Unintentionally trained? my dog into a bad habit

pxdf9i5cmoavkz

To give a bit of background on how all of this started. I used to feed my dog twice a day with a 12~ish hours time period between meals. I would fill the bowl to a comfortable amount that at the time I felt was right based on observing how much she ate. Usually she would not finish the bowl and all that I had to do was top it up when it came time for the next meal. My dog seemed happy to eat only when she needed to.

A few months ago I took my dog to the veterinary for her regular check-up and shots and the vet informed us that she was 2.5 Kg's overweight. He recommended that I cut back on the amount of food is put into her bowl to help her lose weight. After this I think it all went rapidly downhill

The diet has helped and my dog has reached and maintains a healthy weight but the cost thereof is that my dog has become obsessed with food! She follows me everywhere and if I go into the kitchen she'll be on my heels staring at everything I do. It's as if she is trying to will me into giving her food. Sitting at the dining table eating food? She is there staring a hole into me even if I have never given her food from the table but she'll still damn well try! If she happens to be outside and hears the kitchen door opening, well, lets just say that Greyhounds may as well retire.

My intuition is telling me that she believes she'll never get another meal and that she needs to take every single opportunity to get some food into her belly. After her morning meal that she scarfs down, she'll sit there staring at me trying to say that she is ready for seconds. To test a theory I have that she will literally eat herself to death given the opportunity, I filled her bowl to the top and she scarfed it all down and then sat there staring at me. I then put in more food and she scarfed it down and sat there... staring at me like a starving dog. She ate 2 days worth of meals in one sitting when before she would eat her fill and leave.

Another example of her food obsession is that if I close the door to the kitchen she'll pace around outside the door. She wont whine or scratch at the door but I can hear her pacing up and down. When arriving home from work she is happy to greet me (we have a routine) and afterwards goes into the kitchen to sit at her bowl even though its not meal time yet.

I'm hoping someone has advice on how I can help my dog get out of this bad habit. She is a Jack Russel.

Shaunoc

sounds like a retriever!
healthy weight is more important than doggies feelings.
a chew toy perhaps, to take the egde off your doggies cold turkey
low cal treat like a carrot during the day.
12 hours is a big gap, no? anyway dogs learn new routines quick. i feed mine the 2nd feed at 3 and they pester me from 2:30 every day without fail. i am ignored again at 3.01pm

cocker5

Have you considered bulking up her meals with some veg? So she feels fuller without the calories?

Some raw carrots (great for their teeth too) .. some sugar snap peas , string beans etc

Knine

All 4 of my dogs are food obsessed! No amount of feeding or bulking up will change it!

They would literally eat themselves to death if given the chance!

andreac

i have a 9 year old female rottie who is the exact same and has been the same way all her life. She hoovers her dinner down every single time like she hasn't been fed in weeks and is never going to eat again!! It's mad. I have no doubt that she would eat until she burst, given the chance.

tk123

Could you maybe try bulking it out with veg (I bulk one of my dogs meals out with veg) as suggested but also use a slow feeder bowl, kong etc etc - something that will slow her down eating and tire her out a bit ... so she's too tired to keep begging lol!! I feed 3 times a day as one will be sick if there's too long a gap. ALSO.. make sure you're going by how she looks/feels.. I was told one of mine needed to lose 5kgs without the vet having felt her ribs or muscle tone .. they simply read the ideal weight from their chart on the wall... My new vet told me she'd put another 1kg ON her lol not take anything off.

Rubberchikken

our westie would eat until stuffed and then it would all come back up if she was left so it took us time to know the right amounts to give. she has her breakfast anytime from 6.30 to 11 depending on when im up, mix of wet and dry and same for her dinner at 6. she get a wagastic chewie after her walk which keeps her going to dinner.
yes she stands and stares when im having something to eat but im well.used to that and consider her gealth more important than getting cobcerned about her 'hungry eyes'.
they are divils for food - like myself!

aonb

Ive never had a dog that didnt think he was being starved to death!

OP how about breaking up your dogs allocation of food into several smaller meals. Give him his breakfast portion when you're eating breakfast, lunch portion at lunchtime, and dinner in the evening. Before you retire for the night, give him a little treat. This is the new routine you have to establish.

Youve done well to get him to loose 2.5kg, but if he's driving you mad, get a nice big raw bone from your butcher, that'll keep him happy for a couple of hours. I give my food obsessed pest a bone 2-3 times/week. When hes acting like hes about to expire from malnutriction mid-afternoon, I give him a bit of something not 'fattening' - raw chicken wing, or a few bits of kibble or something - you could give your guy an apple core or a bit of broccoli/carrot (my dog LAUGHS at stuff like that!!) Theres no point in your dog driving you bonkers with pacing and begging and sad doggie eyes. While you do have to retrain yourself to stop being bothered by his begging, dont drive yourself mad either - give in to a little healthy/low cal treat now and then. Then pay the price by adding a bit on to the walks or going a bit faster or throwing a ball or toy in the garden for 10 mins to work it off!

VonVix

It's not completely unique! I think a huge amount of dog owners are used to having food obsessed dogs, it's just a little weird for you because your dog went from one extreme to the other.

An idea to maybe help you is set up a designated feeding area that's away from the kitchen. Say get a special mat that goes in the hallway (or somewhere else boring/that you don't mind her getting excited about), or a crate, feed her only in this place.

For example, my Shepherd only gets fed in his crate, which is upstairs in my bedroom. When he's hungry, he typically rests in his crate waiting for food, or when I prepare his food, he dashes to his crate and happily waits. Food comes from the kitchen, but the kitchen isn't the place for him to be to get the food. On the flipside, my Shelties get fed in the kitchen. You make one move in the kitchen and they're keeping an eye on every single thing you do in the hopes of food, because that's their feeding area.

A designated feeding spot that's away from the kitchen might help a little bit (more for you than your dog!), but it would be a matter of building up new habits.

Ultimately it's worth it having your dog be on the slimmer side... chances of less vet bills and a healthier life!

Wheety

I thought that was normal for a dog. Ours used to stare at everyone eating and put his paw on your lap.

Still didn't feed him from the table though. Just stick to your reduced feeding regime.

pxdf9i5cmoavkz

Thanks for the replies everyone. It's good to know that I'm not the only one with a dog that incorrectly thinks she is going to die today unless she gets fed.

Coalesced all the points from the replies and my plan going forward is:

1. Slow feeder bowl.
2. Bulk up meal with safe veggies.
3. No more feeding in the kitchen.

VonVix wrote:

It's not completely unique! I think a huge amount of dog owners are used to having food obsessed dogs, it's just a little weird for you because your dog went from one extreme to the other.

You're right and this is what shocked me. Having my dog go from "I'll get another meal soon, I'm grand" to "OMG!! I'll never get another meal ever I'm going to die today goodbye cruel world" was rough because I love this dog so damn much.

AMKC

I have two dogs. One is very good she takes her time eating and knows when she is full the other eats it as if its his last meal and then looks for more. I made up a slow feeder bowl from an egg carton which lasted for a little while but then I threw it out. Might invest in a proper one.

Glass fused light

Zachary Raspy Sinkhole wrote: »

You're right and this is what shocked me. Having my dog go from "I'll get another meal soon, I'm grand" to "OMG!! I'll never get another meal ever I'm going to die today goodbye cruel world" was rough because I love this dog so damn much.

Food prep has gone from a non-event to something you are more focused on.
Apart from the volume, your dog could also be picking up on your change in body language from a measure by eye to having to measure the portions, and the associated guilt of the forced diet.

I would also remove the bowl from sight after the feed is done.

irish_goat

Sounds like our dogs. Our 22kg Springer once knocked over his food bin and ate 7kg of dry dog food in one night. Obviously ended up with a distended stomach and the mrs had to take him straight to surgery and open him up to take the food out. Nearly killed himself. Has he learnt his lesson...of course not.

KikiLaRue

Is it possible to do three smaller meals a day instead of two big ones?

killanena

Try feeding her meals 8-10 hours apart instead of 12. I feed my dog at 8am and 5:30pm, she is put into her kennel at 9pm-10pm depending on the time of year.

irish_goat

Also...

Graces7

One of my cats is worse than either of my dogs ever were.. when I had neighbours he would go round begging off them ..watches every mouthful I eat.

pxdf9i5cmoavkz

Zachary Raspy Sinkhole wrote: »

Thanks for the replies everyone. It's good to know that I'm not the only one with a dog that incorrectly thinks she is going to die today unless she gets fed.

Coalesced all the points from the replies and my plan going forward is:

1. Slow feeder bowl.
2. Bulk up meal with safe veggies.
3. No more feeding in the kitchen.

1 week later report:

The difference is day / night after swapping her over to a slow feeder bowl. She is no longer scarfing down her whole meal in 0.0000001 seconds and spends time chewing the food which is great. It's actually cute watching her try to get that last piece of carrot / kibble because her snout / tongue pushes the food around the bowl.

Moving the feeding routine out of the kitchen has stopped her always waiting in the kitchen for food and instead she now waits patiently in the lounge :pac:. It's a pyrrhic victory I'm willing to accept because she is no longer under my feet when I'm in the kitchen.

Overall the changes look to have made a good improvement to everything. Thank you all once again.