Why do dogs gobble their food?

Dogs are quick eaters. Several pounds of meat will be gobbled and finished off by the dog in no time. You would think that these animals are very greedy or they have not seen food for quite a while. It is said that humans and dogs are 90% similar in genetics. The way the dog eats is probably one of the things that account for the 10% difference. Humans eat slowly to savor the taste of food. Human teeth are made for chewing. Take note of the teeth of your pet. Canine teeth are sharp and pointed, designed to tear the meat that will be swallowed whole.

Dogs have evolved from wolves. In the wild, wolves need to hunt to survive. Because food is scarce, wolves would need to eat as much as they can when food is available as they don’t know when the next meal would be.

Wolves in a pack hunt and eat together. As such they can not eat leisurely as every one would want to get the biggest share. In a blink of an eye the meat of the prey will be gone. The weak members of the pack won’t have the chance to have a go at the prey if they don’t eat the way dominant members of the pack do.

The leader of the pack and other dogs higher in hierarchy would eat first. These dogs would gobble up the largest pieces. Leftovers will be gobbled up the other dogs lower in rank.

Dogs have been domesticated for hundreds of years. Present day dogs no longer need to hunt to survive. They should not fear that food would run out as food is regularly provided by the owners. Dogs no longer need to gobble their food. Dogs can eat as leisurely and as slowly as they want. Although dogs are highly prized animals and the most popular choice for a pet most households keep only one dog. Present day dogs have no cause to fear that their food will be snatched by more dominant animals. The fierce competition for food no longer exists. Why then do dogs gobble their food?  The primitive habit of gobbling the food would still kick in from time to time. Although the habit was eliminated in most dogs the desire to eat at lightning speed is still dominant in some dogs.