Why does my dog take food from the bowl and put it aside?
Updated On September 23rd, 2025
Pet's info: Dog | Shih Tzu | Female | unspayed | 9 months and 28 days old | 8.13 lbs
why dogs take dogfood but do not eat? they just put aside
2 Answers
Most Helpful Answer
Published on October 16th, 2018
It's a weird behavior, huh? I am not sure why they do it, but many dogs will do this. Sometimes it is that they are looking for a piece that they prefer to eat, they don't like the food, maybe they don't like the bowl the food is in, or they think they will save it for later. Some dogs do this all the time and other only sometimes.
1Pet Parents found this answer helpful
Related Answers from Veterinarians
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Published on October 24th, 2017
There are some theories that this behavior develops as a result of fighting with puppies in their litter over food. They learn to grab a piece out of the bowl and eat off the floor so they do not have to worry about other puppies pushings them out of the way. Some dogs dig to the bottom of the bowls to look for something better... they have to know it is all the same before eating so they do miss out. You can try a different style bowl that is deeper to make it harder to take it all out or put smaller amounts in at time so there is a thin layer and nothing to dig through and see if that helps
1Pet Parents found this answer helpful
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