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Dog Eating Habits - Why Do Some Dogs Gobble Up Their Food At Lightening Speed?

When it comes to leftover food found in the trash, just about every dog will enjoy devouring it as much as they would when eating fresh food in their dog bowl. Regardless of cleanliness, it is all a feast to your dog!

But did you know that some dogs have eating everything they see is a genetic inheritance? Back in the day of dogs their ancestors ate very quickly and ate plenty for that matter to keep alive and so ones not to waste their food. When food is scarce, as it was for dogs of the wild, the only concern an animal has is to gobble up as much as possible.

Now a days dogs don't have to worry about food running out. The dogs that came before them did not experience this. If they had food they ate because if they didn't they would blink and it would be gone. This behavioral characteristic is still dominant in many dogs today.

Evolution From Wolves

Dogs came from wolves. And wolves had to be recreational eaters and sometimes would eat up to 35 to 40 lbs! Then wolves evolved into ancient dogs that had to find food themselves. I hope you understand that the wolves and ancient dogs did not eat to be full. They did this because they were hunters and since they had no idea when their next meal would be they would eat up whatever they could shove into the bodies to ensure survival.

Ancient dogs and their wolf-kind also knew that they may not find prey for several days at a time. Their bodies were able to go this distance of time with full efficiency so long as they had fed in large quantities before having to fast while hunting.

Another important factor that helped dogs survive is that they hunt in packs and were quite efficient by working together as a team. Because they hunted together, the pack would share the killing with each other so that all of the dogs were able to eat. However, not every dog was able to get his fill because there is a rank system and the leaders always ate first. They also devoured the biggest pieces of meat, while the lesser ranked pack members ended up with just the leftovers.

10,000 Years Later

Humans and dogs have only been living together for approximately 10,000 years. Because of the short time span it is easy to understand how old habits of evolution could still exist in today's domesticated house dog. Even though your dog gets his feedings on a regular basis, with no competition and fear of having his food eaten, there are still times when that hardwired urge to gobble up food as fast as possible will kick in.