Why do dogs always want to eat your food?

All dog owners know that their pup is always hungry. Whether it be for a meal or your snacks, dogs are constantly looking to find something to eat.

For some breeds food is everything. They will eat anything they can get their paws on.

But why do dogs want to eat their owner’s food so much?

When you cook for yourself and sit down at the table to enjoy your meal, your dog is very likely going to be interested in joining you. Perhaps you might have a dog that’s very food motivated and will do just about anything for a titbit of your meal. For dogs, the smell and sight of what we’re eating is enough to make them drool with anticipation.

Table of Contents

Why do dogs always want to eat your food?

There are many reasons why dogs always want to eat our food.

Here are some of the main reasons.

Dogs love food! As simple as that. They like to smell it, see it and most of all eat it.

Human food smells so good to them, they just can’t resist themselves sometimes and some some dogs are very food motivated and will do just about anything for some of your meal.

Dogs also tend to be more attracted to fat and sugar which many human foods contain.

Some dogs are driven by strong instincts, one of which is that of social eating or eating as a pack, which involves eating the same meal.

Simply put, when you eat your dog wants to eat with you.

It’s also possible that your dog might be hungry. If he is then you can expect him to want to eat your food.

Dogs have a powerful sense of smell

When you cook your dinner, it’s highly likely that your dog will show an interest, particularly if meat or fish form part of the meal.

Your dog’s sense of smell is so powerful that it is said that he can smell every single ingredient in a meal.

For example, if you walk into a house you will be able to smell the beef stew that is cooking – but your dog will be able to smell the beef, the carrots, the gravy and all of the other individual ingredients too.

If my dogs are upstairs they will smell the cheese that I take from the fridge and run downstairs in the hope of getting a slice.

They have many times stronger sense of smell than humans making them a lot more sensitive to the smell of your food.

[amazon box=”B08QSFHGZT” template=”horizontal”]

Dogs have a natural pack mentality

When you sit down at the dinner table, your dog thinks that they’re going to eat with you.

If there are other family members who also sit at the dinner table then this can make your dog feel like part of the pack and that he’s included in whatever you’re eating.

Dogs are scavengers

Dogs will eat anything they can get their paws on.

When you’re eating dinner, your dog is likely to be very interested in what’s going on, particularly if he has a nose for food.

After all, his ancestors used to spend their days hunting for food and surviving by eating whatever was available.

Their ability to scavenge food from different sources has been passed down through the generations.

In fact, dogs will eat any type of meat and vegetables, not just what we consider to be “dog food.”

If your dog is hungry then he might also try to get a bite out of anything that smells really good which could include your dinner.

Dogs consider themselves part of the pack

Your dog is going to want to eat with you because he considers himself a member of the family and as such, he should be eating with everyone else at meal time.

In his mind, it’s just another meal – not that different from if your whole family were sitting at the table together.

As far as he’s concerned, it doesn’t matter which member of the family made the meal – he’ll want to eat along with everyone else and share in your food.

Dogs like human food because they’re attracted to fat and sugar

Fat is perhaps one of the most attractive ingredients for dogs when it comes to human food.

Not only does it smell amazing, but it’s also full of energy that your dog can use to fuel his body.

Dogs are not always interested in healthy foods – they want the tasty stuff! If you have any treats in the house they will most likely be more attracted to those.

Sugar is also something that dogs are really attracted to.

It’s one of the main ingredients in most dog treats which is why they are so much more popular than vegetable or fruit snacks.

Fat and sugar are very attractive to dogs, which makes human food a lot more appealing.

Dogs can make you feel guilty about eating your dinner

When we’re eating, our dogs will often sit and wait for scraps to drop.

If we give them a bit of food then they’ll be delighted and sometimes even grateful that you shared your food with them.

If he’s hungry and he can smell that you’re eating then he may well try to make you feel guilty about it.

He’ll whine, bark and do his best to distract you until he gets what he wants.

Your dog is likely to be very good at this tactic – it’s the same one that dogs use on their owners all of the time when they want food.

While we’re eating our dogs will often sit and wait for scraps from our plates. When we do give them a morsel they show their appreciation and most of the time it works.

If your hungry dog smells that you’re eating he will want something from your plate, if you refuse to share, he might try every single tactic in the book to make you feel guilty until you do – often with good results.

Dogs are very smart

Dogs often have a good level of intelligence and can work out how you’ll react in certain situations and they are very good at manipulating humans to get what they want.

Even a dog that is normally the worst behaved creature will suddenly become angelic like when his owners sit down to eat and, the more he is rewarded ( by the humans giving him food ) the more likely he is to repeat his food scrounging behaviour.