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YOUR DOG QUESTIONS ANSWERED

How long does the digestive process take in a dog?

The entire digestive process, from the mouth to the rectum, has usually been said to take about 6-8 hours in dogs. However, some more recent studies suggest it may be more like 13 hours. It is thought that the digestive process for giant breed dogs could be considerably longer than for smaller dogs, even taking as long as 21.5 to over 57 hours.

In essence, the length of the process seems to vary drastically depending on the size and breed of the dog, health conditions, stress levels, type of food and other factors.

How do I know if my dog wants a belly rub or is being submissive?

Dogs expose their bellies for two main reasons:

1. As a submissive display (otherwise known as an appeasement display)

2. As a request for a belly rub

It’s important to know what the dog is telling you before you automatically go for the belly rub.

Dogs adopting a submissive display are trying to diffuse social tension by indicating that they are not a threat. Petting a dog in this scenario can make the dog even more tense and nervous, because now you are touching him in a very vulnerable part of his body.

Dogs who actually want a belly rub will generally show the following body language signs:

• Overall: loose, relaxed body postures

• Mouth: relaxed, open mouth, floppy tongue

• Eyes: open or slightly closed, bright

• Tail: relaxed and wagging

• Vocalisations: maybe a light panting sound or silent

In contrast, a dog who is showing submissive behaviour will show the following signs:

• Overall: tense, low body posture, crouching, freezing

• Mouth: lips pulled back in a ‘fear grimace’ or lips and mouth closed, may see lip-licking and tongue flicking

• Eyes: wide open and staring into the distance, or showing the whites of their eyes, or squinty, tense eyes

• Tail: may be still or wagging but will have tension in the base of the of the tail, or the tail may be tucked

• Vocalisations: quiet or soft whining