Help, My Dog is Obsessed with Food

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Some dogs seem to be more greedy than others – or are they? Just have a wee think back to the first time those lovely brown eyes gazed at you. Our first thought may have been:  “Hey Molly, what is it that you want, do you want out?” We go to the door and open it and they simply continue to look at us. Next thought – oh you must be hungry – let’s get you a wee snack.

And hey presto! Our dogs have trained us to get up from our TV programme, go in to the kitchen, open the cupboard and feed them. They get a treat and we get a) relief from the pressure and frustration of guessing and b) a feel good factor from making our dogs happy.

Now, of course, some dogs are indeed more foodie than others. What happens with those greedy dogs? Why are they always on the hunt for food? Well science is uncovering many new reasons regarding why some people seem to need to eat more than others; why some get more joy from eating; and why some put on weight whilst others don’t. And guess, what – it’s the same for dogs. There are indeed genetic and other inherited aspects. But our brains and our dogs’ brains also develop habits.

That very first time our puppy gazed lovingly at us and we thought – oh let’s get you a snack – was the first step towards a foodie habit.

Just think. What if, instead of reaching for the cookie jar we did a little training, or played a wee game, or took them for a walk, gave them a pat or taught them to go and lie down in their bed. How would that have affected the puppy’s experience with food?

After all, it is much easier to never let a habit form than to change habits later.

So, for puppies, during their first few weeks and months (and for newly rescued dogs), simply keep temptation out of the way and don’t presume that they’re always looking for food, or get them into the habits of getting more extra treats than they need.

There are of course some dogs who do seem food obsessed. Keeping food out of reach works for them too, helped by distracting them onto other mentally stimulating activities.

Obesity is one of the top preventable diseases in dogs. Fat dogs aren’t just fat, they suffer from all of the other related medical issues that we do: joint problems, heart stress, diabetes and so on.

There's an excellent chart on measuring dog thin-fat levels here - Is my dog fat?

Is your dog bored? Look here for motivational ideas.

For help with greedy or fussy dogs or puppies or for any other behaviour problems, please do just get in touch at PawsAbility.co.uk.

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What the heck is dog socialisation anyway?

I MUST Socialise my Puppy!

I MUST Socialise my Rescue Dog!! 

Em, yes, well, but.... please take care to ensure that your pet doesn't become frightened or overwhelmed by the experience. 

Socialisation is NOT forcing your dog or puppy to go to a training class where they bark, whine, lunge at other dogs or hide under the seat.

Socialisation is NOT making sure that everyone holds your puppy.

Socialisation is NOT impossible before the puppy vaccination period is passed.

Socialisation IS probably one of the most misunderstood aspects of dog behavioural needs.

And, I’m thinking that socialisation may be something that new xmas pet owners are thinking about just now. Unfortunately, this term is one of those mis-understood aspects of dog ownership. Most tend to think that socialisation is about getting dogs and puppies out and letting them loose to play with each other.

Unfortunately this can all too frequently go wrong. Yes of course we want dogs to meet up with each other. But what’s most important is that we ensure that we organise these meetings so that we don’t expose any dog or puppy to any fear or indeed over-excitement. Canine introductions really need to be handled very carefully to ensure that we don’t introduce any unwanted behaviours or expose our dogs to a situation where they may feel cornered and may become aggressive or bolt away from you. In fact, this is exactly what has happened to many of the dogs we see on the lost dogs listings.

First, if we think about puppies, socialisation is much broader than just introducing them to other dogs. They need to be carefully exposed to all sorts of objects, noises and other animals and people in a calm and careful way to help them learn to ignore noises and to be calm and happy around people and animals.

We also need to take care considering socialisation for many rescue dogs and especially imported rescues. Many dogs will be quite anxious and need some time simply to adjust to their new environment and learn to trust you. Even if you do want them to meet other dogs straight away, always keep rescues on lead for a while until you can be sure that they won’t bolt away from frightening situations.

The third confusion is when pet owners want to socialise a barky or aggressive dog at a training class. Unfortunately, this can be the worst thing to do. Indeed, barky dogs may calm down after a few weeks at class (after disrupting the others). But highly excited or scared or anxious dogs are not able to actually focus on learning what you want. The best approach here is to get some 1-1 help and help and to build their confidence through training and behaviour exercises and with various mentally stimulating games. Then they will be more likely to be able to cope in more distracting environments like classes.

There’s lots more information and detail on socialisation on Pawsability.co.uk. It’s also one of the topics discussed in the book Dogz Thinkz Differentz (available on Amazon) which clarifies many confused areas of dog behaviour including dominance and stubbornness. Read more about Dogz Thinkz Differentz here.

As always,  please do just call or email anna@pawsability.co.uk for help with your dog or puppy training and behaviour questions, especially if you live in the Scottish Highlands. Otherwise, please contact ICAN International Certified Behaviourists for help

For help from a dog behaviourist in Scotland, from Aberdeen to Inverness and the Highlands, please contact www.PawsAbility.co.uk

First Published in the Northern Times, Jan 19

Author - Anna Patfield 

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