# Why does my dog do this when he eats? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [February 28, 2001, 5:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-my-dog-do-this-when-he-eats/56242 "2001-02-28T17:42:54Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 7\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Milossarian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/3ec8ea/32.png) [@Milossarian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Milossarian)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2001, 5:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-my-dog-do-this-when-he-eats/56242/1 "2001-02-28T17:42:54Z")
Every time, my behemoth mutt will take a mouthful of his kibble, go into the living room (sometimes the computer room/den), drop it on the ground, and eat the pieces. He might go back and do this one or two other times, then go on and eat the rest of his bowl at his bowl. I thought it might have something to do with me – you know, he’s seeking reassurance that he’s not doing a bad thing by eating that food; that it’s not the equivalent of getting into the garbage or something. But then I noticed he also does this going into rooms where I am not. Is this some hard-wired, vestigial thing from the wolf-pack ancestors or what? ---
**Author:** ![nineiron](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/e56c9b/32.png) [@nineiron](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nineiron)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2001, 5:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-my-dog-do-this-when-he-eats/56242/2 "2001-02-28T17:53:06Z")
My dog does the exact same thing. I don’t know why. She also will take one morsel of food and leave it somewhere; I assume this is a hording instinct of some sort, along the same lines as burying a bone… I had always thought that Cooper (my dog, a.k.a. “The Coopster,” “Coopie,” “Coop-a-dee-doopadee,” etc.) did this so she could feel like she was eating with us in the other room. But, since you said that your dog does this even in rooms where you aren’t present, that shoots my theory straight to hell. Maybe our dogs just want us to watch them eat? ---
**Author:** ![Anachronism](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e56c9b/32.png) [@Anachronism](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anachronism)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2001, 6:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-my-dog-do-this-when-he-eats/56242/3 "2001-02-28T18:01:18Z")
> [@](#): > > Is this some hard-wired, vestigial thing from the wolf-pack ancestors or what? WAG – Since dogs were pack hunters maybe they developed this habit to make sure they could eat their share of the kill in peace. Tear off a big chunk of meat, then run off to hide and eat it. ---
**Author:** ![Dinsdale](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/97f17d/32.png) [@Dinsdale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dinsdale)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2001, 6:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-my-dog-do-this-when-he-eats/56242/4 "2001-02-28T18:04:59Z")
I figured my dog did it simply because by taking the food/chew toy/etc out of the kitchen (tiled) into the dining or living rooms (carpeted) she was able to make a bigger mess. ---
**Author:** ![TKD2DAN](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/dbc845/32.png) [@TKD2DAN](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TKD2DAN)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2001, 6:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-my-dog-do-this-when-he-eats/56242/5 "2001-02-28T18:20:47Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Milossarian \* > \*\* > Is this some hard-wired, vestigial thing from the wolf-pack ancestors or what? > \*\* Yeah, I think you hit the nail right on the head. It’s moving off to eat insures that there is less competition for the food. This is much like my dog pushing her bowl around and covering it with leaves. There is no real need to do that, but it is an instinct that is handed down from the days of old.(IMHO) ---
**Author:** ![magdalene](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/df788c/32.png) [@magdalene](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/magdalene)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2001, 6:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-my-dog-do-this-when-he-eats/56242/6 "2001-02-28T18:32:33Z")
My cat does this sometimes as well - if I give her a morsel of “people food” she’ll always drag it out of the bowl and eat it somewhere else. And when cleaning my room, I found some kibble under the bed, where no kibble should be. Of course, if I had asked this question about my pwecious kitty witty, Milo would have made fun of me. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![bdgr](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/a87d85/32.png) [@bdgr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bdgr)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2001, 8:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-my-dog-do-this-when-he-eats/56242/7 "2001-02-28T20:28:30Z")
My dog does this, but he also tends to take certain foods/objects and roll on them. I’ve seen him do this with cashews, peppers, and cockroaches.