Nutrition vs. Behavior: Can a Dog’s Behavior be shattered by Poor Nutrition?

In 2017 canine obesity was officially classified as a disease [1]. Obesity affects many factors of your dog’s health, because of the excess body fat [2]. Overweight dogs have shortened lifespan, are in huge risk of developing joint and bones issues, back pains, diabetes, thyroid, heart issues, breathing problems and their quality of life is affected drastically. Obesity in pets (not only dogs) is a growing problem. According to research from Association for Pet Obesity Prevention (APOP) [3], in 2018, an estimated 60% of cats and 56% of dogs in the United States were overweight or obese (increase by 2% in cats and 3% in dogs). The study conducted in the UK found 59% of dogs were classified as overweight or obese [4], and another research states between 39-59% of dogs are dealing with extra weight in Europe, Australia, and USA [5] [6] [7].

POMC

Scientists have also found a variant of one gene, called POMC, associated with weight, obesity, and appetite in Labradors [8], clearly, even genetics is involved in the frequency of seeking for food. In fact, obesity is now considered the biggest threat to the health and well-being of our pets.

Is your dog counter surfing? Chances are if his food-seeking behavior is not a learned skill (has not been rewarded in the past), it could be from lack of protein in his cells. Chronic deprivation of nutrients to the cells can result in constantly feeling hungry. All this may force your dog to beg for food, whine, dig in your trash, steal food from the table or your hands, eating feces… Possibly your dog is not receiving enough nutrients and that could also lead to a condition known as ‘pica’, where canine is eating non-edible items, like soil or plastic.

Certain nutrients affect your dog’s hormone levels that have a cause and effect chain on behavior. Tryptophan and Tyrosine, for instance, may affect aggression and stress resistance in dogs [9]. According to some studies puppies that were given dog food that contains DHA (fatty acid) happened to be more trainable, by increasing cognitive performance and behavior [9].

Certainly pain and discomfort affects our mood and therefore it changes behavior as well. A similar pattern may be seen in dogs. Obesity in dogs generate multiple dysfunctions, that may possibly ache. Urinary Tract Disorder is very irritable, the dog becomes stressed and hurting, and guess what? It is brought on the dog by diet. The scratchy dog becomes grumpy, grumpy dog reaches out to showing you the way he feels and if all the signals are not working he will turn into aggression and attack. (Learn more about dog’s body language here. )

Cheddar’s Experience

Let me tell you from my own experience with Cheddar, my 3-year-old Golden Retriever. When he was still a puppy, he got diagnosed with Canine Hip Dysplasia, which by the way is a condition linked to (other than genetics) different environmental factors, such as exercise, obesity, and possibly poor nutrition. As a behaviorist by heart, I had put a lot of time and effort into raising my dreamed dog the right way, made sure he was well-trained as well as well-behaved. There came a time when he would take time with simple tasks or refused to listen to my commands. He was in pain. Of course, in the beginning, I didn’t have a clue he was suffering. I had only put it onto ‘reaching adolescence’ in the dog’s life. Wrong. Aching can make your dog misbehave. It is important to cross off the list any underlying medical issues, take a closer look at your dog’s nutrition and training approach towards him.

Obviously, the amount of food you give your dog will affect his behavior. Be aware of a number of intake for specific nutrients such as sugars, protein, carbs. Your dog’s energy comes from food as well. And since we are on work out topic now let’s go back to our obese dogs. The overweight pup will not get as much exercise as he needs. You may notice he gets tired faster, doesn’t really like jumping or running anymore, keeps panting and taking constant breaks during walks. Imagine how that impacts his social skills, not only is he deprived of proper exercise and play but possibly it could also leave a scar on his communication skills (showing some signals, like play bow, lifting paw up or appeasement behavior.

Scientists have no doubt that nutrition plays a huge role in canine behavior, and by adding or removing specific nutrients from the diet we are able to change dog’s temperament. The food you give your pup influences his working abilities, brain and to some extent, his behavior. Always consider relationships between what dogs eat and how they behave.

1. J Day, One Health approach to preventing obesity in people and their pets. J Comp Pathol 2017:156;293–5
2. G Kopelman Obesity as a medical problem. Nature 2000:404;635–43
3. https://petobesityprevention.org/
4. A. Courcier, R. M. Thomson et al., An epidemiological study of environmental factors associated with canine obesity. J Small Anim Pract 2010;51:362–7
5. https://pethelp.pl/projektbadawczy/
6. D. McGreevy, P. C. Thomson, et al., Prevalence of obesity in dogs examined by Australian veterinary practices and the risk factors involved, 2005, Veterinary Record 156, 695-702.
7. Colliard,J. Ancel, Risk Factors for Obesity in Dogs in France, 2006, The Journal of Nutrition, Volume 136, Issue 7.
8. Raffan, E et al. A deletion in the canine POMC gene is associated with weight and appetite in obesity-prone Labrador retriever dogs. Cell Metabolism; 3 May 2016; DOI: 10.1016/j.cmet.2016.04.012
9. Bosch, B. Beerda et al., Impact of nutrition on canine behaviour: current status and possible mechanisms., Nutr Res Rev. 2007 Dec;20(2):180-94.

Ewa Hemmy

Dog Behavior Specialist

Ewa Hemmy is behaviorist and dog trainer who is also a writer on top of that. She has College Degree in Animal Behavior earned in Poland, where she comes from. She still consistently study, participate in online courses, webinars and reads through most recent research. Ewa has been writing articles for few years now and loves to educate dog owners on providing better care and understanding of their pet. She believes you can solve unwanted behavior, because your DOG is ABLE to be TRAINED! She can be contacted at ewa.hemmy@gmail.com or call at (785) 822 7409.