Why does my dog eat trash and counter food even after just eating?

Dogs can develop habits just like humans. It’s possible Zeus was unaware that he could reach the human food until recently. Dogs learn by cause-and-effect. He jumped on the counter, got something to eat and that is a positive experience for him. He will likely continue this behavior because it is a positive experience every time. You must prevent him from having this experience or else he will just continue it. Sometimes increases in appetite can be related to endocrine disease. You may have his blood tested to look for hypothyroidism or Cushing’s disease. I hope this helps and please feel free to post any additional questions.

Hi, thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! If you aren't sure if she ate anything the best thing to do is to monitor her. Watch for vomiting, diarrhea, lethargy and not wanting to eat. Those symptoms can indicate that something is stuck or has caused an upset stomach. If this happens bring her to the Vet. I recommend making sure all trash cans have lids. Close all bathroom doors and put the trash cans up high on counters or tables. Start with basic training: "come" and "leave it" using treats. When you are not home crate her or lock her in a room that is free of things she could get in to. Hope this helps! Good luck!@

It's very normal for dogs to be interested in what you're eating, and most dogs will happily try to snatch food from tables or trays if they have never been taught what you want them to do during mealtime. In the short term, I would recommend using a baby gate or other barrier to keep Diesel out of the room while you're eating. You could also put her in her crate, if she's crate-trained. This will prevent her from being able to practice the unwanted behavior of trying to take your food, and allow you to eat in peace. Another option would be to give her something to chew on, such as a bully stick or a Kong toy stuffed with peanut butter, to keep her busy during mealtimes. As a longer-term solution, you can work on teaching her to stay on a special mat or dog bed while you eat - this gives her something specific to focus on, and a more polite way of earning a treat. You can start by encouraging her to lay on her bed, and rewarding her immediately with a treat when she lays down on it. Reward her frequently at first for staying put, then gradually work up to longer and longer periods without a reward as she gets better at this. Eventually, you can ask her to lay on her bed during the entire meal, in exchange for a single treat at the end.

All dogs are scavengers, and are thus constantly on the lookout for something edible falling into their area, but Labradors have a reputation for taking this to the next level. Many of them will eat almost anything, so it's a good idea for owners of Labrador Retrievers to be extremely vigilant about leaving food on the counter, and make sure that trash cans are well-secured. To learn more about Labs, visit PetCoach's breed page: www.petcoach.co/breed/labrador-retriever

Hello, Dogs that know where food may be, will indeed take advantage of any opportunity they get to steal some food. It may be best to keep him in a separate room when you will be having food out, otherwise, you may be dealing with this behavior issue often. This will hopefully buy you some time to adjust him to only being exposed to his own food, and desensitize him from knowing that there is food on the table. As a golden rule, don't eat around your pet because they will likely want to eat your food as well. Sorry about Murphy and hope this helps.

It would be hard to say why he is doing this. Many dogs do though and are chewers, or get in to trash for paper or Kleenex, etc. If he is doing those things, make sure he is confined to one room and keep those things out of reach. Crate train him of necessary

I guess I misunderstood your first question. Max probably thinks the food in the trash tastes better than the food you are offering him! First, you need to lock up the trash so that he can't get into it. Put it in a cabinet or behind a closed door, or find a way to secure a lid onto the trashcan so that he can't get into it. Once you fix the getting into the trash problem, only feed him his dog food. If he won't eat it for 3 days, you can try a different brand of dog food - some dogs will have taste preferences. Whatever you do, don't add human food to the dog food or give him treats since this will just reinforce his idea that he should be eating something other than the dog food you are offering. As far as digestion, if stools are normal and there is no vomiting, then his digestion is probably fine. Here is an article with some other ideas for picky eaters (to try after you lock up the trash!) https://www.petcoach.co/article/5-tips-to-get-reluctant-pets-to-eat/