If your dog saves its treat until you get home, this post will show you likely reasons why and what you can do about them.
So, why does my dog save its treat until I get home? Likely reasons why your dog saves its treat until you get home are that it feels vulnerable when you are not around or that it is being submissive and seeing if you want to eat it first.
There are actually a number of possible reasons why your dog has been doing it and it could be due to a combination of reasons. However, there are some things you can do about it and there are some things you can consider to help figure out the main cause.
Why does my dog save its treat until I get home?
Below are likely reasons why your dog has been saving its treat until you get home and what would make them more likely.
Separation anxiety
A possible cause is that it gets anxious when you are not around. This would be more likely if your dog shows signs of becoming anxious when you are leaving by doing things such as cry or pace when you are leaving.
Previous training
The cause might be that you or previous owners trained the dog to wait to be told to eat before eating. This would be more likely if your dog eats in the morning, when you tell it to, but it does not eat during the day when you are not around.
Nature
When eating, in the wild, it is a vulnerable moment for dogs where they are somewhat exposed to other animals that might be around. The reason why your dog does not eat its treats without you might be that it wants you to be there to watch over it.
It is being submissive
Another possible cause is that it is being submissive. It could be the case that it is waiting for you to eat first since it sees you as the leader.
Things to consider
Below are things to consider to help figure out the main reason why your dog has been doing it.
If your dog has always saved its treat until you get home
If your dog did not always save its treat until you arrive home, it would help to consider what else happened when your dog first started doing it. If it started doing it suddenly, it could be due to things such as something causing it to feel vulnerable when you are not around.
If your dog always saves its treat until you get home
If your dog does not always save its treat until you get home, it would also help to consider what is different when your dog does not save its treat. For example, if it does eat it when you give your dog the treat a while before you leave, it could be due to your dog wanting to see if you are going to eat it first yourself.
What to do about my dog saving its treat until I get home?
Below are options you have when dealing with the behavior.
Limit reasons why it might be anxious
If your dog seems to be doing it due to being anxious, it would help to take measures to reduce its separation anxiety. Some ways to do so could include letting it pee before leaving it and letting it stay in a quieter room when you are not around.
Give it a treat when you get back
It would also be an option to just give it the treat when you arrive home and to give it exercise before leaving so that it is more likely to sleep while you are away.
Let it do it
If your dog has not been behaving unusually in other ways, another option would be to simply allow it to continue doing it.
Why does my dog eat its treat next to me?
Dogs put themselves in a vulnerable position when they are eating. The reason why your dog eats its treat next to you is likely to be that it makes your dog feel safer.
Why does my dog run away when I give it a treat?
The reason why your dog runs away when you give it a treat is likely to be that it wants to eat the treat alone.