This dog article will answer the most important question, “Why does my dog only eat when I’m around?” we will also discuss the reasons for dogs eating in your presence, the possible outcomes of this habit, and how to break this habit of your dog.
Why does my dog only eat when I’m around?
Your dog eats when you are around because your dog wants your company. Maybe your dog is very scared or feeling anxious so your dog will try to feel secure. This habit is not very common in dogs so you need to devise ways to tackle such situations in your dog.
What are the reasons for dogs eating when you are around them?
There are several reasons for dogs eating when you are around them:
Company
Your dog will love your company and your dog will try to be in your company when eating. This is not good because when you are not around your dog will not eat. This is the reason you should train your dog to eat when you are not around your dog. This part we will discuss later in the article.
Feeling scared
Some dogs feel scared when they are not around their owners. The small breed dogs are usually susceptible and they feel scared when they are left alone along with their food. They will not eat until they find you around them.
Feeling anxious
Some dogs feel anxiety when you are not around them. This is a psychological condition and you should deal with it in a mature way. Dogs are like kids, they do not understand until they feel secure. They do weird things when they are stressed such as eating paper and other stuff.
You should look for such signs in your dog, this will give an idea to you that your dog is suffering from anxiety and other problems. You should book an appointment with your vet if you see such signs in your dog. A proper training session is needed for some time so that your dog can feel good.
Guard dogs
If you are having a guard dog in the house, your dog is strong and has the ability to guard the house. If you are not in the house and you have left food for him, your dog will not eat it unless it doesn’t have the surety that your home is secure.
Your dog will guard the house until you are not back in the house. Such dogs are trained to guard the house and are mostly used by military services. German shepherds, labradors, and other breeds are generally the guard dogs in the military services.
Tired
Your dog might feel tired after a long day. Your dog will try to take a nap before eating the dog food. If you give dog food to your dog when tired, your dog will not eat it. Your dog will sleep rather than eat his dog food.
Separation anxiety
One thing is separation anxiety which is due to the separation of a person from another person or a thing. If your dog has a four-legged friend in the house, then separating them will affect the mental health of your dog.
Your dog will eat in the presence of you because it doesn’t feel happy when you are not around. Your dog will try to fulfill the emptiness inside him from you.
What are the possible outcomes of this habit?
The possible outcomes of this habit are not good. Your dog will not eat and become weak. Suppose you have to go urgently or you are stuck on your way back home then it is a disaster for you and your dog.
Your dog can go into depression if your dog doesn’t feel your presence in the house.
How can you treat this habit of your dog?
You can treat this habit of your dog in the following ways:
- Try to train your dog with the treats. You should throw treats toward your dog and hide for some time and when your dog will eat treats, you should come out. This will help your dog understand that good thing can happen in the absence of you.
- You should feed your dog in your presence and every day you should move a little further from the food bowl and your dog. In the end, you should hide and then come out when your dog has eaten food.
- Positive reinforcement training is the best way to train your dog.
Conclusion
In this dog article, we answered our important question, “Why does my dog only eat when I’m around?” we also talked about the reasons for dogs eating in your presence, the possible outcomes of this habit, and how to break this habit of your dog.
References
https://pets.webmd.com/dogs/features/depression-in-dogs
https://www.thedodo.com/close-to-home/why-wont-my-dog-eat-without-me
https://www.animalwised.com/why-does-my-dog-only-eat-when-i-m-around-1434.html
https://www.cuteness.com/13712360/why-does-my-dog-only-eat-when-im-home
