Do a lot of dogs think they should eat all the time?

[nvnvgirl]

This is making me crazy! Max (and Madison) are fed 1/4 cup of canned food when they get up in the morning (Madison actually gets slightly less b/c I add almost 1/4 cup of rice and turkey b/c of his gastric issues and he's bigger than Max). This is usually somewhere between 5:30 am and 6:30 am. At 10 am (but it's getting more like 9 am lately), Max is sitting, staring at me b/c it's time for their "snacks"....I give them about 12 pieces of their kibble. At noon, Max is now ready for a "treat". I make their treats so I am sure they're low calorie and low fat, but still......at 2 PM, Max is staring at me again for another "snack"....so, another 12 pcs of kibble. They get their dinner at precisely 5 PM (another 1/4 cup of the canned food), and then at around 8 pm, they get another "snack".

As if that isn't enough, if I have anything to eat, even if it's at the same time I feed them, Max is right there, staring at me like he's never seen food before.

I KNOW this is too much food, but how do I stop it? Max will sit in front of me and stare and if I don't give him something he starts whining and jumping on me. It's like it's just escalating with this meal/snacks (which I instituted b/c I thought it was better to give him some of his dry food instead of treats)/ and treats.

I'm trying to cut back on how many pcs of kibble I give them, but it just seems to have gotten out of hand, having to feed them all the time. And also, he expects to get a treat whenever they 'alert" me to someone being at the front door (usually nobody, but they pretend that they hear something so they can go bark and then get a treat for being so brave).

How can I put the brakes on this without feeling like I'm starving him? He looks so pitiful sometimes. Is this normal behavior or is it maybe boredom???

[Ellie May]

Well, first there is a "very slight" chance that it is a medical issue if Max is usually the first one to get the idea to eat.

So, after eating all of this is he getting fat or is he skinny?
If he is eating all of this and is skinny, would look at pancreatic insufficiency.
Has he been cleared free of worms?

How much do they weigh and how many calories does 1 cup of the canned food contain. Ellie eats probably over a cup of homecooked a day and isn't getting fat because it is almost all moisture...no calories. You could figure their optimal caloric intake and give food accordingly, but all dogs are different, so it could vary up to 50%.

[bchgirl]

That post made me chuckle....Max has learned when treat time is.

When I would start dinner...in order not to have 3 dogs under my feet...I'd give them all a treat to occupy them. Ramsey has decided...it is treat time...when we come home from work...doesn't matter if I'm cooking or not...we're home from work. She wants that treat. If I don't get the treats....she will go to the cabinet where they are located....paw the door and then bark at me. REPEATEDLY. The boys don't do this, but they're looming around waiting...Ramsey does all the talking for them.

In the AM...when hubby gets up...all three were used to getting a treat from him. Ramsey, of course, would remind him as necessary.

After nail clipping...it's treat time. I usualy do Ramsey last...because she will drive you insane....I let you clip my nails...I want a treat!

Doesn't matter if mine had all eaten a 7 course meal....if I am eating...they would like some too. This I blame on hubby....who was guilty of sharing his food with them. That's been stopped, but they still "ask".

I don't think they are hungry nor are they bored at those times...they are eating because it tastes good.

The treats...they've just become accustomed to receiving treats at that time. Dogs are very routined based..

Because Reggie is having tummy issues...no one at my house is receiving ANY type of treat. The AM treat from hubby...has been replaced by breakfast. When the dogs and I come home from work....I distract Ramsey by going outside...that's work pretty well. Until she remembers she didn't get her treat.

You could try substituting kibble or treats with a vegetable...string beans, carrots...or my all love frozen peas. At least those don't have the calories as kibble or treats.

[Bizzymammabee]

Girls it sounds like them babies know who is boss

[Timmy]

I don't think that he's doing this because he is hungry...he's doing it because its food. Mimi is the same way...she can just finish up her dinner and when I sit to have dinner she's staring at me. All my husbands fault because he use to give her some of his food which I don't do. And when he was eating she would cry & whine at him and he use to feel sorry for her....not me! I tell her no and its no. My husband was deployed this past June so she doesn't bother me at all when I'm eating....with my husband she use to get away wth murder....lol I feed mine a few kibbles for breakfast and then they have their dinner at 5:30pm and then a snack before bed time...

[bchgirl]

Originally Posted by Bizzymammabee

Girls it sounds like them babies know who is boss

Yeah I'm pretty well trained....

[nvnvgirl]

Originally Posted by Ellie May

Well, first there is a "very slight" chance that it is a medical issue if Max is usually the first one to get the idea to eat.

So, after eating all of this is he getting fat or is he skinny?
If he is eating all of this and is skinny, would look at pancreatic insufficiency.
Has he been cleared free of worms?

How much do they weigh and how many calories does 1 cup of the canned food contain. Ellie eats probably over a cup of homecooked a day and isn't getting fat because it is almost all moisture...no calories. You could figure their optimal caloric intake and give food accordingly, but all dogs are different, so it could vary up to 50%.

Well, he's gaining weight lately. But that's partly b/c it's too hot here during the summer to walk them (and I don't get up before 5 am). If we were exercising, it wouldn't show up so much. He does lose weight once we get back to our walks.

He def. doesn't have worms. He just thinks he should eat all the time. I used to free feed the dry food, but Max (before Madison was here) was going thru the bowl too fast, so I stopped doing that. The vet told me to feed him 1/3 of the can (regular sized can) per day, so I split it up into his two "main" feedings. That comes to approx 1/4 cup (it's actually 1/6) each time. She also told me that that wasn't enough to fill Madison's stomach up, so I was giving him a full 1/4 cup but he also gets the rice mixture in his (and everytime I try to fool around with changing the ratio or amount of rice, he starts having poop issues, so I think I've hit on the right ratio for now anyway).

I guess I'm more concerned with his weight in light of his wanting food constantly, so maybe trying to substitute some veggies would help. Madison eats and is just as excited to be getting the food when Max does, but he really doesn't seem to expect to be fed every hour on the hour. He's just along for the ride I think, LOL.

[nvnvgirl]

[QUOTE=bchgirl;2209268]That post made me chuckle....Max has learned when treat time is.


YES, he has! I swear, I wish I had video of him doing this~ I'm sitting at the computer, and he's lying on a bed next to the desk. At 10 am EXACTLY, he nonchalantly gets up, walks over to the office door and just sits there and stares at me. If I don't acknowledge him, he'll eventually move closer to me and stare at me. It's so hilarious b/c it's like he's got an alarm clock somewhere. He does the same thing at 2 pm, and he's just recently started doing it at noon (I think maybe b/c that's usually when I have lunch), and then he'll do it again around 8pm. It's amazing that he's so time-oriented!

I guess you're right though, b/c they're very routine conscious; and I guess he's gotten used to it. I just wonder what will happen if I go back to work and am not here to administer snacks and treats all day long, LOL?

I know this is a dumb question; you said frozen peas. You thaw them first right? I've tried green beans and they're not too excited about them. Apples work for Max but not for Madison. Maybe carrots will work.


And yes, they ARE the boss, LOL.

[nvnvgirl]

Originally Posted by Timmy

I don't think that he's doing this because he is hungry...he's doing it because its food. Mimi is the same way...she can just finish up her dinner and when I sit to have dinner she's staring at me. All my husbands fault because he use to give her some of his food which I don't do. And when he was eating she would cry & whine at him and he use to feel sorry for her....not me! I tell her no and its no. My husband was deployed this past June so she doesn't bother me at all when I'm eating....with my husband she use to get away wth murder....lol I feed mine a few kibbles for breakfast and then they have their dinner at 5:30pm and then a snack before bed time...

Oh, girl! I know exactly what you mean. I know I do give in to the snacks and treats, but when dh is home, there's much more begging for food! He also used to give Max a little piece of buttered toast in the morning when he was home and sometimes some of his scrambled egg (I did too, only I eat only egg whites, so I figured it wasn't TOO bad, but he started expecting to clean up my plate when I finished and I'd leave some on there for him). It's kind of funny b/c if dh makes something to eat and then goes and sits on the sofa, Max is right there in his face (although he gets NO people food anymore after his bout of pancreatitis a couple of years ago), but he'd never do that when I'm eating. I should amend that to "he gets very little people food" b/c I have a funny feeling that dh does sneak a tiny bit of toast to him occasionally. Thank goodness he's only home on the weekends.