There are a lot of different kinds of dog food out there and almost every dog that I work with is on a different diet. Some are on raw only, some are on a combination of raw and cooked, many of them are on dry kibble, some dogs get freeze-dried or dehydrated, and some dogs get a combination of all of the above with kitchen scraps thrown in.

But no matter what kind of diet your dog is on, all dogs need variety. They are natural scavengers at heart, remember? Scavenging means that the food is different every day. And all dogs have different ways of telling us that their daily diets no longer satisfy them, that they are hungry, that their food is making them sick, or that they absolutely have begun to hate their food.

Here are the ten most common ways that your dog communicates to you about food:

1. Excessive hunger – your dog can’t wait to be fed and may even wake you up in middle of the night so she can eat. This can also indicate a blood-sugar problem.

2. Skipping meals. If you offer meals twice per day, your dog may not eat until supper or, conversely will only eat breakfast.

3. Your dog looks at the meal, walks away and comes back later – in other words, she will only eat it when she doesn’t have a choice because she is hungry.

4. Your dog looks up at you before starting to eat, often reluctantly. This can mean that your dog doesn’t like the food, but is too hungry too refuse it – there are no other options.

5. Your dog picks through the food and eats very slowly, but will wolf down treats or food offered from the kitchen.

6. Dogs bury the food before eating it. Now this may be interpreted as the dog liking it SO much they are saving it for later, but most often if a hungry dog buries its food it means that they don’t have enough interest in it to eat it right away. It’s the same as skipping a meal.

7. Your dog scavenges anything she can find – scraps, dog poop, horse poop, chicken food, and leftover garbage.

8. Frequent vomiting after eating, either immediately or 2 to 3 hours later.

9. Frequent digestive symptoms – bloating, gas, constipation, or diarrhea.

10. Your dog is suffering poor health including allergies, immune issues, fatigue, and anxiety.

Learn which one or more of these behaviours your dog(s) displays and take the appropriate action to get your dog on a healthy diet program that works! You may even find yourself changing diets for your dogs every few months, which is exactly what they prefer!

For extensive information on diet, nutrition, and natural healing programs, grab a copy of our popular book: Healing Dogs Their Way.