What Do Dogs Eat Naturally? How to Bring Variety to His Food
A dog is by nature an opportunistic scavenger with a highly varied diet: free-ranging dogs sometimes eat as many as fifty different things in a day, and they spend a large part of their time searching, foraging and chewing. Our dogs usually get the same dry kibble out of the same bowl every day, and for an animal who can taste just as well as he can smell, that is fairly boring. Variety in flavor and texture, chewing and searching are not luxuries but basic needs, and they create satisfaction and calm. The good news: you can arrange all of it on any budget.
In short
Dogs are not hunters but scavengers: they adapt easily when it comes to food and naturally eat a very varied diet.
The same dry food every day, without flavor or texture, creates frustration, especially when the rest of the household is eating something good.
Variety does not have to be complicated: a spoonful of thawed meat stirred through the kibble, a leftover from dinner, the meal scattered in the grass.
Chewing is a basic need: it cleans the teeth, helps digestion and produces calming hormones.
Dogs are social eaters: eat at the same time as your dog and leave him alone while he eats.
A dog who is frustrated or stressed around food will show it. Learn to read the signals in the free webinar.
Not hunters but scavengers
Studies of free-ranging domestic dogs show that dogs are not hunters at all, but scavengers. They are opportunistic carnivores: they enjoy meat, but in nature they mostly live on carrion and whatever else they find. That is one of the reasons dogs are such a successful species: when it comes to food, they adapt very easily. Stealing food and eating things off the ground is therefore not a vice but natural behavior, which you channel by scattering treats and letting him search, by putting food away, and by offering an alternative.
Besides having an excellent nose, dogs can also taste very well, and just like us they enjoy different flavors and textures. For dogs it is just as frustrating as it is for people to have to eat something with no flavor and a dry texture every single day, especially when the person you live with is sitting there eating something fragrant and tasty. Variety contributes to mental and emotional wellbeing and creates a feeling of contentment and calm.
How to add variety, on any budget
Approach | How | Why it works |
|---|---|---|
Flavor | Stir a tablespoon of thawed meat through the kibble; rotate between different kinds | A completely different flavor without switching foods |
Leftovers | Leftovers from your own dinner, with as little salt and seasoning as possible | Variety in flavor and texture, and he gets to eat along with the family |
Presentation | Scatter the meal in the grass, put part of it in a Kong or on a lick mat | Searching and licking are natural behaviors and have a calming effect |
Rhythm | At least twice a day from a bowl, and optionally a handful of treats scattered once a day; young puppies four times a day | Small stomachs, and searching as daily enrichment |
Eating together | Eat at the same time as your dog and leave him alone while he eats | Dogs are social eaters; waiting on an empty stomach while you eat is frustrating |
Taste test | Let him taste and choose between small pieces of apple, cucumber, egg, or a different kibble | Choice is good for confidence; check what is safe first |
In summary: variety works on any budget: a tablespoon of thawed meat stirred through the kibble, leftovers from your own dinner without salt and seasoning, the meal scattered in the grass or served in a Kong or on a lick mat, feeding at least twice a day plus a searching moment, eating at the same time as your dog and leaving him alone while he eats, and letting him taste small pieces of apple, cucumber or egg.
Chewing: three reasons it is indispensable
Chewing on suitable material is important for every dog, and it is a basic need:
Chewing cleans the teeth. Tough material such as hide works its way between the teeth and takes food residue and dirt with it.
Chewing helps digestion. Chewing stimulates the salivary glands, and saliva contains enzymes that help break down food.
Chewing produces calming hormones. It sends a signal to the brain that gets endorphin production going. A dog who chews becomes calmer.
Guidelines from our courses: roughly fifteen to thirty minutes of chewing a day, on soft, minimally processed animal material such as ears, tendons or dried hide, and never on an empty stomach (give him a little food first, otherwise you get frustration and a choking risk). Rotate between about three types of chew and take your own dog’s allergies and sensitivities into account. A dog who is stressed or frustrated is exactly the dog you do not give a chew to: chewing asks for concentration he does not have at that moment, and stressed dogs gulp. Let him come down first, then offer something easy.
What not to do
Putting your hand in the food bowl to prevent resource guarding. This backfires: in the dog world, the rule is that you get to keep what you have. Leave your dog alone while he eats, and trade something unwanted for something better instead of taking it away.
Taking the water away. Water is available at all times; thirst creates stress.
Letting him eat horse or sheep manure. Because of deworming medication, that can be life-threatening. Beyond that, do not disturb his natural sniffing, because interrupting it can actually trigger eating manure.
The same thing every day, from the same bowl, in the same spot. See the table above.
From our practice
Nutrition is one of the recurring topics in our coaching, alongside the sessions on behavior problems and general questions. The question that comes back most often there is not “which brand,” but “my dog will not eat his kibble anymore.” Almost always the answer is: do not get stricter, add variety, change the rhythm, and give him something to search for or to chew. A dog who gets to search for his food and eats at the same time as the family usually goes back to eating normally within a few days.
When to get help
If your dog does not eat for days, is losing weight, has frequent diarrhea or gulps down large amounts of grass, go to your veterinarian. If you have doubts about the composition of his food (kibble, fresh, gently cooked, home-prepared), consult a qualified veterinary nutritionist.
Frequently asked questions
Can my dog have leftovers from the table?
Yes, as long as it fits within what is safe for dogs and has as little salt and seasoning as possible. Do not give it at the table if you do not want begging, but put it in his bowl or scatter it in the grass.
How often should I feed my dog?
At least twice a day from a bowl, young puppies about four times. On top of that, scattering a handful of treats or doing a treat scatter is a good daily piece of enrichment.
My dog gulps his food. What do I do?
Gulping is often part of stress. Leave him alone while he eats, eat at the same time as he does, never give a chew on an empty stomach, and look at the rest of his day: is he sleeping enough, is there unrest in the house?
Which food do you recommend?
Nutrition is individual, and we do not recommend a specific brand. What we consider important is variety, natural eating behavior (searching, chewing, eating together) and calm around the bowl, which is what the table above is for. If you want to add variety with human food, check first which foods are safe: the American Kennel Club keeps an overview of human foods dogs can and cannot eat. For questions about the composition of the diet itself, talk to your veterinarian or a veterinary nutritionist.
Sources
Butler, J.R.A. and du Toit, J.T. (2002). Diet of free-ranging domestic dogs (Canis familiaris) in rural Zimbabwe. Animal Conservation, 5, 29-37. Free-ranging dogs live mainly on carrion and on what people leave behind, not on hunting.
American Kennel Club. Human Foods Dogs Can and Can’t Eat. Which everyday foods are safe to use for variety and which are not.
Read next
How to Recognize Stress in Your Dog: The Signals Almost Everyone Misses
Training a Puppy Without Punishment: The Four Ways to Guide Behavior
Eating is more than nutrition
Searching, chewing, tasting, eating together: for a dog, food is one of the few moments in the day that are entirely his. How he handles it tells you a lot about how he feels. In the free webinar Communicating With Your Dog you learn to read those signals.
Do you want to go further after that, with the full course and the coaching from our team? That is what the Stressless Communication Course and our community are for.
Thank you for reading, on behalf of me and all the dogs.
Dog Behavior Consultant & Natural Dog Trainer