Cog-Dog Radio REPLAY: Heal Them, Heal Us: Eat. Drink. Be Merry.
Dec 23, 2025
Disordered eating in dogs is surprisingly common and often overlooked by owners and professionals alike. Learn how human behaviors can unintentionally disrupt their natural eating instincts. Discover the importance of healthy eating practices and the impact of medical issues like GI sickness. Sarah shares practical steps to improve your dog's relationship with food, such as playful mealtimes and mindful feeding. Finally, enjoy the holiday spirit by treating yourself to the food you love, despite societal pressures!
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Baseline Of Healthy Canine Eating
- Dogs should see food and want to eat; that is the baseline of healthy eating behavior.
- Many dogs show a spectrum of disordered eating caused by human and clinical factors.
Examples Of Food-Damaged Dogs
- Sarah recounts dogs that ate only in transactional settings or only ate string cheese during training.
- Some dogs distrusted food near people so deeply they had to be fed in other rooms.
How Human Behavior Disrupts Eating
- Human behavior around feeding often destroys dogs' natural eating instincts by creating stress and confusion.
- Staring, hovering, taking food away, or stressing during preparation signals danger and reduces a dog's desire to eat.