Why does my German Shepherd lay down to eat?

If your German Shepherd lays down to eat you’re probably wondering why and what you should do about it.

This post will show you a number of reasons why your German Shepherd might be doing it and what you should do about it yourself.

So, why does my German Shepherd lay down to eat? Possible reasons are that it does it naturally, it’s tired, it has an illness or injury or it is because it is getting older and it’s not as strong as it once was.

There are a number of things that you can consider when trying to figure out why your German Shepherd might be doing it. Depending on the cause there are also a number of things that you can do.

Why your German Shepherd lays down to eat

Each of the different reasons why your German Shepherd lays down to eat will likely come with some clues.

Below, I will mention a number of reasons why your German Shepherd might do it and what would make them more likely.

It has an illness or injury

It could be the case that an illness or injury is causing your German Shepherd to feel weaker. This would be more likely if it has been showing other signs of being weaker such as sleeping a lot more, not wanting to exercise or being less energetic. It would also be more likely if it started to lay down to eat suddenly and if it has been yelping or crying at times.

If it is due to an illness or injury then it would be worthwhile to take it to a vet to get expert help.

Nature

It is common for dogs to lay down to eat and it could be the case that your German Shepherd lays down to eat naturally. This would be more likely if it has always laid down to eat and if it didn’t do it suddenly.

It’s tired

If your German Shepherd only seems to lay down to eat occasionally then it could be the case that it does it because it is tired. This would be more likely if it does it when it should be tired such as right after it has gotten some exercise.

Age

If it did not lay down to eat when it was younger but it has gradually begun to lay down when it eats as it has gotten older then it would be more likely to be due to not being as strong as it used to be. This would be more likely if it was not a sudden occurrence and it has gradually been less energetic over time.

Things to consider

There are a number of things that you can consider when trying to figure out why your German Shepherd might be doing it that I will mention below.

When it started laying down to eat

It would help to consider the timing of when it started doing it.

If it started to lay down to eat suddenly then it would be more likely to be due to something such as getting ill or injured. This would be more likely if something happened that might have caused it to get ill or injured such as falling over or eating something it shouldn’t have. It could also be the case that it did it due to being tired especially if it only does it after exercise and it doesn’t always do it.

If it did not start doing it suddenly then it would make it more likely to be due to things such as nature or getting older.

If it always lays down to eat

If it always lays down to eat then it would be more likely to be due to its nature unless it has started doing it suddenly. If it has suddenly started to lay down to eat all the time then taking it to the vet would be worthwhile.

How it has been acting in other ways

It would also help to consider how it acts in other ways.

Does it have trouble walking or running? Is it limping? If it is then it would make it more likely to be due to illness or injury. If it is otherwise acting normal then it would be more likely to be due to nature, getting older or being tired due to exercise.

What to do about your German Shepherd laying down to eat

Take it to a vet

If you are unsure about why your German Shepherd has started laying down to eat it would be worthwhile to take it to a vet. This would especially be the case if it has started doing it suddenly and it has been acting unusually.

Let it lay down

It is not uncommon for dogs to lay down to eat. If it does lay down to eat then you should continue to allow it to do so and you could even take measures to make it easier for it to lay down to eat.