what do to do about my dog’s obsession with food?
ByI have two one year old border collie mixes. One is not so crazy about food as my other one is. my other one is so greedy. he’s not just an optimitistic dog, he goes out of his way to get food. no lie. he got me and my mom a couple of times laying down with his eyes close like hes sleeping, but if i go to the bathroom in less than a minute and come back his head would be in my yesterdays popcorn bag that was in my trash. a couple of weeks ago they jumped in my moms car. i noticed there was a bone in her car and i threw it in the woods covered by leaves and things. the next morning i let my dogs out and greedy dog ran straight to the spot i threw the chicken bone out. it’s like he remembered it. its bad enough he’s greedy, but he’s smart too. i have to feed my dogs in separate rooms because he would chow down his food and try eating my other dogs food. i already had tapeworm tests done on him. the last one in january. i know some dogs are just greedy, but i don’t know how to train him to not be or control him around food more. yes i do feed my dogs the right amount of food. theyre about 50lbs and i feed them 3 cups a day so i’m not starving them.
7 Comments
November 27th, 2011 at 1:38 AM
He’s fat.
November 27th, 2011 at 2:26 AM
But what are you feeding them?
I cannot recommend feeding any of the commercial varieties of meat-flavored baked paste with chemicals added, or the canned versions thereof. Instead, why not feed your dog actual food? The dog’s natural diet is raw meat on the bone. Try it. The dog will love it, the diet will help him teethe properly as a pup, keep his teeth clean the rest of his life, satisfy his lifelong need to chew and results in innocuous feces.
http://www.rawmeatybones.com/
http://preymodelraw.com/how-to-get-started/
http://www.rawfed.com
http://www.rawfeddogs.net
http://www.rawfeeding.net
http://www.rawlearning.com
http://blacksheepcardigans.com/ruff/raw-diet/
http://pets.groups.yahoo.com/groups.rawfeeding/
The basic idea is to approximate a wild diet as closely as possible; raw meat on the bone and small amounts of organ meat [liver is most important, but also kidneys, pancreas, spleen, lungs and what is called green tripe]. Amount to feed is calculated as 2-3% of the dog’s ideal adult body weight. Your veterinarian can help you estimate that; then you just do the math. You don’t have to be exact; all amounts are to be averaged over a week or two. Dogs [not toys or puppies] that get big, complicated meals sometimes will eat for two days and then not again for five. All perfectly normal.
Most raw feeders that I’ve read have started their dogs on chicken: it is readily available and inexpensive, plus it is antibiotic- and hormone-free. The fat content is easy to control by how much of the skin you remove.
No grain, vegetable or fruit is a significant part of a grey wolf’s diet. Dogs are genetically grey wolves.
Besides being unnatural, lately it is becoming more and more clear that commercial dog foods simply are not safe:
http://www.truthaboutpetfood.com/articles/various-private-label-pet-food-recalls-due-to-aflatoxin.html/
November 27th, 2011 at 2:27 AM
Try talking to your vet. If there are no health issues, try distracting your dog with more exercise and training, and if that doesn’t work, talk with a professional. Overall, training her self control such as the stay and leave it commands should help her become calmer. If she sees you won’t give in and let her have food, even when she isn’t with you, she will stop. Though it could be a health or anxiety problem, it’s mostly just a love of food.
November 27th, 2011 at 2:44 AM
some dogs are just like that. try giving him one piece at a time to help slow him down. or just put the empty bowl on the floor and wait for him to look at you then only put a few pieces in at a time and make him wait until you say its ok for him to eat. it shows him that you are in control of his food and it should help over time. another way to help slow him down is by putting a tennis ball in his bowl so he has to work around it and it should help slow him down. if that doesn’t work, take a muffin pan and put a few pieces in each cup.
November 27th, 2011 at 2:48 AM
Controlling the dog’s access to food is your responsibility. Do not leave food items where the dog can reach them. Keep trash cans on a counter top or behind a closed door. Secure the lid to the bottom of garbage cans with bungee cords. Use positive reinforcement to teach the dog drop it/leave it. Positive reinforcement is based on praise and rewards.
November 27th, 2011 at 3:07 AM
You could try splitting their feedings to twice a day, half morning, half evening. I had to do this with my golden retriever since it seemed like he was gorging himself, which can create digestive issues. This has worked for me, but he still wants food. Like you said, some dogs are just greedy and maybe your dog is. Its nothing to be ashamed of. Keep a lid on all trashcans in the house that neither of them can lift or manage to otherwise get around. Try to keep them on schedule about their food, feeding them at or about the same time/s every day. Hope this helps. If nothing else, talk to your vet and see what s/he has to say.
November 27th, 2011 at 3:30 AM
That’s the unfortunate thing about having a dog as smart as a Border Collie–they can figure out to get the food wherever it is. A lot of people have this problem with their Border Collies. You’ll have to just prevent it by keeping the food out of the dogs reach…put something on top of the trashcan, or keep it under the sink with a baby lock on the cabinet door. I also heard about putting weights in the bottom of the trash can so the dog can’t knock it over.
Fortunately, you can use a dog being food crazed to your advantage. This is the type of dog that’s really easy to train–because they will do absolutely anything to get the treat. A really motivated dog like that would be great at a dog sport like agility or flyball.