In most cases, your dog's appetite is one of the most obvious signs of good health. The average dog is, well, a chowhound. Each dog is an individual, of course, and some dogs — and even some breeds — have a reputation for being picky. In general, however, you can expect your dog to eat heartily twice a day (more often if he's a young puppy). Perhaps Miguel Cervantes' character Sancho Panza in the novel Don Quixote said it best: “… she never seems to chew, but bolts and swallows all that is put before her, for she has a canine appetite that is never satisfied.”

Signs of Good Appetite

A dog with a good appetite reminds you when it's mealtime. She dances excitedly around your feet as you prepare her food. If you've taught her good dinner manners, she sits impatiently, tail thumping, until you set her dish down and give the okay for her to dig in. She eats avidly, and when she's done she licks her chops and does the “happy dance,” rolling ecstatically on the floor and then thoroughly wiping her mouth on your favorite carpet or upholstered furniture.

Signs of Poor Appetite

There's a difference between picky eaters and dogs that have lost their appetite. Picky eaters might “pick” at their food, only eating a little at a time, but they eventually finish it. Sometimes they eat well one day and refuse the same meal the next, having learned that they often get something different or special when they act this way. Other dogs are picky eaters until competition in the form of another dog is introduced; then they eat voraciously to protect their food from the newcomer.

Whether your dog is a chowhound or a picky eater, be concerned if you notice lack of appetite accompanied by depressed or lethargic behavior, especially if it seems to come out of nowhere. It's not unheard of for dogs with healthy appetites to skip a meal occasionally — usually when the weather is hot — but if your dog turns up his nose at food more than once in twenty-four hours and just doesn't seem himself, it's time to take him to the veterinarian. Loss of appetite is often a sign of disease or dental problems.

Increased Appetite

Sometimes dogs eat more simply because they have increased nutritional requirements. Show dogs, pregnant dogs, dogs that participate regularly in canine sports, and dogs that hike, jog, or hunt frequently with their people need more food than the average canine couch-potato. They may also eat more in response to cold weather, especially if they spend a lot of time playing outdoors. These are all normal instances of increased appetite.

On the other hand, some diseases can cause a dog to eat more than usual. That's because the disease process interferes with the way the body digests, absorbs, or converts food to usable energy. In other instances, it increases the rate at which the body uses energy. If your dog becomes ravenous, and the change can't be traced to a factor such as increased activity, see your veterinarian. This is especially important if your dog is eating a lot but still losing weight.