“If it smells like meat…” a ‘Rule of Thumb’ for dogs

Although you might think (as many have) that dogs have a strong preference for eating meat, things may not be quite so clearcut. Authors Anandarup Bhadra and Anindita Bhadra of The Dog Lab (doggedly observing dogs at the Department of Biological Sciences, Indian Institute of Science Education and Research, Kolkata, India), propose instead that dogs’ food preferences are governed by a relatively simple “Rule of Thumb”.

The rule is : “If it smells like meat, eat it.” The team’s experimental study ‘Preference for meat is not innate in dogs.’ is published in the Journal of Ethology. 32 (1): 15-22. A full copy may be found here:

^{Photo is courtesy: ‘Guide to making and selling Pet Treats in West Virginia’}