Why Dogs Don't Eat

When I came home today, I went upstairs and released the hound. That is, the dog was let out of the room he snores in all day while we're away. He instantly came to life when I opened the door, and he pounded head-long down the stairs. He hadn't eaten his breakfast this morning, so I wondered how he had saved up that much energy. My husband put the food in the room with him so that he could eat it if he decided he got hungry enough. We've tried this before, thinking that we're showing our concern for him, but the dog never eats while we're away.

I grew up with one dog, and she never missed a meal-or a snack. So this new dog's refusal to eat unless we're home totally has thrown me for a loop. This dog also incessantly chases his tail so much that he often ends up in a middle-of-a-somersault pose. I'm not sure that that says anything for his intelligence.

A quick internet search for "why dogs don't eat" resulted in many results for why dogs eat grass or feces, but only one in the first few pages that answered my question. That one page suggested that the dog is sad, wants to wait for his leaders to "okay" his eating by being present, or perhaps that he is waiting for his leaders to return from "hunting." (http://www.funadvice.com/q/why_dogs_don_t_eat) I still find it difficult to believe that a dog won't eat because his people are not at home. My dog as a kid just didn't care; she'd pretty much eat anything, anytime, any place. I just pretty much figured dogs in general aren't that picky.

While I waited for my husband to come home today, I noticed that the dog went upstairs, which is unusual for him. He came down after a short amount of time up there, and went back to chasing his tail. When my husband and I sat down to dinner, my husband noticed that the dog's food bowl was still upstairs. I figured I'd leave it up there, and if the dog got hungry, he'd go back upstairs and eat it. I didn't think he'd had enough time to do that in the short while he was upstairs, but apparently he had. My husband returned with an empty bowl. Then he got more food and ate that. We're both home, and he's a pretty happy camper.