Cats can be the fussiest of eaters, refusing to eat anything they suddenly decide they don’t like – even if they’ve happily had it just the day before – and even stubbornly holding out for days until you replace what they’ve rejected with something more to their current taste. They’re worse for it than children!
Dogs, on the other hand, give the impression that they really don’t care. If it’s in their bowl, it’s fair game and likely to be wolfed down in a matter of seconds. You sometimes wonder why the companies that produce those ‘special recipes’ even bother!
So do dogs actually enjoy their food or is it there purely to fill the gap in their stomachs? The Green Lane Farm is here to answer your questions.
Do dogs taste food?
Dogs certainly do taste their food, but the way they appreciate it is dictated as much by its smell as any sensation of taste that they get when it goes into their mouths. They have taste buds that can identify many of the same tastes that ours do, but the way they work is quite different.
To understand this difference, it’s worth examining not only how their taste buds work, but also the vital influence their olfactory sensors – in other words, their sense of smell – play.
Dogs’ taste buds
Dogs have fewer taste buds than we do – about 1,700 compared to our 9,000. But this doesn’t mean that they don’t appreciate taste or have preferences between different tastes. They can differentiate between sweet, salty, savoury, bitter and sour food – with their favourites being savoury and sweet – but they may be less attuned to more subtle variations. For instance, they may not be able to easily tell one type of meat from another.
Dogs can’t taste spicy food – but don’t go feeding it to them, because it will probably upset their stomachs and can even cause long-term health issues.
Dogs can’t tell the taste of salty food as well as we do, so when they eat it, receptors in their taste buds tell them that they need water to rehydrate – and, interestingly, unlike us, dogs can actually taste water!
The other main difference between the taste buds of people and dogs is their position. In humans, the tip of the tongue holds the receptors that appreciate sweet food, which is why we roll it around our mouths to get the most out of its taste. With dogs, on the other hand, those receptors are at the rear of the tongue, so they are actually appreciating sweet food as it passes swiftly by on its way to the stomach.
The back of the throat is another place where dogs have taste buds that we don’t – so as they’re wolfing their dinner down, it is being tasted and enjoyed as it goes.
Dogs’ sense of smell
We may have five times as many taste buds as dogs, but they have 20 times as many olfactory sensors, meaning that their sense of smell is much more acute. As a result, they can tell whether they are going to enjoy the taste of food well before they even get close to it.
They do that by discerning how sweet, salty, savoury, bitter or sour it’s going to be. If you’ve ever gone from not thinking about food at all to feeling very hungry just because you’ve caught the aroma of your favourite food, it’s like that for dogs but considerably more intense!
Why do some dogs eat poop?
Of course, to us, eating poop is about as disgusting as it gets. So why do some dogs do it? There are a number of reasons, including the fact that they do actually like the taste and texture. However, they are also able to identify nutritional value in the form of undigested fats and proteins that to them smell delicious.
It’s estimated that about 25% of dogs eat poop, not only their own and other dogs’ but also that of cats and other animals. Alongside the fact they like it, it can also be learned behaviour from their mother, the result of a medical condition or even just because they are hungry.
It is generally harmless to them in itself, but should be discouraged because of the risk of parasites and bacteria. As with most dogs, this can usually be achieved through good training and positive reinforcement, but if your dog persists, you might want to try fitting a muzzle when you’re out and about.
Here at Green Lane Farm Boarding Kennels, we’ll always ask about your dog’s eating preferences when it stays at our Chessington kennels, which are also convenient for those living in or near Kingston and other parts of Surrey and Greater London. We’ll make sure he or she is fed good quality food throughout their stay, to make sure they are as healthy and happy when you return as when you left them with us.
If you’re in need of reliable and responsible care for your dog when you’re away from home – whether it’s for a few weeks, a few days or even just the one day – get in touch with us now.
