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By Maria Azzurra Volpe
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A dog owner from Australia revealed what his pup does every morning before eating his breakfast, and internet users can’t cope with it.
In a viral Reddit post shared on Saturday under the username u/plime97, the pup can be seen performing a sort of dance where he waves his snout at his food while walking in circles around it, occasionally grabbing a small bit to eat. "He has developed a bit of a morning food ritual …" the caption explains, adding that this only happens at breakfast when he's less hungry.
The poster, Peter, who did not give his surname, told Newsweek that his pet only started behaving this way a couple of weeks ago, and he will usually "do it for up to five minutes, eat a bit, and walk off, before coming back an hour later to finish the meal."
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"He gobbles up dinner very fast," Peter said. "Comments on the post suggest it's a form of burying because he doesn't really want to eat all the food now, although he's clearly not really able to bury food from his licky mat on our wooden floors so it ends up looking very performative."
The Kennel Club explains that many dogs hide their food, a behavior rooted in their evolutionary past, inherited from their ancestors, the wild wolves.
This behavior reflects a natural drive to protect valuable resources, much like dominant wolves in a pack. Even though domestic canines don’t live in packs the same way, they may still feel the need to guard their food, especially when sensing competition.
Some dogs, particularly rescues, may hide food to create a sense of safety and control, often due to past experiences with food insecurity.
Additionally, canines’ powerful sense of smell makes burying and rediscovering food a mentally stimulating, sensory-rich activity.
he has developed a bit of a morning food ritual
r/WhatsWrongWithYourDog
The video quickly went viral on social media and has so far received nearly 1,000 upvotes and dozens of comments on the platform.
One user, Totallynotat55savush, commented: "My dog used to do this because she didn’t like the particular food but was ‘burying’ it just in case starvation set in a half-hour later."
Blackroseyagami posted: "Just a funny reminder, dogs are prone to OCD. Depending on the breed or mix of them they can manifest on different behaviors.
"I have a St. Bernard that compulsively licks his paws, even after repeated visits to the vet we haven't found anything wrong with his paws and he just insists on doing so."
Talulabel added: "Mine does this too, when she's hungry but doesn't want whatever wet food we've given her. It lets us know she's in the mood for something different and whatever we switch it out for gets gobbled up."
Do you have funny and adorable videos or pictures of your pet you want to share? Send them to life@newsweek.com with some details about your best friend, and they could appear in our Pet of the Week lineup.
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