What To Do If The Dog Eats Off The Street?
If you go for a daily walk with your dog, you have to be careful, because many four-legged friends love to eat all sorts of leftovers from the street . Your furry friend doesn’t know that this could be dangerous for their health, animals are guided by their instinct, so you have to make sure that your faithful companion breaks this bad habit.
In today’s post, you’ll learn how to do that.
Why do dogs eat off the street?
If you live in a city and take your dog for a walk, pay attention because your pet will surely love to sniff and eat any scraps of food that they find. He can also get close to other dogs’ excrement, find something in poor condition or intentionally poisoned leftovers, or eat from the garbage.
Why does a dog do this? There are various reasons for this:
1. He wants to get your attention
He knows that you will be concerned about his behavior and will keep doing it until he reaches his goal: your attention! If you are constantly busy with your cell phone while walking or if you give all your attention to a friend, your four-legged friend will feel “betrayed”. He will try everything possible to get noticed. Praise him when he does something well and is good!
2. E wants food
Dogs have an appetite 24 hours a day, even if they have just eaten something and are not hungry. But sometimes they may unintentionally get a little less food than usual and therefore the dog is looking for something to eat, which it then takes from the street .
Perhaps the food he is given is poor quality and he is not getting all of the necessary nutrients. This could also be a reason why he is eating off the street.
3. He follows his instinct
Dogs were domesticated a long time ago, but they still retain many of their instincts. That is why four-legged friends are constantly looking for food on a walk, defending themselves and wanting to live in a pack. Sniffing food sources and then also eating what they find is a natural behavior of the dog, no matter where it is, whether at home or on the street is not the question.
4. He eats from the street out of curiosity
This is often the case with puppies in particular: they are curious when they find something and sniff and lick it. It can be an ice cream that fell from a child’s hand in the park, excrement from another animal or a brightly colored bag … everything is interesting!
Be careful so that your ball of fur does not sniff or eat rotten things when you go for a walk with him!
Tips to keep your dog from eating off the street
Even if the natural instinct to forage is present, you can educate and train your dog to avoid eating off the street. These tips can help:
1. Allow him to eat only from his bowl
If your dog knows that all food can only be found in the food bowl, he will not be as interested in leftovers on the floor or in a bag. This tip is also excellent for getting him into the habit of only eating at home and never off the street. As soon as he finishes eating, you praise him for it.
2. Immediately tell your dog “no” if you catch him eating off the street
If you are on a daily walk with your furry friend and you catch your dog trying to eat something, pull him back on a leash. It makes no sense if you punish him at home, because then he has long since forgotten the incident and no longer knows what it is actually about.
Correct your dog immediately, he must heed the command “no” or “ugh” and must not approach the leftover food. Remember that it will take time and patience for your dog to learn this.
3. Divide the food into portions
It is not good to give the animal one large serving a day. Why? He then has to wait a long time until the next feeding and is actually very hungry until that time. That’s why he’s desperately looking for leftover food when he goes for a walk to satisfy his appetite.
They are also likely to eat very quickly, which can damage the digestive system. Therefore, it is better to divide the food into 2 servings that you can give him in the morning and in the evening. This way, your dog is calmer and doesn’t just concentrate on looking for food while walking.
