Obsessive food behavior - at my wits end

Well, my Indy is like yours. Before he will even go pee in the morning, he likes to hoover the kitchen floor to see if my 18 year old son left any midnight snacks falling on the floor. If I give him a treat, he snatches at it - if I don't lay my hand really flat, I would be in danger of getting nipped.

Your situation is a little different from mine in that you've got the one pup and I have two (so like Ann, I have to deal with poaching).

We are working on "wait", which seems to be helping some.

You could consider feeding him with one of those slow-feed bowls to get them to slow down. Or make him work for his food, by putting his kibble in one of those balls that as it rolls dispenses food.

Unfortunately, none of these really get to the root cause of why they snatch, sneak and steal food in the first place. I think we need to get to the root cause, and then find techniques that convince the pup that it's not necessary. For that, I have no answers yet!
 
Victoria Stilwell is a dog behaviorist I really like. She said that curing a chow hound is one of the most difficult things to do. She didn't use the words "chow hound", but you get what I mean. :razz: You might want to see if you can find a behaviorist that can help you. Seriously. Not one that uses the "beat them down since I'm the alpha not you" stuff either. Find one that uses positive training. :biggrin2:
 
I have a 3yr old who is also food obsessed. He drools constantly if there is any food anywhere around, or he meets someone who sometimes has treats on them, and he cannot concentrate in classes with food around. I have to mop the kitchen floor every night because of the amount of saliva left behind. I have had problems with my dogs getting on counters and tables (tully opened and ate an entire family size bag of smarties chocs) and opening cupboard doors - so this is not unusual.

I have seen a vet behaviourist about this problem - it is very common in multiple dog households. I am really putting my foot down on this atm so here is what we are doing.

  • They have to work for their breakfast. I hide their kibble around the house/yard or give them a treat bottle.
  • No food from hands (to stop the begging for human food) and no more of my food, no more licking bowls or getting in to the dishwasher.
  • No treats from anyone but me.
  • They eat earlier in the evening (and yes before me) so they aren't acting out of true hunger. Also, they are fed exactly the same time every day.
  • "On your mat" command. I also have an open plan home so no locking them out of the kitchen (although I do have a puppy fence for when people are around to keep them out. But when I cook or eat they have to stay on their mats in the dining room (it also means the mat collects all Deska's drool).
  • We are doing obedience classes with a bowl of food nearby to teach him to work without focusing on food.
  • Rawhide chews (like the venison because they are big but low fat). Often for Deska he just wants to chew on something

As the behaviourist said to me - food and water are the most important things for survival for animals. Dogs have no control over food so this often makes them obsessive, esp when their is competition for food (from other dogs in the house).
 
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Have you looked into placing scat mats on the counters? Google and you will find ones that run fairly long and are made for counters. You can also do a cheap version with fishing line and pennies in cans. Place metal soda cans with pennies every foot or so on the counter. They don't need to set upright. Connect them all together with line or string. You do want the string to be somewhat off the top of the counter. Maybe an inch or two. Just use something that isn't too visible. Then set the dog up. Leave out food on the counter and pretend to be occupied. He would basically put his foot in the line and pull the jangling cans down with him. Hopefully you will scare him enough he will steer clear of the area. Be prepared for a dog who will go ballistic especially if the cans become entangled to him and he is running frantically around the room. Pretty drastic, but not as much as possibly getting rid of your dog. Hopefully if you scare him enough, just placing a soda can on the counter (wherever you are) will make him stay away. So I would suggest using the same brand for all your cans.

Also, you said he has been vet checked. I assumed they did check his sugar levels. When you have insulin surges this will create strong urges for food. Then again you could just have a chow hound. Something you really see in hunting dogs. Think beagle.
 
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You also mentioned the food issues when you feed. So how many dogs do you have? Dogs are a pack animal. In the pack the alpha dogs eat first. Your dog is just exhibiting that behaviour. Is your male neutered? Is he fighting with another male? Not saying this will make much of a difference at this point. Like all behaviours, it's going to be hard to change that mindset after seven years. But if he isn't neutered this helps create the atmosphere. His hormones are telling him to act a certain way, especially with food and other dogs. He obviously thinks he's the top dog.

Start by feeding him in a separate room or a crate. Don't let him out until all other food dishes are picked up. Also, it sounds like you give out treats and then that causes problems. You will have to make sure they all are in a sit/stay position, or basically quit giving treats. Again he perceives himself as the alpha and should get the most and the best treat. Try always feeding him first so that it helps relieve his fears. But you will need to control him. So if you give him a treat you will need him on a leash. Put the leash on the ground and actually step on it so he can't move from his spot. That way when he goes after the other dog (when you give them their treat) he will be contained. Give him an immediate verbal correction. And as a side note, hopefully you are big enough to actually hold the dog when he tries to go after the other dog. Wouldn't want you to be literally swept off your feet.

Whenever I babysit a chow hound doxie I always feed them in separate rooms. For a nine pounder she can eat her weight in food. If it is something yummy I have actually fed her by hand in order to slow her down. This also shows them who is control. You can put a couple of large round rocks in his food dish. It will slow him down as they forage around trying to get their kibble. Just make the rocks big enough that he won't try to swallow them.

And last, as far as trash can foraging just buy cans with step on lids. One other thing you can try is if you have a baby monitor you can use that by placing it down in the trash. Again set up the dog. When he goes after the trash, yell, scream, or blow a whistle when he puts his head in the can.

I just hate to think you will give up your pup and that he is creating such issues in your marriage. I wish you the best and hopefully something will work. Hopefully there are enough ideas on this thread, that something will work. Everyone is concerned for you and your pup.
 
thanks to everyone for all the advice so far

To answer some questions...we have 3 dogs. Two were mine and one my husbands. All have been spayed/neutered as puppies. We gave Legend to my son for awhile and there was not much behavior change. He got into some candy and my son had a scare with him about that as he ate 1/2 a bag of chocolate. Legend will rip into things if he knows there is any kind of food inside and it's dangerous to him. I wish we could prevent his doing it. But no one can watch him every second and that's the problem. Now we have him back because my son working & in school.

The dogs stay in our back yard when we are not home. My husband travels frequently for work and I also work and attend grad school at night. On days that it rains, I take the dogs to my in-laws. It's really where the biggest problem comes in. They have 2 dogs as well and Legend is the only one out of the 5 that gets crazy about food. The rest will not attempt to eat anything that they are not given permission to eat. Nor would they try. So Legend looks terrible and they can't understand how 4 dogs can be well behaved and one insane.

My in-laws unfortunately free feed and Legend has gotten into fights, started fights, gotten bitten badly, and bitten the other dogs as well. Not to mention what he eats on the counters. Everyone is just sick to death of him I guess and I'm pretty frustrated and sad myself. I can't explain why he's like that and why he can't be like the other dogs. He just is.

Anyway, there's really not much solution for it I guess. I can't afford a pet sitter. He can't stay in the house when we are not home for so long and he can't stay out in the yard when it rains. There is shelter but he doesn't like it and won't use it and gets soaked and muddy.

My husband doesn't believe in crating and I guess the biggest problem is trying to get other people to understand and work around a problem that they feel should not exist. Again - 4 well behaved dogs...so why can't we "fix" the 5th.
 
Ok, I'm starting to get a better picture of the situation. For some reason, I thought you only had the one dog. It's clear that it is true food competition, so he is alot like my Indy.

I cannot imagine what your husband has against crates, especially since this would go a long way in solving your problem.

Do you think you can convince him that it would be less cruel to crate train him than to give him up????
 
Anyway, there's really not much solution for it I guess. I can't afford a pet sitter. He can't stay in the house when we are not home for so long and he can't stay out in the yard when it rains. There is shelter but he doesn't like it and won't use it and gets soaked and muddy.

My husband doesn't believe in crating and I guess the biggest problem is trying to get other people to understand and work around a problem that they feel should not exist. Again - 4 well behaved dogs...so why can't we "fix" the 5th.
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Well the dog won't magically fix himself. There is no miracle pill. Whining about it won't change the dog. It sounds like you are wanting this forum's approval. Sorry, but a seven year old dog sent to the pound is probably doomed. They usually destroy food aggressive dogs. Maybe there is a Sheltie rescue in your area.
 
BarbV said:
Do you think you can convince him that it would be less cruel to crate train him than to give him up????
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I agree! Dogs truly do love their crates and come to see it as their own little den. Of course, it might take some time if the dog isn't used to being crated, but being unhappy in a crate for a little bit until they get used to it seems better than the alternative--crate, kennel, or worse at a shelter.
 
Chelle,
it sounds awful what you are going through and it seems there is so little support for YOU? Couldn't your son help out some more, it could be that your dog needs one on one attention he is not likely to get for training purposes...

I hope you feel there are some nuggets of info in here that you could use as discussion points with your spouse ... the cold truth is, that no behaviour problem fixes itself.. and I am sure all the other dogs also have something unique about them... However if nobody else is willing to fight for Legend the outlook isn't rosy... Please do try and find help...
Good luck to you!
 
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