Social Role of Food in the Relationships between Humans and Dogs
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3. Social Role of Food in the Relationships between Humans and Dogs
Two factors are intertwined: the necessity of ritualizing the relationships (humans and dogs are social animals) and the need to control this relationship (principally through food). Ignorance of canine ethology and communication often leads owners to content themselves with anthropomorphical interpretations that result in serious aberrations.
Young German shepherd after weaning. Dietary ritualization starts at the end of the suckling period and is achieved around the 16th week. (© Renner).
The misunderstanding is often established in the first moments of the relationship (the first weeks after adoption), as the master looks to win the dog's affection with gifts of food. In this case the dog will gain the wrong impression of the new family if its development up until that time, has been normal. More seriously, if this attitude is adopted too early in the life of the puppy it may thwart harmonious development by stifling the essential social constraints of self-control in social species (Moorcroft, 1981).
Habits are formed quickly. The master tries to give pleasure to the dog by satisfying its various demands for food, while the dog tries to acquire the highest possible social status.
The social relationship is gradually reduced to these exchanges of food, which allow owners to exonerate themselves from their various breaches. Inviting the dog to the table is a mark of social esteem and a way to win the animal's heart. Gradually, habit will transform the gift of food into a ritual. Besides bad behavior in the relationship, these practices also lead to eating disorders. For these reasons the dog will become difficult and greedy. This is exacerbated when the dog's relationship with its master is based on the ritualized gift of food, which makes change more difficult for both the master and the dog. The notion of guilt plays a large part in this giving of food. The more a master thinks the dog is unhappy the more important he or she will find it to compensate with the gift of food (Muller, 1998b).
Table 1. Seven Helpful Tips for the Arrival of the Puppy |
1. Do not change the food the first day the puppy arrives, and only make food available to the puppy for brief intervals: five times a day for five minutes would appear sufficient. Do not linger while the puppy is eating. Subsequently, it is preferable to offer meals for a brief period (five minutes) at regular times. The ideal number of meals for a weaning puppy is five daily and for an adult dog it is two daily. |
2. From day one, do not allow your dog to approach the table during your own mealtimes, whatever its age. This rule must never be broken. Remember that breakfast is also a meal. |
3. Select kibbles in a rational way, without succumbing to impulse buying. Any changes should be transitional. Do not trust in the preferences of your dog or cat, which are based on flavor and are not always best for the animal's health. |
4. Use small pieces of food as a reward after exercise, but ensure that these treats correspond to an effort made or a command learned. |
5. Give the dog its meal after you have had your own or at completely different times. |
6. Leave the room when the dog is eating. Do not try to take the bowl, as this will provoke a conflict and you cannot be sure that you will come out on top even if you do get the bowl. |
7. Contrary to the popular belief, bones do not provide the dog with much in the way of nutrients. It is preferable to give the dog chewing bars. Leave the dog in peace when it is busy with its treat. |
A system of random rewards is recommended to attain a certain type of behavior through training. At first, the desired behavior should be encouraged and reinforced with systematic rewards. When the animal regularly starts to produce the required sequence, the reward may be alternated (once in every two then every three times). After a period of time, it is a good idea to progress to random rewards, which will attain the desired behavior and ensure that it does not disappear when it is no longer reinforced.
Owners inadvertently teach their dogs that they can beg at the table by employing the alternative reward, then stopping providing a reward almost totally, so adopting a random reward model. It is normal for the dog to beg in these circumstances, even when the owner practically never succumbs (Lorenz, 1978).
Table 2. Ten Errors to Avoid |
1. Giving food from the table: By sharing food you destroy the dog's image of you. The dog admires and feels an attachment to masters that protect their food. |
2. Imploring your dog to eat or encouraging it by feeding it with your hand. If you want your dog to respect you, you should not stay in its company when it is eating. By showing that you really want it to eat, you assume a subordinate position and invite the dog to refuse food in its desire to move up the hierarchy. |
3. Confusing a good diet with being nice. This may hold for humans, but it does not hold for dogs. A happy dog is a healthy dog that can go for a walk and play with its master. Food should be used only to quell hunger, not as a way of gaining affection. Animals are not capable of managing dietary pleasure in any reasonable way. |
4. Do not feed your dog just before you sit down to eat yourself to stop it begging. This will confuse the dog, which will certainly not beg because it is hungry but because it wants to take on the status of master by sharing your food. |
5. Giving your puppy different foods to make it feel at ease when it first arrives. The first days in a new home are decisive. It is normal to try to reproduce an environment the puppy understands. You should not modify the image it has of adult humans. It is normal that it does not dare eat when it arrives and exhibits timid behavior. It is also important to impose rules from the beginning. |
6. Using small treats to stimulate the dog's appetite for its kibble. There is no point in doing this. If the dog is hungry it will eat its kibble. Otherwise there is a risk of making it eat when it is not hungry, which will cause unwanted weight gain. In addition if you continue with this ritual you increase the risk of the dog not accepting its kibbles. |
7. Making up for your absences and shortcomings with food treats. There is a risk you will reduce the dog-master relationship to an exchange of food. |
8. Reducing the quantity of food and drink for reasons of cleanliness. This common technique puts the master's desires ahead of the dog's needs. Young puppies must be given at least four meals a day and they must have access to fresh water at all times. There is a risk that irregular distribution will lead to digestive disorders that adversely affect learning. |
9. Not worrying about a puppy that eats a lot more than the manufacturer's recommendations. Over consumption can be a sign of satiation, behavioral (hypersensibility-hyperactivity) or digestion problems. It would appear wise not to wait long before discussing it with the veterinarian. |
10. Giving a homemade meal once a week. This expresses the master's lack of confidence in a prepared petfood. The master either fears some deficiency or is afraid that the dog will not be happy. Serious discussions with the owner must be used to show the dietary quality of manufactured food. |
Practitioners must be aware of these points if they are to eliminate bad habits. A ritual cannot be eradicated without compensation. On the other hand, no guilt should be attributed, as this will involuntarily strengthen the attitude that triggers the gift of food (Table 1 & Table 2).
You should only give food over and above meals as a reward to help the dog to learn. This means you should give the treat at the end of the sequence of commands you want to reinforce to the dog. Remember you can easily substitute a few kind words or a few pats instead of a treat.
1. Arpaillange C. Comportement du chien : responsabilité du maître ? Point Vét 2000 ; 31(207): 93-94.
2. Beaumont E, Beata C, Diaz et al. Pathologie comportementale du chien, Paris, Masson 2003, 319 p.
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Lille, France.
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