It has been reported that around 56% of dogs in the US are considered obese. Think about that for a second, over half of the dog population in this country is overweight. If you walk into a Petco or Petsmart nowadays, you feel like you are in a high end supermarket, with rows and rows of different types of foods. There is raw, freeze dry, kibble, stews, pates, broths, human grade ingredients, organic, homemade, ice creams… all of this for dogs. We have reached utopia in terms of the sheer number of options we have when feeding our canine companions. Making it somewhat understandable that over 50% of owners end up feeding their dog more than they should. I would also venture to say that a large portion of owners do not have a feeding routine when it comes to their dogs. A lot of people prefer free feeding (where the food is left always available and the dog will eat at their leisure). Others might see feeding time as the perfect opportunity to shower their pup with tons of affection giving them everything, but the kitchen sink, while the dog is frantically pacing or barking or whining. Many have a difficult time not giving left overs from the dinner table, making the dog an eternal beggar around family dinner time. I am here to say, don’t do it. Create, establish and follow a feeding ritual with your dog. This will help create a meaningful connection between you and your pup, while at the same time fulfilling their need to work for something primal. Something essential. A feeding routine, where your dog has to work for their food is an incredible and surefire way to fulfill a dog’s mental state and their bellies at the same time. It might even go along way in making meal time less about the amount of food your dog is eating and more about how they are processing feeding time. Maybe helping with that obesity trend.
All animals have to work for their food. It is biology. Just as we work for our food, ants do it, bees, elephants, fish, wales, horses all work in order to eat. When we take away that fundamental need, most animals short circuit. There is something intrinsic about being alive while having to work in order stay that way that gives all beings a raison d’être. It is us finding what it is that drives us, it is the wales swimming for miles to find the best feeding spots, bees creating colonies and pollinating the world or horses spending hours ruminating on food in order to get the best nutrition possible. The exception to this? Household pets. In this particular blog, dogs. One of the reasons, I believe, that we are seeing a lot of dogs with behavioral problems is that these dogs do not have a sense of purpose. They have become detached from what it is to be a canine. Either by not having structure, boundaries, direction or a job. These beings that evolved with us, helping us in myriad of tasks now are being treated as stuffed animals with absolutely nothing to work for. We unwittingly have stolen dogs’ raison d’être while calling it love.
If you want to engage with your dog, while simultaneously fulfilling their need to work, one of the easiest ways of doing so is creating a feeding routine. One in which the dog must work for the food. Switching the mindset of meal time simply being about nourishing the body, to one where the mind and the soul (essence) of the dog are equally sustained. A great way to start is asking your dog to stay on a bed and giving you distance while you prepare their food. No more staying right up to where the bowl is. Start teaching the dog that being on a bed will actually get them what they want. Encroaching in your personal space will not. Practice this as many times as it takes for your dog to understand that. This is already making them work for their meal. The dog is trying (through trial and error) to learn what state of mind will get them what they want. Once your dog can stay on a bed while their meal is being prepared then give them the food. One can further the practice by, eventually, having the food down in front of the dog with them lying on the bed without going for it. Start with a minute before inviting your dog to eat and slowly start extending the time. Budgeting 20 to 30 minutes for feeding time will go a very long way in teaching and fulfilling your dog.
Food is primal, no animal is neutral about it since it is what keeps us alive. Working for food is what connects all living beings in the quest to flourish in this world of ours. We can satisfy our dog’s need to work by establishing a feeding routine that brings out the best of them. Having them figure out what to do in order to get that affection will do just that. Instead of simply giving them the food, have them work it out by teaching slowly and with intention. Teach them boundaries, by giving them direction. Don’t expect them to quickly grasp the structure of the exercise if you have never practiced it before. Make it your job to teach them their new one: staying calmly on a bed while you prepare the entire family’s dinner, including theirs. Giving space and being tranquil about food is their new responsibility. Give it a try for a few weeks and see how it goes. Your dog will thank you.
