Dog Behavior: Pawing at a Full Food Bowl

After filling up Sparky̵7;s bowl with kibble, he notoriously does one quirky thing every meal: He paws at the bowl. Whether he just gives it a few quick shoves or pushes it around for several minutes, rest assured, his behavior is typically perfectly normal -- even if your other dogs don̵7;t have the same habit.

  1. Changing Locations

    • It̵7;s possible that your pooch is just trying to position his bowl in a better spot. Maybe the tile floor makes the bowl slide around. Then every time it moves, it makes a loud sound that startles him. He knows that if he shoves his bowl over to the corner of the room, it won̵7;t move around anymore. Additionally, that drafty window or direct ray of sunlight can make that eating location unappealing, further increasing Sparky̵7;s desire to relocate his entrée.

    Instinctual Habit

    • Your beloved furry pal does things sometimes because of his bloodlines. His DNA is encoded with all kinds of habits that helped his ancestors survive out in the wild. Even though he doesn̵7;t hunt for his food, he still needs to feel that he got ̶0;the kill.̶1; So he̵7;ll push around his entrée to make it seem alive to him, rather than just a bowl of boring food that he didn̵7;t even have to hunt for.

    Marking Territory

    • If you̵7;ve ever seen your beloved pooch lift up his tail and give it a shake, you know he̵7;s marked that area as his turf. He can also mark his food dish -- although the process is much more subtle. Dogs have scent and sweat glands on their paw pads. Each time Sparky takes a swipe at his dish, or even the floor around it, he̵7;s marking it as his own. This way any other canine lurking around in the area knows that this dish is already spoken for.

    Health Issues

    • Sometimes pawing at the food bowl is a cause for concern, although it̵7;s not common. Pushing the dish away can be a sign of a poor appetite. It̵7;s almost like how you may move food around on your plate after you̵7;re full. But if your dog doesn̵7;t seem interested in his food, it could be a sign that he̵7;s feeling under the weather and needs to make a trip to the vet -- particularly if the behavior is new. He could also be having vision issues and moving the bowl around helps him figure out where his food is. Always talk with your vet about any peculiar behaviors, no matter how minor they may seem.

    Getting What He Wants

    • Your barking buddy is cleverer than you may realize. Think about it: Every time he starts pushing that bowl around, you come running over to fill it, realizing that you haven̵7;t given him dinner yet. You just unknowingly taught him that each time he lays a paw on that bowl, his human will put something in it. Before feeding him next time, wait for him to sit and be patient. He̵7;ll start to get the hint that making noise and batting around his bowl won̵7;t get your attention.