# Does your GSd lay down to eat??



## Nursejulie (May 26, 2018)

Two questions really.....I’ve had Macey about 5 weeks and she almost always lays down by her dish to eat.... and about half the time to drink as well - I’ve never seen a dog do this before and just curious! 
Second, while she seems to like her food - sometimes she is just not interested and won’t eat for instance her breakfast until almost noon. She’s a rescue - about 11 months old and no digestive problems .... she is also super picky about treats - basically it has to be pure meat or salmon or she won’t take it ... which makes training a lot challenging...


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## clipke (Nov 14, 2017)

My GSD lays down to eat. He's very tall, 30 inches at the withers and I don't have anything to elevate his food for him so it's more comfortable to lay down.


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## Apex1 (May 19, 2017)

Mine lays down to eat kibble but not his raw food unless its RMB. When we travel we do kibble and just like when he was a puppy (was kibble fed) he still lays down. He also self regulates his food intake. Skinny and tall dog. Although he is still a huge foody and loves to work for food anytime.


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## McGloomy (Mar 13, 2018)

Huh. Never seen that before. But like the others said I suppose it's normal esp when the dogs are really tall.


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## LeoRose (Jan 10, 2013)

I had a Doberman mix that laid down to eat. She was a slow eater, too, practically one kibble at a time. It would sometimes take her ten minutes to finish a meal. Leo, my current GSD, frequently drink while lying down if she is in her crate or on her bed with the bowl conveniently near. 

As for the not eating when it's offered, I don't put up with that. My late Doberman cross (mentioned above) had to be free fed when I got her because she was in such poor shape, but once she was better, I switched to meal feeding. It took nearly a week of me picking up her bowl with uneaten food in it before she would eat everything in one sitting.


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## saintbob (Jul 14, 2018)

McGloomy said:


> Huh. Never seen that before. But like the others said I suppose it's normal esp when the dogs are really tall.


When the wife had Great Danes she was instructed to elevate the food dish...and always leave food in it because they will never eat it all a one time, but should have food available if they got hungry.

It was only after reading the forum that we lowered Saints food dish to the floor. And that was because lowering the dish prevented bloat.

Now to get back on topic...Holy Cow I never saw that before. I thinking a GSD might eat slower if they laid down to eat...but I dunno.


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## ShemaShepherd (Sep 6, 2018)

My girl likes to take a bite from her bowl and take it to somewhere else to eat


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## Opsoclonus (Jul 29, 2018)

saintbob said:


> When the wife had Great Danes she was instructed to elevate the food dish...and always leave food in it because they will never eat it all a one time, but should have food available if they got hungry.
> 
> It was only after reading the forum that we lowered Saints food dish to the floor. And that was because lowering the dish prevented bloat.
> 
> Now to get back on topic...Holy Cow I never saw that before. I thinking a GSD might eat slower if they laid down to eat...but I dunno.


I'm glad that this was brought up. The research is inconclusive regarding a dog's position when eating although I like to be on the safe side of things and _not_ elevate a dog's food or water dish. At this moment while my puppy is training she will only eat from my hand and doesn't have a food bowl but will similarly lay down to drink at times. 

Since she is skipping a meal *do* keep an eye on the speed at which she eats. If she's eating quickly you may consider a feeding dish that will prevent that. 

Being a rescue we aren't aware of what her schedule/habits were prior to you. Considering that she is picky to eat only pure meat I would _guess_ that her previous owners were feeding her limited quantity (skipping breakfast/1-2 meals) to save on cost or had multiple dogs.
Five weeks should be long enough to adapt to your schedule and her caloric requirements so she may simply be picky as you have described. 


Will she only eat around you? 
What time is her last meal?
How active is she?

If you'd like to train her to eat on your schedule you may want to feed her by hand (and while training) at your selected times until she adapts. Hunger is naturally a strong driving force so _typically_ food is something they quickly adapt to. 

Watch her weight to make sure she's keeping healthy otherwise it seems like nothing to worry about! 

Congrats and all the best with her! :smile2:


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## newlie (Feb 12, 2013)

This topic has come up several times lately, and each time I post this video, so people are probably getting tired of it, lol. Rocky eats all of his meals this way. None of my other dogs have ever done this.


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## Nursejulie (May 26, 2018)

Her meals are approximately 8a and 630p although sometimes she won’t eat breakfast until noon.....But she’ll eat again in the evening so she always gets two meals in eventually lol. She never eats fast and takes very small bites..... nothing wrong with her teeth or mouth. She was quite thin when I got her and she’s put on 2 lbs in 5 weeks but still has the slim “teenager” body 
We walk 2x day and she does run around our yard quite a bit on her own, guarding-and chasing birds!
Her foster family did use bargain dog food .. I’ve got her on wilderness premium puppy chow, transitioning to Victor high pro plus. It’s so interesting to me that so many other GSDs are laying down to eat also.


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## Springbrz (Aug 13, 2013)

My dog lays down to eat kibble and will only eat it off a serving type plate or the floor. Her raw she eats off a plate while standing (won't eat from a bowl) and has to be able to circle it while she's eating or she won't eat. She's very particular about food in general.


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## Sabis mom (Mar 20, 2014)

saintbob said:


> When the wife had Great Danes she was instructed to elevate the food dish...and always leave food in it because they will never eat it all a one time, but should have food available if they got hungry.
> 
> It was only after reading the forum that we lowered Saints food dish to the floor. And that was because lowering the dish prevented bloat.
> 
> Now to get back on topic...Holy Cow I never saw that before. I thinking a GSD might eat slower if they laid down to eat...but I dunno.


I was told the same thing with my Dane. Let her graze and keep the dish elevated. 

My Shepherds have always eaten at about floor level, Sabs and Lex had dishes that were raised a couple of inches but only because they were in holders to prevent being pushed around. Sabi only started laying down when she was too unsteady to stand anymore.

Shadow lays down to eat sometimes, but I suspect on the days when she is not feeling well. I cannot think why it would be an issue, it's not uncommon for wild dogs, wolves, coyotes and jackals to lay down and eat if they can snag something and move off with it.

I have seen tons of pups do it, Sabi used to fall asleep with her head in her dish!


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## Ejm397 (Sep 9, 2018)

How do you post a video on here?


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## newlie (Feb 12, 2013)

Ejm397 said:


> How do you post a video on here?


I almost always have to upload videos onto You Tube and then post the link on this forum. I cannot get it to take otherwise. Hope that helps!


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## Nigel (Jul 10, 2012)

Our newest gsd will often eat laying down, in fact I doubt there is a position he won’t eat in. This guy is a bottomless pit.


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## cz_gsd (Aug 21, 2018)

Hank occasionally lays down with food that takes a few minutes of chewing to eat (bone-in chicken thighs, partially frozen chicken backs, pig tails, frozen chicken feet, etc)


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## czgsd (Jan 12, 2004)

A previous dog did it when she was older, and really tired. Seemed natural at the time.


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## 1Sasha (Jul 11, 2017)

No but my boxer always does.


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## clipke (Nov 14, 2017)

Sabis mom said:


> I was told the same thing with my Dane. Let her graze and keep the dish elevated.
> 
> My Shepherds have always eaten at about floor level, Sabs and Lex had dishes that were raised a couple of inches but only because they were in holders to prevent being pushed around. Sabi only started laying down when she was too unsteady to stand anymore.
> 
> ...


Both of my dogs graze. Neither over eat, they get 8 cups whenever I see a bowl empty and it's usually gone for both of them within 2 days. They eat sporadically and whenever they're hungry. I haven't tried elevating their food though, is there a reason for doing this other than it's more comfortable of taller dogs? My shepherd lays down, my other dog who is about 5 inches shorter doesn't seem to mind much.


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## caltroon (Aug 18, 2018)

*It's okay*



clipke said:


> Both of my dogs graze. Neither over eat, they get 8 cups whenever I see a bowl empty and it's usually gone for both of them within 2 days. They eat sporadically and whenever they're hungry. I haven't tried elevating their food though, is there a reason for doing this other than it's more comfortable of taller dogs? My shepherd lays down, my other dog who is about 5 inches shorter doesn't seem to mind much.


My GSD occasionally won't eat breakfast either, but I feed three meals a day so he usually eats at lunch. Many dogs do strange things with their food bowls - my daughter's dog picks up his bowl, carries it into another room and dumps it on the floor and then eats. I have a friend with a GSD whose dog skips an entire day of eating every now and then. If your dog isn't ill, vomiting, diarrhea or constipation, then it's okay to let it eat how it eats. I do use a no gobble bowl with raised bumps in the bowl to stop the gobbbling. We do, however, use a somewhat elevated bowl stand - I use a flower pot stand which is a few inches high, and he likes that.


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## Parkers (Jan 15, 2011)

If you can provide strong affirmation and joy as a correct behavior response, instead of treats, you will be super glad you did! Treats are immediately effective, but they have several downsides including, a pet that looks for food from almost any hand, an overweight pet, and the nuisance of carrying treats at all times (think of the confusion for your pet when it does something good, but you forgot to bring treats). Exuberant affirmation helps your GSD connect with the tone of your voice and mood, can be applied from a distance (like when you tell your dog to stay, and walk over to greet a friend) and never puts weight on.


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## Jeri (Oct 4, 2020)

Nursejulie said:


> Two questions really.....I’ve had Macey about 5 weeks and she almost always lays down by her dish to eat.... and about half the time to drink as well - I’ve never seen a dog do this before and just curious!
> Second, while she seems to like her food - sometimes she is just not interested and won’t eat for instance her breakfast until almost noon. She’s a rescue - about 11 months old and no digestive problems .... she is also super picky about treats - basically it has to be pure meat or salmon or she won’t take it ... which makes training a lot challenging...


My GSD,have two one lay down to eat,the other only eat at night.6


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## Lexie’s mom (Oct 27, 2019)

Lexie always eats her food laying down.


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## Stuckey (Feb 1, 2020)

Mia does about 50 percent of the time.


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## Damicodric (Apr 13, 2013)

Never had one do it one time.


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