Advice on food obsessed dog?

[Username06]

This is my second dog, have had a food obsessed dog before but not to the degree my current dog is obsessed with food.
She runs to the kitchen at any sign of rustling/food smells etc despite being told she isn't allowed in the kitchen for over 2 years now! Yes shutting the door is an option but I have kids and the door doesn't stay shut for 5 seconds, I don't like her in the kitchen as she's quick so if anything is dropped she inhales it and I have to be strict with her food as certain things make her itchy and obv don't want her eating anything dangerous, she is a counter surfer too.
But the main issue is her staring at you while you eat, she tries to sit on the couch nose in the plate nearly and then when told 6 times to get down she sits on your feet practically drooling until the food is eaten and then as soon as you finish she tries to lick hands/face/ bowl and she has to be physically pushed away as she wont listen to no and as petty as this sounds I don't enjoy eating alot of the time because I know I have to deal with this whole saga everytime.
Yes I do eat on the couch but she is the same if you eat at the table, if I shut the door to eat alone she scratches and whines constantly which is worse than having to put up with her in the room.

I did lots of training with her as a puppy and we still struggle with most things, she does not listen to a word I say and if I have to put up with this for the rest of her life I may go insane.

How do others deal with this?

Can I ask what you feed her?

It sounds like a basic question, but depending on the sort of food you are giving her it may well be that, actually, she's not getting the nutrients she needs and is genuinely just hungry.

One of mine, who I tried on raw, wouldn't stop scrounging - she was constantly hungry and constantly stealing food until I switched to something else. But another of my dogs is fine on raw (her mother, interestingly).

Different food suits different dogs.

Put her in the garden with a huge carrot... Or broccoli stalks...

My rescue is the same! She ended up in the vets for a few days with ileus from eating something she shouldn't.

I've had to buy a lockable bin because I kept finding her with the contents hanging out of her mouth. She's even knocked the bird table over a few times to get at the bird seed.

I also eat on the settee. I just tell her down so she sits on my feet, pawing at my knee, dribbling. I ignore her.

Just keep up with the repetition of down and no. Don't feed them when you're eating, ignore. Or, if that's too difficult, try a licky mat with a teaspoon of dog peanut butter on. That keeps my dog busy for about half an hour.

Good luck!

Try going back to 4 meals a day like you do when they're puppies. It works well for us. We feed 4 small meals, spaced out, and none of our dogs have been food obsessed, scavengers or begging for titbits. Because they're fed regularly they never really reach the point of being hungry.

Our girl (14 months) lies quietly in the kitchen while we cook and eat and she never bothers us.

I have a food obsessed dog too - greedy anyway but now on long term steroids. We've been to the vets a few times to make him sick... It's not easy if they're ravenous all the time, I think it's such a primal urge it over-rides a lot of training (we'd struggle to behave as we knew we should if we felt as if we were starving).

I make him lie down when I eat, he needs reminding several times sometimes (fish and shepherd's pie particularly challenge his ability to be good!) but he has learnt and I only need to point to the floor for him to lie down again. Occasionally when he's being really annoying he's removed and the door shut. Does your dog always whine if she's shut out, or is it just at dinner time? If it's the first, maybe a baby gate could help (as in she can still see you), if it's only when there's food I think that'll probably frustrate her more.

Could you try giving her some of her dinner in a kong or lickimat whilst you eat? Or some chopped veg or kibble in a snuffle mat? Or teach her a solid bed command where she gets a chew / kong etc?

I have a stock food bin with clip on handles, it stops any opportunistic grabs but he'll get in if determined - so he's not allowed in the kitchen when I'm not in. I've also learnt not to leave any food at the edge of a worktop because why wouldn't he take it (my human's unimpressed versus I got to eat a whole loaf of bread - stealing is always going to win for a very hungry dog).

I also use the fact my dog appears magically as soon as I open the fridge to my advantage - if he has something I really need to get off him I open the fridge and he comes running, or if he's being stubborn at coming in from the garden.

Good luck. It's not easy with a very hungry dog.

I have a food obsessed Labrador, she’s constantly scrounging, I normally give her a chewy treat while we eat so she doesn’t droool & scrounge. She’s fed very well on fresh food but that makes absolutely no difference. Last week she took a piece of toast out of a women’s hand in a cafe, I apologised so much. Luckily the women was ok about it, she has a dog and understands what Labradors are like!

What, in terms of training have you actually tried? How consistent are you?

I think you can easily trach a dog not to follow you into the kitchen... all it takes is a firm stay or whatever word you want to use. Teach her a down stay first. Remember to build up the time from something like 30 seconds to 2-10 minutes and beyond. Then every time you go into the kitchen tell her stay by the door ... if she follows you in, take her back to the place you left her. If she stays, reward her with a little treat to relise her when you leave the kitchen. It's a bit tedious, but she should get the message within a week or so.
Once she's good with you, show the DC what to do ... I think 8+ is more than capable of doing this. Younger DC would need supervision for longer.

Do similar when you are eating. Teach her to go to her bed (while anyone is eating.) Put her back if she gets up & be consistent! Again, to teach the initial comand, do the same as for the down stay- there are plenty of youtube videos available!
When you finished eating and she is still in her bed, give her a tasty treat (maybe some safe food from your plate like carrot) in her bed. Nowhere else, not the floor, kitchen or licking hands & face. Go and have a quick wash if needed.

I agree with LandSharksAnonymous to review her food and make sure she gets enough. It might be worth feeding her twice a day.

To stop her following you need to make it BORING. So that means absolutely clinically clean kitchen at all times. She'll soon learn.

I'd also look at food. High protein tends to be best for keeping them full and don't be afraid to feed her more often. My terrier is a proper gannet and even since she's been spayed her metabolism has remained very high so she gets two big meals morning and evening and a small snack at lunch and bed time and she doesn't scrounge then. Some dogs need more regular meals like people. I also feed them in a lickibowl so it slows her down and she feels like she's getting more.

Impulse control games are also good - it's your choice - is a good one. Don't make her wait for her meals as that's too stressful for a food orientated dog IME.

Dogs are far better at doing things if they choose not to. So you need to manipulate her environment so choosing not to is more valuable. It isn't as hard as it sounds.

Get a lick mat or a frozen Kong and put the dog in a different room with it whilst you eat.

Thank you @Newpeep It's reassuring to see someone else feeding 4 small meals also. Most people seem to think it's bonkers but it's always worked for us, even with a breed tall enough to access the kitchen tops!

I also think it helps that if they do feel hungry they know they don't need to go too long without food. Mine gets a biley stomach if it gets empty (common in small dogs with quick metabolisms) so this stops her feeling sick. If for any reason she doesn't get her bed time snack she will be sick in the middle of the night. I sympathise - I have insulin resistance and do so much better on smaller meals and healthy snacks than big meals.

Different things suit different dogs.

Same here @Newpeep Our Pyreneans will vomit yellow slime if they go too long without food. They're also a high risk breed for GDV, so smaller meals helps with that. I'm on little and often for health reasons also, so for us it has always made sense to do this with the dogs. They've always been well-mannered around food and I do think it makes a difference.