[AugustusMcCrae]

Gus is almost a year old, and doing quite well! he's about 80-something pounds and still super lean. Lately he's become food-obsessed. By this I mean, if he sees a piece of kibble around the house he'll like, lunge at it as if he's starving or something. he's the same way walking around outside on leash. normally he doesn't pull much but when he sees some food on the ground he just rushes for it. he knows "leave it" and "drop it" but it only sometimes works with food. I'm worried this might be a pre-food aggression sign. He isn't aggressive at all right now, but it's starting to worry me. He also wolfs his food down, even when i give it in smaller portions. He gets Taste of the Wild, about 5 cups a day usually split in two meals.

 

[EmilyB]

What is his typical day like?

 

[Julie W]

Sounds like most of my dogs.

 

[AugustusMcCrae]

What is his typical day like?

I feed him at around 7 am, then we're out and about or home. he gets about a 4 mile walk a day, i feed him again at like 5... he's really high energy and is always pretty pooped at the end of the day.

 

[AugustusMcCrae]

Sounds like most of my dogs.

haha really? well as long as it isn't weird, it's just that i was worried about it turning into food aggression. but if it isn't...

 

[mmctaq]

Lean is good... you said "super lean"... maybe he really does need a bit more food.

 

[o0 sHaDoWoLf 0o]

maybe turn his passion for food into a really good training aid

 

[Patches Mom]

He maybe starving if in a growth spurt the seem to have those off & on until they are though growing. As long as you are positive he has not picked up any worms on his walks might not hurt to check that out.Good Luck with you hungry Fur Kid maybe hitting teen ager time teen agers are always hungry too.

 

[AugustusMcCrae]

thanks everyone, he's not underweight, he's been gaining steadily. he just doesn't have a lot of muscle, i figure he will still fill out a lot. as for cups of kibble, i can feed him more, but i don't know how much i should feed him. i searched what people feed and it seems people feed 3-5 cups tops, at least with similar kibbles to mine.

 

[Adara]

Just my two cents but then he doesn't KNOW leave it And like someone else said, my dogs would convince you they are STARVED and lunge at any piece of food or anything they think is food. Some dogs learn to lunge at it before mom/dad takes it away from me. So rethink how you've been training leave it.

 

[AugustusMcCrae]

Just my two cents but then he doesn't KNOW leave it And like someone else said, my dogs would convince you they are STARVED and lunge at any piece of food or anything they think is food. Some dogs learn to lunge at it before mom/dad takes it away from me. So rethink how you've been training leave it.

good point, maybe i just haven't been practicing it enough. it used to work all the time, then it wouldn't work with food, now it's like he goes into some weird survival trance and completely ignores me when i say "leave it". got any tips? haha

 

[Adara]

good point, maybe i just haven't been practicing it enough. it used to work all the time, then it wouldn't work with food, now it's like he goes into some weird survival trance and completely ignores me when i say "leave it". got any tips? haha

hehe I learned the hard way on an off leash run at the river once on an early Monday morning (after a weekend of partiers) when my older Vizsla snagged something out of the trash and I hollered leave it and went to get it and she ran away from me INTO THE RIVER and inhaled it

I will admit it's easier for some dogs than others (like her!). I have a pretty good leave it with my other 2 and her if it isn't food (say a pill drops). I practice a LOT and I always reward (even as adults) and the reward is NVER what I've asked them to leave. It is something I work on a lot throughout life, similar to recall because it is so terribly hard to train and so self-reinforcing for the dog.

Self control games also help. You can set up say 5 saucers with a treat at each saucer. The key is do NOT do this until you are sure you can get him to leave it. So don't start with this. He will eventually walk by all of them and leave it. You will slowly get closer and closer.

 

[o0 sHaDoWoLf 0o]

You can take 2 treats put one down and say leave it. If he lunges for it pick it up and repeat until he leaves it. When he does reward with second treat and a ton of praise and love.