dog food puzzles
08 Feb 2010

Why does my dog head butt her food/bones/water dish before eating and drinking?
Ever since she was a puppy, my dog has a strange ritual where she head butts her food dish and water dish before taking small drinks or bites. It takes her almost an hour to eat her meals because of this behavior. Also, she splashes half of the water all over the floor in the process. Its not really a big deal or anything, I am just curious as to where this behavior comes from. I have read plenty on dog behavior, but this one honestly has me puzzled. She is a 3 year old Lhasa Apso with a very sweet temperment. She never guards or protects her food or toys in anyway. She also displays this behavior with her chewing bones and greenies while she is chewing them
Any thoughts?
Sounds to me like she is trying to mark it as hers. Lhasas are naturally territorial, and she is probably trying to get her smell on it to say “This is mine”. My lhasa, Tasha, used to roll and root on and head butt all of her toys and bones everyday. She just wanted to make sure that they all smelled like her.
OurPets Buster Food Cube – Can Your Dog Figure Out The Puzzle?







