self control.

My current dog puts himself on a diet if he doesn't need it. For instance, I hurt my ankle a few months back and wasn't able to take him on a run for a few weeks. He stopped eating nearly as much (wouldn't eat breakfast, or only eat half his dinner and leave the rest). I took him to the vet thinking he was sick and she said that no, he was fine, and I just had a dog that watched his calorie intake.

My dog puts himself on a diet when he doesn't get enough exercise

Or.... he's not as hungry when he's not running around as much?

 

[datalink7]

Or.... he's not as hungry when he's not running around as much?

Essentially the same thing. Just not every dog does that. Like my moms dog. He will eat whether he is hungry or not.

 

[amdhunter]

My dog just eats when he is hungry. There are plenty of times where I feed him and he'll leave it overnight or even longer. It's funny though, if I start eating, he'll start eating his food with me. He only sleeps when I do also. We are perfectly synced up.

My previous dog would eat as much as he could as soon as he saw it and slept all the time.