Golden Retriever Taking a 'Small Bite' From Owner's Sandwich Melts Hearts

While most dogs can be characterized for their never-ending appetite, this particular golden retriever is more than happy to savour his food and take it one tiny bite at a time.

A video shared on TikTok by @goldenbearollie on January 11 shows the dog being offered a sandwich when his owner was supposed to be eating it herself.

After eyeing up the snack and waiting for permission from his owner, Ollie gently leans forward to take a tiny nibble of the sandwich, cautious not to take too much. The caption for the video reads: "You can take a small bite... was he gentle though?"

Therapy dog trainer and writer for Good Dog Swag Michelle Lehr spoke to Newsweek about this behavior: "This gentle way of eating is not only cute, but it also speaks to the innate manners and politeness that these dogs possess.

"Many dogs will exhibit this type of behavior when eating. This is because dogs have instinctual manners that govern their behavior around food. In the wild, dogs are pack animals and they compete for food. Therefore, they have developed manners, such as taking small bites to avoid conflict and aggression around food."

Lehr continued about why golden retrievers specially are so good at this trend: "Golden retrievers are well known for their friendly, gentle and trainable nature, and have a strong desire to please their owners.

"Their gentle way of eating is a reflection of their well-mannered nature and their desire to please their owners."

The video follows a trend of social-media videos showing pets being offered human food to see how gentle they will be when they accept it. There's little doubt that Ollie managed to grasp this with his incredibly gentle nature.

Though this viral trend might be cute, it's important not to feed a dog too much unhealthy food. According to figures by VCA Animal Hospitals, obesity is the most common disease that can be prevented in dogs in North America.

It's thought that 25 to 30 percent of all dogs are obese, and 40 to 45 percent of dogs aged between 5 and 11 years old weigh more than they should. The risks of obesity in dogs include cancer, diabetes, heart disease and osteoarthritis, so it's important to manage a dog's weight correctly.

The video of Ollie on TikTok, has received over 1 million views and more than 270,000 likes in little more than a single day. The owner even replied to one comment: "This was the first time Ollie ever tried a sammy. He's just a gentle boy."

Ollie has warmed many hearts with his gentle eating, with comments on the video including: "That was gentle but definitely not a small bite!"

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