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Their desire to devour every last tasty morsel in their food bowl makes some dogs exceptionally messy eaters. But it isn’t always their eager nose that leads to accidental food spills — sometimes, your dog makes a mess by deliberately flipping their bowl over.
Although this habit can be amusing, it can be a nuisance to clean up. It can also be concerning if your dog has never shown this behavior before. Fortunately, many of the reasons that your dog flips their bowl are benign and easy to fix.
First, you have to figure out why your dog has developed their new habit. This guide includes the likely reasons that your dog has started flipping their bowl and how to stop it.
The 7 Possible Reasons That Your Dog Flips Their Bowl
1. Playing or Boredom
Many dogs, especially puppies, may find playing with their bowl an unusually satisfying experience, with kibble flying everywhere. It may be that they are just bored and have too much unused energy, which is why they are resorting to playing with their bowl. Make sure your puppy or adult dog is well-exercised and mentally stimulated every single day, in order to reduce their boredom.
2. Attention Seeking
If your dog had flipped the bowl, making you laugh, praise them, pet them, or even scold them, they may have learned that this is a way for them to receive your attention. Even “bad” attention can be desirable, from a dog’s perspective. So, rather than finding the whole thing obviously funny or telling your dog off when they do it, it’s best to stay composed and ignore them altogether, while redirecting the behavior by using food puzzles or mat training. This way, they may learn that flipping their bowl is not a successful way to get your attention.
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3. Frustration
The material that your dog’s food bowl is made of can cause problems if it makes noise when your dog eats out of them. For example, metal tags can rattle against the rim of metal food or water bowls, which can disturb your dog as they eat.
While this problem might not bother dogs that are accustomed to the noise, dogs that are used to quieter bowls might have an issue. You can give your dog a noiseless name tag, but remember that metal bowls are also quite light and easier for your dog to move around, unless they have a rubberized or weighted base. An empty one will rattle more than a bowl made from another material.
4. Privacy Please
Sometimes, your dog gets uncomfortable when their food bowl is too crowded. Even if your dog is used to your screaming toddler or the new rambunctious puppy being in the house, they could be flipping their bowl as a way to protest the placement of their feeding spot. Dogs can be territorial about their food, and too much activity around them can make them feel uneasy.
Try moving their bowl to a quiet spot in the house, somewhere away from the busier areas. If you have more than one dog, try to space out their bowls more when you feed them. Eating too close together can cause some dogs to feel anxious or even aggressive.
5. Too Smelly
Dogs are sensitive to smells, and certain scents in or around their food bowl can put them off their food. If you haven’t washed their bowl in a while, your dog might be reluctant due to the smell of old food leftover from previous meals.
Give the bowl a quick scrub to clean it out before their next meal, but be mindful of the soap that you use. Strong fragrances can linger even after you rinse the bowl out, and your dog might find the smell displeasing.
If you recently bought a new bowl — or purchased one secondhand — the smell of the new plastic or the bowl’s previous canine owner can be off-putting too. Try a stainless-steel bowl that won’t cling to odors, or wash the bowl before using it.
6. Underlying Health Issue
A less likely but still possible reason that your dog keeps flipping their food bowl is due to an underlying health issue. If you’ve tried changing to a new food bowl, cleaning the old one, or switching the food brand and your dog is still flipping their bowl, it might be time to check in with a veterinarian. This is also something to consider if the behavior starts suddenly, especially if your dog has never had a habit of flipping their bowl before.
If your dog isn’t feeling well — whether it’s because of a toothache or stomach upset — they might be flipping their bowl because they’re not hungry. Loss of appetite can be caused by myriad reasons, from minor to severe. Your veterinarian will be able to determine the root cause of your dog’s new habit.
7. Wrong Bowl
The shape and size of the bowl can affect your dog’s eating habits. If the bowl is too small, your dog might not like the limited space as they eat. The height of the bowl can also be a problem, especially if you have a large breed.
The bowl might be getting flipped over so often simply because it’s too light or doesn’t have a non-skid base. Metal bowls in particular are easy to move around, which can lead to your dog chasing theirs around the kitchen as they try to eat. Flipping it over might be just their way of stopping the never-ending chase.
How to Stop Your Dog Flipping Their Bowl
Most of the reasons that your dog flips their food bowl are relatively easy to fix. Once you figure out the possible cause of your dog’s new habit, try out these tips to stop it.
1. Increase Playtime
If your puppy or adult dog is just bored and is trying to burn off some of their excess energy by flipping their bowl around, make sure to keep up with their daily exercise requirements, depending on their age and health. For some dogs, this may be walking, running, playing with toys or fetch, hiking, while for other puzzle feeders, scent work, agility, and more may do the trick.
2. New Bowl
Changing your dog’s food bowl is sometimes the easiest way to solve your dog’s new habit. A wider dish can help if your dog doesn’t like how their tags or collar touch the sides of their existing bowl. You can also invest in a raised dog bowl if your large breed is uncomfortable eating from a bowl on the floor.
You can also consider heavy bowls, ones with non-slip bases, or even a mat to help stop your dog from pushing the bowl around while they eat.
3. Switch Dog Food
Sudden behavior changes in your dog’s eating habits — like flipping their bowl — can be a result of them disliking their food or the food actually going bad. First, make sure the date on the package is good, and that it smells and looks right, before offering it to your dog. On the other hand, some dogs can get bored if they eat the same flavor of food day in and day out. If you’ve been using the same brand or food flavor for a while, your dog might be protesting the monotony. They could also be complaining about an unannounced recipe change.
Check the brand of dog food that you typically use to see if there have been any recent changes to the recipe. Otherwise, it might be time to try a new flavor or another brand.
4. Treasure Hunt
If your dog gets bored easily and flips their bowl in an attempt to make their mealtime more interesting, give them a treasure hunt instead. This works great if you only feed them kibble and only have one pet.
At mealtime, instead of using a bowl, hide your dog’s kibble around the room so their noses can lead them to their food. Remember to measure out the correct portion size so you don’t overfeed or underfeed them. You can also use puzzle feeders.
5. Visit the Vet
More often than not, the cause of your dog’s bowl-flipping behavior is simply their disliking their bowl, being too playful, or being bored. But if changing the bowl or increasing your dog’s playtime and exercise doesn’t stop the behavior, it’s time to visit your veterinarian. They’ll be able to determine if your dog has an issue with their teeth, for example, or is just feeling sick for another reason.
Conclusion
Dogs can flip their food bowl for several reasons. It can be a result of their disliking the noise that their tag makes against a metal bowl or wanting to make their mealtime more interesting. Sometimes, the habit of flipping their bowl can be due to an underlying health issue, like a toothache or lack of appetite.
We hope that this guide has helped you figure out why your dog has started flipping their bowl and how to stop it.
See Also:
- How to Stop Your Dog from Tipping the Food Bowl: 7 Steps
- How Often Should I Wash My Dog’s Food & Water Bowls? Vet Approved Guide
Featured Image Credit: Christian Mueller, Shutterstock
