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  1. #1
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    Miley out of control

    Miley our chocolate lab is 2.5 years old and lately she is out of control.she has always been food oriented,but the things she pulls lately is unbelievable and I don't understand it.first let me say she is well trained.she knows not to go into the kitchen at all,and not to eat anything that's on the living room table.for the past month she has been jumping the high hair to eat my youngest food,she is eating my sons breakfast of the table if it is unattended for a couple of min.and the worst she goes into the kitchen at night and empties the garbage can.after finding carnage and vomit on my living room floor I made sure there is nothing left food wise in the house before we go to sleep,the garbage can is locked away.this am I wake up to a noise and sure enough I catch her in the kitchen trying to take my sons chocolate advent calendar of the wall(may I add she already took and aet the contents of the other one I had hanging on the wall).she knows it's wrong she runs to her place and has her ears down.i tried to tell her no tried showing her over and over the kitchen is off limits but nothing helps.
    Maybe one of you have any suggestions.

  2. #2
    Senior Dog Tanya's Avatar
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    has anything in your routine changed? Have you changed her food, or feeding schedule? are her poops normal? Same amount/consistnecy? Has she gained or lost weight?

    how much exercise does she get? has that changed at all?

    Depending on many factors i'd consider maybe adding a bit of food to her daily feeding (maybe half a cup more) and upping her mental exercise - feed her via toys like kong, kong wobbler, other and some extra daily training sessions.

    oh and i'd baby gate or stop her access to the kitchen when i am not around to supervise and start the boundary training again. and make sure any toxic foods are out of reach.

    dogs don't "know they did wrong" they react to the human's body language. when we are upset they will often give us a submissive body language to difuse our anger/anxiety.

  3. #3
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    Nothing has changed,she is perfect weight she gets plenty of excercise,she not really ever alone,I'm a stay at home mom.i kennel her when we leave the house during the day but at night she is free and usually sleeps under my oldest bed

  4. #4
    Senior Dog Tanya's Avatar
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    i take the path of least resistance. Crate at night or gate off the kitchen at night.

    I'd still add some mental stimulation.

    Could be the weather, many dogs get a bit of extra energy as things get cooler.

    What is "plenty of exercise"? I ask because people use this term to mean a great variety of things.

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  6. #5
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    If it's gotten that crazy, I'd have a talk with my vet. There are several things that can cause in intense increase in eating/wanting to eat...nipping it in the bud could easily prevent a need for a more serious approach to fixing/coping with things later on.

    The only time I had a dog with a sudden increase in food interest was with Sunnie...she went from no interest when we brought her home to eating everything in sight and doing serious acrobatics to get to it within a week. At first we figured she was just getting comfortable with us but then we found out she was pregnant.

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  8. #6
    Senior Dog Snowshoe's Avatar
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    Has your youngest just recently gotten old enough to be part of this? Once my grandnephew realized he could throw stuff he didn't want to eat on the floor the dog, previously very well trained at leaving the family alone when they ate, all of a sudden became a huge pest.
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  10. #7
    Senior Dog Maxx&Emma's Avatar
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    My first step would be a thorough health exam with a complete blood panel. (Make appt. for 1st thing in the AM, do not feed anything after 10 - 11 PM, the night before and take a fresh urine sample from 1st thing that morning with you.)

    I just find it very odd for a dog to have such a big change of habit out of the blue. Encouragement by small children can cause a dog to learn to beg or know how to work children. However, raiding the trash, eating things that are hanging on the wall, snatching food from the table, etc makes me think something is going on health wise. I would, at the very least, want to rule any health issues out right away.
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  12. #8
    Senior Dog Meeps83's Avatar
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    Thyroid level is a guess. Also you mention exercise, but what about mental exercise?

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  14. #9
    Senior Dog TuMicks's Avatar
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    If this is a really marked and sudden change in habits... dittos to what's been said about the vet.

    But basically, the behavior itself, is archetypal labrador. It is absolutely part of the canine brain. (They are scavengers, first and foremost.) I don't know that it's worth trying to eradicate the behavior. All you can do is mitigate it.

    * A garbage can with a latch lid.
    * At night, a couple of options: 1) crate the dog. 2) shut your son's door. 3) crate the dog in your son's room. 4) loosely leash the dog to your son's bed's leg.
    * Baby gates (although, unless they make baby gates 5 feet high and construct them our of galvanized steel... they wouldn't work with mine.

    I have taught my dogs to not steal food from table and counter tops. I could tell you how to do it. BUT... what I found out is that now they just lick the food if I turn my back for a few seconds. So it boils down to, basically, trust a dog to be a dog. They will steal your food.

 



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