3 Weird Things Dogs Often Do – But Are They a Problem?

You may have noticed that from time to time your dog does a few weird and wonderful things that brings a smile to your face. However, there are other things they do regularly which although amusing have left you wondering why on earth they do them. These strange habits are usually perfectly normal behaviour but if they get to be a little manic there could be something wrong which means a quick trip to the vet might be in order.

1. Dogs That Insist on Taking Food Out of Their Bowls

You may have noticed that your beloved pooch insists on taking food out of their bowls before eating it. Some of our canine friends will take a mouthful to the other side of the room before dropping it on the ground to eat it and they carry on doing this until their feed bowls are empty going backwards and forwards the whole time. The behaviour might well make you smile as you wipe up the floor after them and then pick up the crumb trails they've left behind.

But what makes your dog eat their food in this way? The answer is that your four legged friend is operating on the premise of being in a pack and therefore this behaviour is in keeping with pack mentally"".

In the wild, top dogs get to eat first when the pack has made a kill and they drag off the bits they want to eat to avoid any confrontation with other dogs and more especially any of the more dominant ones. Dogs realise that fighting each other means injuries which in turn means they'd be weaker so avoiding any altercation is essential. Hence, they drag their food off to eat it in peace away from any other of the pack dogs. The fact your dog may be the only animal in the household does not alter their strong natural instinct to behave in this way.

However, some animal behaviourists believe that dogs may also do this because if they are fed out of metal bowls, the noise of their food being pushed around it and their collar tags hitting the metal, annoys or frightens them. So by taking the food away, they are in effect getting rid of the trigger that makes them anxious or frightened.

But how do you stop your pooch from taking their food out of their bowls and then depositing it on your nice clean carpet? One way is to try feeding them out of a plastic bowl to see if this makes them feel more at ease. However, if the behaviour still persists, you should try feeding them in a nice quiet spot where you can shut them in on their own which may well help your pet feel more secure.

If you have several dogs and only one of them insists on taking the food out of their bowl only to find the other dog has snatched their meal, you should separate them during feeding time so there's no competition or rivalry and to ensure they all get their meals!

2. Why Does my Dog Insist on Staring at Me?

Dogs will stare at their owners which is lovely because it shows their love, loyalty and devotion. However, there are certain of our canine friends that stare fixedly taking the whole ""I love you"" bit to extremes. These pooches will follow their owners around the house or garden refusing to take their doleful eyes off them – and this can be a little annoying!

It's great that dogs love owners but when they go over board and stare continuously it could be perceived as a form of begging and not because of their utter devotion. Your dog is hoping that you are going to give them something in the form of a favourite tasty treat. However, dogs do stare for other reasons too and which are not ""food related"". Your pet could be trying to get a message across which is that they need to go out to do their business! Dogs stare at owners in the hope they might be taken out for a walk or an exciting ride in the car!

Other reasons why some dogs stare incessantly is because they want attention or it could be they are waiting waiting for a command. Dogs will also stare at you because they're trying to figure out your facial expressions and the sort of mood you're in! Staring at owners is good behaviour with the majority of dog trainers encouraging it. The reason being that it means your pet is totally focussed on you and therefore more receptive to commands.

The one thing to bear in mind is that if you stare back intently at your dog and more especially a dog you don't know, direct eye contact could be considered as a challenge to the dog so your actions could end in disaster! You should only ever stare your own dog and then only if you have a great relationship and bond with them.

3. Why Does my Dog Bring up Yellow Foam?

If you find that your dog brings up yellow foam, it typically shows their stomachs are pretty much empty of any food. The yellow is in fact, bile which is a digestive fluid produced in the liver and stored in gall bladders. The bile is released into the small intestine when food is being digested. When a dog's stomach is empty, the bile causes an irritation which then makes your dog vomit.

However, if your dog is healthy, eating well and going to the toilet normally, the fact they bring up yellow bile could be their way of reducing the time in between their meals. You should not up their food because of this but rather feed your pet the same amount of food but more frequently during the day. In short, instead of feeding them twice a day, you should feed them three or four times but smaller portions each time.

With this said, there are quite a few medical conditions that will cause a dog to be sick on an empty stomach which means a quick trip to the vet could be in order to make absolutely sure this is not the case. Signs the vomiting could be due to medical condition include the following:

• Loss of appetite
• Lethargy
• Diarrhoea
• Yellow tinge to gums, eyes and skin

If any of these symptoms are apparent the vet would be able to diagnose if there is a more serious reason for your dog bringing up yellow foam and then set about prescribing the right medication and treatment to get them back on the road to recovery. The one thing to bear in mind is that if you have a puppy or young dog and they have eaten something like a sock that was left lying around, this could be causing a blockage which is a very serious condition that may well need emergency surgery!

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