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Today's dog foods are designed to be delicious. Once the basics of the nutrient profile are met for a particular life-stage, taste is the most important competitive platform. High palatability means dogs like the taste, and that translates to more sales for the pet food company.
The good news about highly palatable dog food is that almost any formulation will be eaten by your dog. The downside of high palatability is the fact that many dogs will then eat more food than they need if offered all that they want. This leads to excessive weight gain and obesity. Meal feeding with portion control is a critical step in preventing overeating, excessive weight gain, and obese dogs.
By the time a dog has become overweight or obese, he has likely had the opportunity to develop the habit of overeating. Weight loss requires strict portion control, which the dog is not used to after the eating pattern that led to obesity. It is no surprise, then, to witness food inhalation, ‘counter surfing’, and constant begging.
> "By the time a dog has become overweight or obese, he has likely had the opportunity to develop the habit of overeating."There are many ways to cope with your dog who has become a glutton. Step one means understanding that dogs will repeat behavior that gets rewarded. If they beg for food and we give in and feed them something - anything - they learn that if they beg, they will get something to eat. As hard as it may be to resist those puppy-dog eyes, avoid giving in. Instead, take your dog for a quick walk or for a play session in the yard. Dogs will eat out of boredom and often when they give us the puppy-dog eyes, they are just seeking our attention – but they will take a treat if offered. Who wouldn't?
If the habit of begging and feeding is already in place, there are two alternatives. Dogs learn our habits and patterns, and one common linkage in begging behavior is begging during family meal preparation.
One option is to keep the dog away while cooking and during mealtime. He can remain on a dog bed or in a particular room, perhaps with a Kong® toy filled with frozen vegetables for slow retrieval, or with some other chew toy. Sometimes using a tether or a crate/kennel will be necessary to create the new habit of not begging during meal preparation.
>"Extra volume should be made up of appropriate water-based vegetables."
Option two for reducing a dog's tendency for gluttony is to provide a larger volume of food at each meal, and additional snacks throughout the day. This sounds counter-intuitive, but the extra volume should be made up of appropriate water-based vegetables. Your veterinarian can help you decide what might work best for your dog. The most commonly recommended snack veggies are green beans, broccoli, and cauliflower. Be sure to ask your veterinarian if any of these are not appropriate choices for your dog due to their calcium content.
Another high-volume, low calorie snack to feed to a glutton is air popped popcorn - no butter, no salt.
There are also some prescription diets that are designed to make dogs feel more full after eating.
Finally, we can slow down food inhalers by using interactive food toys. These can be high or low tech depending on your preferences. Here are some ideas:
It is worth the effort to reframe the eating experience for dogs that have become gluttonous food inhalers. It will take patience, but dogs can learn new tricks, and how to eat appropriately is something they can learn!
© Copyright 2025 LifeLearn Inc. Used and/or modified with permission under license. This content written by LifeLearn Animal Health (LifeLearn Inc.) is licensed to this practice for the personal use of our clients. Any copying, printing or further distribution is prohibited without the express written consent of LifeLearn. This content does not contain all available information for any referenced medications and has not been reviewed by the FDA Center for Veterinary Medicine, or Health Canada Veterinary Drugs Directorate. This content may help answer commonly asked questions, but is not a substitute for medical advice, or a proper consultation and/or clinical examination of your pet by a veterinarian. Please contact your veterinarian if you have any questions or concerns about your pet’s health. Last updated on Jul 29, 2019.
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