Why does my dog always wait for the other dog to finish eating?

Thanks for using the Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. There could be several reasons for this. One explanation could be that Ida has YOU well-trained! She knows that if she just waits long enough, you will give her something yummy from your plate. Another explanation is that she is a “social” eater. Some dogs do not seem to want to eat anything until their human sits down to eat as well. Your giving a bite of your food may be her signal that it’s time to eat. Finally, if you haven’t had her in for a yearly exam with some routine bloodwork, I strongly encourage you to do so. Dental disease and early liver or kidney disease can all affect appetite and eating patterns so be sure to get those ruled out. Best wishes to you and Ida!

Hello. Dallas is sneaky, & perhaps a little bit jealous of his brother. This is a situation where Dallas thinks what is mine is mine, & what is yours is mine, too! There is nothing wrong with this other than if Dallas gets too fat, & his brother misses out. You might want to close one of the dogs in until both have eaten so that everyone gets their fair share. Thanks for contacting Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! She is adorable by the way! What I recommend is actually limiting the amount of time the food is available to her. For example, you can leave her food out for 1 hour, if she does not eat it all, you take it away and offer it again the next day. Eventually, she will understand that her food is only going to be out for a certain amount of time and will have a more regular eating habit. Another thing you can do is split what you feed her in 2 feedings. Both ways could work well for her. Good luck and have a good evening!

You should be glad Soska doesn't always finish her food. If she hasn't done much exercise she may not be as hungry. Dogs are better at regulating their intake to equal their calorie burning than humans. Most dogs who are allowed to free feed are normal weight because they don't over eat. As long as Soska is normal weight and feeling fine this is nothing to be overly concerned about. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach to help you care for Soska.

It's very common for some dogs to be more motivated to eat right away when there are other dogs present, since there's an element of competition involved in a multi-dog household - she likely knows that in that environment, if she doesn't eat right away, it may not still be there later! With dogs who are picky eaters, the major question I always ask is - is the dog a normal healthy weight, and acting normal otherwise? If so, then I don't worry about it. Some dogs are naturally "grazers" and may not be all that motivated to eat right away as soon as food is offered. Or you may be feeding more than she really needs, and she may simply not be very hungry sometimes. If the dog is underweight, or showing other symptoms of illness such as vomiting, diarrhea, acting lethargic, etc., then a medical work-up would be indicated to help figure out what the underlying problem is so it can be treated appropriately. But if the dog it not overly thin and otherwise acting normal, then I don't worry too much about it - she'll eat when she's hungry! I'm also not a big fan of dressing up the food with tasty "extras" to entice the dog to eat, since this is generally not necessary and can teach the dog to hold out for better and better things over time if she learns that you'll keep adding extra treats if she doesn't eat right away. So you could certainly take your girl in for a check-up to make sure she's healthy, if you're concerned - but if your vet doesn't feel that there is a genuine medical issue present, I'd just put her food down at her regular mealtime and leave her alone. A healthy dog won't starve themselves, so she'll eat when she wants to. :)

We may never know why some dogs do this! My dog will also do this sometimes. I don't think there is any specific medical reason for it. I think it is just personality, similar to why some humans finish all of one item on their plate before moving to the next. I hope this helps!

If Mia is eating enough and growing normally I would not worry too much about this behavior. If however you feel like she is becoming undernourished because of this then I would be concerned. Try strictly meal feeding her. Put her food down for 10-15 minutes and if she doesn’t eat it pick it up right away. Then do not allow her to ha e any food until her next meal. This will encourage her to eat her food when it is available rather than play with it.