[jennyo]

I am at my wit's end with this dog! He seems to have this compulsive eating disorder where he cannot get enough food. I swear if I gave him a chance he would probably eat and entire 40# bag of food! Last night he ate not one but two half pizzas about an hour apart off the counter top(I know, I should have learned after the first time). Today I got home from Trader Joe's and my youngest had fallen asleep in the car. I left the door open in the car and from the house to the garage. I was inside for less than 5 minutes and went to the car to find the darn dog finishing off an entire loaf of bread!!! [email protected]

Somebody please tell me this is just a phase :? He is just over two years old and I know that is the equivalent of a teenage boy so hopefully this will subside. My husband is over it and I'm the more emotional one thinking that I would never have a dog that would do this type of stuff but I do!!!

He's great with the kids, super submissive with us and other dogs, it's just that he can't get enough to eat (although you would never know it by looking at him). Aside from total quarantine from the rest of the house, any suggestions?

Thanks,
Jenny

 

[XXNull]

sounds my 18 year old son, my we can go half and call the dog whisperer

 

[Baja Dreamer]

Yes, you should have learned after the first time! This is an action on your dog's part that needs corrected on the spot, immediately as it occurs. Trying to do so latter or after the fact will do no good as your dog will have no context for the correction that you wish to give him. The correction for his actions needed to happen and be firmly applied while his transgression was happening. Afterwards is too late. Most labs are very smart and easily trained dogs. If your lab is as submissive as you say, you might be able to train him out of this behavior fairly easily. His submissivness show that he does understand who is in charge and what the hierarchy is in your house, so that may make things easier. And if you really have to, you could try a few training sessions with leaving food out on the counter for him to scarf up, and then doing the correction the second he tries to grab the food. But the easiest thing would be to stop leaving food out that he CAN get at all! You can then do a correction about him jumping up and even putting his paws on the counter. Once he knows he isn't allowed to do that, he will probably stop grabbing food from it to! Even simpler would be to not allow him in the house at all. But that probably isn't what you wanted to hear. The problem is that you have already set a precident and he thinks it is perfectly OK to snatch whatever he wants off of the counter when you are not looking, and it sounds like he's been doing this for a while. As far as him constantly eating goes, that will go on for a while. A dog will eat what tastes good until he can't eat any more because he doesn't know any better! Our lab Sam is 8 years old now and he will still eat anything he is given if he likes it. He is occasionally allowed in the house under supervision, (Much to our cat's chagrin!), and he always stays in the tent with us when we camp and hunt. But he only ever tried to get on the table and take something off of it one time and I happened to be there when he did it. That was when he was about two years old and he hasn't done it since! My English pointer isn't allowed in the house at all because he is too much of a hyper-active nut case! One more thing I would mention, and I have seen this make the difference between good trainers and outstanding trainers. Dogs of different breeds and temperments will take varying degreees of correction in training, just like people. Some are very easy to get along with and they will acquiesce to a command very easily and quickly. Others are more resistant and take more repetition and patience, as well as harder correction when they do not learn or obey a command. The important thing is to NEVER leave the dog thinking that you are angry or mad at them under ANY circumstances! When you are training, do what needs done. But no matter what, when you are done, give your buddy some love and he will always return it in kind! FISH HARD!

This post edited by Baja Dreamer 06/14/2008

 

[Baja Dreamer]

sounds my 18 year old son, my we can go half and call the dog whisperer

Just get a shock collar and a big stick for the kid.

He'll be just fine as soon as he stops twitching! :tu:


FISH HARD!

 

[zman92627]

Watch out. A friend has a yellow and she is sneeeeeeeky. Lures you away from the kitchen then BAM. Bread seems to be a flavor, chicken too. I think boundries like get out of the kitchen are in order. But the car can be a tough one. Other wise, I can refer someone who can weld some gates to close off sections of your house! Oh, Used to work with someone from Colorado that bred Labs. He told me they were the only breed that would always test electric fences. When power went down his dogs were gone. Maybe a treadmill in the house to keep them working, you might make some bionic dogs that way.

Good luck. Post some pics of that red curious how he looks.

 

[Baja Dreamer]

Oh, Used to work with someone from Colorado that bred Labs. He told me they were the only breed that would always test electric fences. When power went down his dogs were gone.

Not ours.

I can leave him in the front yard and he won't go anywhere. When we camp, we leave the tent door open a little so he can get out to do his business at night and he has never run off. When I camp with hunting buddies he will occasionaly go into a friend's tent for another pet and a pat on the head, but he always comes back.

Even when he looks in fron the sliding glass door, he just sits and watches because he is so curious as to what his people are doing!


FISH HARD!

 

[Halibuts Dream]

I am at my wit's end with this dog! He seems to have this compulsive eating disorder where he cannot get enough food. I swear if I gave him a chance he would probably eat and entire 40# bag of food! Last night he ate not one but two half pizzas about an hour apart off the counter top(I know, I should have learned after the first time). Today I got home from Trader Joe's and my youngest had fallen asleep in the car. I left the door open in the car and from the house to the garage. I was inside for less than 5 minutes and went to the car to find the darn dog finishing off an entire loaf of bread!!! [email protected]

Somebody please tell me this is just a phase :? He is just over two years old and I know that is the equivalent of a teenage boy so hopefully this will subside. My husband is over it and I'm the more emotional one thinking that I would never have a dog that would do this type of stuff but I do!!!

He's great with the kids, super submissive with us and other dogs, it's just that he can't get enough to eat (although you would never know it by looking at him). Aside from total quarantine from the rest of the house, any suggestions?

Thanks,
Jenny

I have two Labs currently, and have had a third. BD is correct in that you must correct them during the act.
I would take the following steps to help correct this issue:

1) Never give the Dog any food item that is not presented in their normal food bowl/container.

2) Do not let them sit and watch you eat. Send them away, or tell them to lie down.

3) Try leaving food items on the kitchen counter, and then watch. If they make an attempt to get at the food correct them swiftly, and decisively.

4) Reward their good behavior with lot's of attention and praise, toys, etc.

Good Luck and don't give up!

 

[Bumper]

We had the same problem, not quite as intense as yours but she would gobble stuff up when she thought she could. When we caught her in the act the correction was swift. We removed anything we thought she could get to (not leaving her in the car with groceries) and in combination with those two we also think now it was a stage she eventually out grew. That said, if food is dangled she will go for it with permission so she knows when it is okay and when she breaks the rules.

 

[Wils]

re: answer for ALL DOG owners!!!

there is a thread here at allcoast from two weeks ago that can be used for all dogs.

 

[Wils]

We had the same problem, not quite as intense as yours but she would gobble stuff up when she thought she could. When we caught her in the act the correction was swift. We removed anything we thought she could get to (not leaving her in the car with groceries) and in combination with those two we also think now it was a stage she eventually out grew. That said, if food is dangled she will go for it with permission so she knows when it is okay and when she breaks the rules.

She didn't simply "grow out of it", Bumper. You trained her out of it. "the correction was swift" was not a pat on the head?

 

[fishybuzz]

re: answer for ALL DOG owners!!!

there is a thread here at allcoast from two weeks ago that can be used for all dogs.

Yep jennyo read the thread...my dog tried taking food ONCE..never did it again.

the most important thing to remember the dog is a dog ....not a four legged human.

 

[jennyo]

re: answer for ALL DOG owners!!!

Thanks guys for all the suggestions. I will go back and read the entire thread about the other dog question. Believe me, he got a lot more than just a smack on the butt and it was during the act so he knows what he did was [email protected] I did the whole "set up" a while back with the hot dog on the counter and his leash and choke chain on. As soon as he showed any interest he was corrected and it worked in that he won't go for it when we are around. He is a sneaky little devil though.

He's not going to be an outside dog so I have to take responsibility for what he has access to and limit that. I think it's time for a refresher obedience course too Time for doggie boot camp. Here are a few pics of the little s*%t

 

[Laukia]

re: answer for ALL DOG owners!!!

I would definitely lose the choke chain. You can easily injure the dogs neck with a choke chain at the point where the chain retracts. Just for sh!its and giggles try putting the choke chain around your leg/thigh and have someone snap it closed as you would on the dog. I think you'd be looking at a bruise the size of a quarter/half dollar the next day. You could probably get away with a flat collar but if you need to get his attention a little more, use a prong collar. They look gnarly but when they are properly fitted (sitting right behind the ears and up under the jaw line) they are more effective and more humane than a choke collar. I'd also suggest resisting the temptation to spank/hit the dog with your hand or even with a rolled up newspaper as suggested on the other thread. This can make some dogs hand shy which can lead to other problems (i.e; fear biting).

Sure is a beautiful dog.

 

[Tailman One]

re: answer for ALL DOG owners!!!

All the suggestions are pretty good. We have 3 labs and never feed them people food, they only get Iam,s dry food. I would have the Vet check your dog for worms-signal if he is always hungry !! Good Luck !!

 

[amp]

well I've owned lots of dogs in my life and my lab is about the hungriest. my wife and I wonder if we could ever fill him up. anyway dont worry if hes hungry just feed him enough to keep him the proper weight. my dogs stay outside so its not a problem nabbing food out of the kitchen, i decide how much they should get,, they always want more! a couple of times a day the dogs might get a dog biscuit which they love.

i guess its like with a two year old child, you just have to keep things out of their reach, and when you cant correct them consistently. anyway i love my lab, good luck with yours

 

[Outhouse]

JennyO, We had a Lab and she did the same thing. I am certain she would have eaten until she exploded. We were diligent is limiting her food intake just so she didn't explode. She once ate 5 - $20 bills off the kitchen table.

 

[Fishrich]

I am at my wit's end with this dog! He seems to have this compulsive eating disorder where he cannot get enough food. I swear if I gave him a chance he would probably eat and entire 40# bag of food! Last night he ate not one but two half pizzas about an hour apart off the counter top(I know, I should have learned after the first time). Today I got home from Trader Joe's and my youngest had fallen asleep in the car. I left the door open in the car and from the house to the garage. I was inside for less than 5 minutes and went to the car to find the darn dog finishing off an entire loaf of bread!!! [email protected]

Somebody please tell me this is just a phase :? He is just over two years old and I know that is the equivalent of a teenage boy so hopefully this will subside. My husband is over it and I'm the more emotional one thinking that I would never have a dog that would do this type of stuff but I do!!!

He's great with the kids, super submissive with us and other dogs, it's just that he can't get enough to eat (although you would never know it by looking at him). Aside from total quarantine from the rest of the house, any suggestions?

Thanks,
Jenny

Hi Jenny,

My labs have their food in a big tub out in the shop which is open all the time. They self feed and never over do it.
The best way I`ve ever seen to get your dog to never take food off of the counter, or anywhere else for that matter, is good old mouse traps. Yup, set em up with food and mouse traps. It`s pretty funny to watch. They will never cheat once they`ve been snapped on the snout.
The best thing about the traps is that they don`t associate the trauma with you. You`re still their bestest buddy !!!!!

 

[Hithard]

Train the dog to eat only on command, only out of its bowl.

A dog that eats when it wants to is not a dog that knows who the pack leader is. That doesn't happen in a wolf pack, the alpha makes it very clear when everyone else gets to eat, they sort it out from there. BTW I find most people over feed their dogs. A dogs instinct is to eat until its full cause it never knows when the next meal is coming. You've trained your dog to expect food in a certain quantity and regularity. You can adjust that and redirect that energy in other ways. Read my post on the previously mentioned thread about using a kong as a feeding/mind stimulation tool.

The choke collar is fine if used and fitted properly. Having said that the point is a quick short jolt, not meant to choke the dog (which is confusing because its called a choke collar)Granted the prong type collars are also effective and reduce the chance of giving your dog a sore throat. A quick grab of the scruff can also do the trick. People have to find what corrections work for them. I've raised dogs, worked as a vets assitant for many years and never once seen a long term injury resulting from a choker I know that they occur/exist, so I hope it doesn't come across as if I'm saying disregard the other posters opinion. Just giving mine.

 

[tanglefoot62]

Ah, caught in the act!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=moF_neVuvXY&NR=1

 

[AZFISHKILLER]

Jenny< Never hit or kick your dog, tone of voice and touch are enough if you are consistant, never let it slide, no matter how busy your are. If the dog does not respond, get a newspaper and smack your hand for sound effects, while you dress them down. Usually they will learn the word no quite quickly, the shorter the command the quicker they will learn it. Dogs don't do sentences. lol