Dog so food orientated :(

[Greenkit]

Help, I have two whippets, one is quiet and scared of everything, the other is hyper and into everything food.

Whippet 2 has taken to opening cupboards and eating everything inside, we now have a lock on the cupboard and she has chewed the bottom trying to get in. We cant leave anything on the side at all even for a few seconds. In the last month she has eaten, a large bar of galaxy chocolate, two packets of jaffa cakes, 12 mince pies, a bag (yes a whole bag) of sugar, and a loaf of frozen bread.

She will get into rooms and ransack them, if we turn our backs for a second she has got something. She is walked twice a day but she is so food orientated its doing my head in.

When she was a pup she was kept in a shed and fed bread and potatoes, she has mange and was a sorry looking thing, she is now a picture of health.

? anyone

My lurchers would do that - the older one was food deprived as a pup, the other wasn't so has no excuses.

We have a baby gate on the kitchen so they can't get in. Older one is fine about not stealing from you when eating now, but his urge to steal food hasn't abated at all.

My sister's Lurcher is exactly like this. He's 9 now and still steals any food he can find. We've all got into the habit of putting everything out of reach including handbags as he'll rifle through to get a packet of mints! Sorry, not helpful but I do know how frustrating it is. We've just become used to dealing with him I think. If you need to do any obedience training having a food orientated dog is a bonus btw. .

Do watch the chocs and mince pies. Both toxic to dogs. (Tell her that )

It sound like aanxiety rather than greed or hunger. Could you turn this to your favour by training with food rewards. So she gets affection and food sometimes. Sometimes just affection.

Could try a dap diffuser (adaptil now i think) to help her feel more settled.

It might just take time. We had a rescue rottie that was like this for about a year. Took the food from my plate and was aggressive with it. It just took time really. No magic formula. Just time and love.

Yes to baby gate, also we have all the food in top cupboards, bin up high, nothing left out. My dog is not a rescue he is just a thief. He has got much better with food prep as I make him sit and wait and reward him with carrots.
All treat food (for us not him!) is kept in high cupboard; nothing's left on the side. He still got DS2s advent calendar :(.
I'm sure you know this but be extra careful with chocolate and mince pies due to the raisins but I appreciate they can scarf a lot in seconds. We have a system that the dog is shut in the kitchen (sides cleared!) if the kids have snacks.
He has got much much better when we are there, work on teaching him "leave" but he will still eat whatever he can if he thinks we aren't looking.

Our rescue is the same though not a lurcher, you would think we starve her the way she goes on! We give her 3 meals a day last one just before bed otherwise she has us up in the middle of the night as she wants food, this is at nearly 9yrs old! I have no advice but am watching with interest!

Would love my whippet to be food orientated it might stop him from being so dog obsessed! Are dogs just obsessive about something and you just have to live with the cards they are dealt. Can you use food to train him?

My db has a whippet and he is food obsessed. He will steal anything left within his reach and rip open any bag etc with all types of food in. He eats the cats food and the cats poo!!! He will even steal food off of plates as people are eating off them if he can it's tedious to be honest and they have tried everything to deter him but to no avail.

Feel a bit better now. We have had her two years this christmas, she has always been a bit of a 'grab it if she can' kind of a dog, but has taken to biting open cupboard doors and jumping on the side for food at every oportunity.

Everything is hiden away, as best as we can.

Got to love em eh