Dog Community

A dog who is always hungry

KCSO

Posted : 11/5/2006 4:08:06 PM

Jake currently eats twice a day (8:30ish a.m. and 6ish p.m.) His weight is steady on the amount he is being fed.

Within an hour or two of eating he is in my face... I'm pretty sure trying to tell me he's hungry. If anyone as much as walks near the kitchen he's beside himself with anticipation. We have to be careful when working with treats because he acts like he hasnt seen food in years.

In dieting threads I've seen the idea to bulk up the meals with veggies or whatever. Should I try that? Or what else can I do to get him to STOP WITH THE SAD PUPPY EYES ALREADY.

Deb

Posted : 11/5/2006 5:15:16 PM

Stop making the behavior work for him. Start by ignoring it, and if that doesn't work, go away from him if he begs for food.

mudpuppy

Posted : 11/6/2006 2:33:12 PM

Many dogs are willing to eat anytime. They will happily consume any amount of food offered, and then eat anything else offered. I've never seen that "bulking up" the meals with veg affected this behavior. What I have seen work is not feeding the dog out of a bowl. Make him work for his food-- eat out of food-dispensing toys, or hide his food so he has to find it, or use it as a training reward. Doggy who gulps his meal in thirty seconds then has nothing to do but go look for more. Doggy who satisifies his hunting instincts by working for 30 minutes to get the same amount of food will often then seem satisfied. And ignore any and all begging.

shirleyhw

Posted : 12/12/2014 1:59:05 PM

My springer seems to be hungry all the time too. She is a healthy weight for her age (6months) and very happy but if anything rattles or a cupboard door is open, she goes crazy, jumping up (although she never jumps any other time - have trained her not to jump at people or anything else). Do I just ignore her, sometimes I put her in the garden because I can't get on with any food prep in peace.

Got a Kong feed dispenser but the food just falls out the bottom, I jam it up with apple or carrot pieces but for the amount of food she needs twice a day, that would be an awful lot of Kong filling ??

samysgranma120306

Posted : 12/15/2014 12:12:11 AM

My 8 year old dog has always slept in the bed with us - when we go to bed, she would automatically follow. The last couple of days she will get in bed but will leave shortly after and not come back until the middle of the night. Should I be concerned about this.

calliecritturs

Posted : 12/15/2014 9:53:48 AM

@shirleyhw

My springer seems to be hungry all the time too. She is a healthy weight for her age (6months) and very happy but if anything rattles or a cupboard door is open, she goes crazy, jumping up (although she never jumps any other time - have trained her not to jump at people or anything else). Do I just ignore her, sometimes I put her in the garden because I can't get on with any food prep in peace.

Got a Kong feed dispenser but the food just falls out the bottom, I jam it up with apple or carrot pieces but for the amount of food she needs twice a day, that would be an awful lot of Kong filling ??

Shirley -- a Kong isn't intended to "measure" food -- feed your dog what you need to just put *some* of it in the Kong -- it's intended to take them longer to eat that way. You may also want to put some pureed veg with the kibble and then freeze it. That too makes it longer to get it out of there. If you aren't putting something "wet" with the kibble to freeze and make it more difficult to get out then the Kong isn't helping much anyway .

A Kong isn't really a "feed dispenser" -- it's a toy. People simply fill them and freeze them to make it more of a challenge and more time-consuming. You might also want to consider crating the dog when you need to have uninterrupted time for a task. That is one of the places a filled & frozen Kong can be a super help -- it keeps them busy while they are crated..

calliecritturs

Posted : 12/15/2014 9:58:29 AM

@samysgranma120306

My 8 year old dog has always slept in the bed with us - when we go to bed, she would automatically follow. The last couple of days she will get in bed but will leave shortly after and not come back until the middle of the night. Should I be concerned about this.

Not sure you wanted this to go here ... it's impossible to know since no one is there, but I would investigate where she's going and what she's doing. She may simply hear a noise and is being vigilant to watch a door or window.

Or is she getting out of the bed because it makes her dizzy or nauseus? Watch her and how she behaves before she leaves the bed. Does she raise her head as if she hears something and then leaves. Or does she stay until she thinks everyone is asleep? You need more clues as to when and why she's leaving and where she goes before anyone can determine if it's noteworthy.

Examine what is happening when she leaves -- are you moving in the bed, or does she hear something.

Heart1

Posted : 12/15/2014 4:53:18 PM

My lab is always hungry too! Ill feed her at 4ish and by the time we eat at 430ish shes sitting there drooling all over the floor.